Many people work and live in "burnout" environments. These environments place unnecessary stress on the people in them. Examine your living and working situations for burnout characteristics.

___ Constant demands for perfection ___ Employers are not eager to allow employees to express grievances ___ Suggestions for improving morale made by employees receive no reinforcement ___ There are hierarchical boundaries in staffing, and one should only interact with peers ___ There is an expectation that every one should help everyone else ___ Leadership styles are preachy ___ Work activities are repetitive ___ There is no concern for employees mental health ___ It is considered unprofessional and inappropriate to be playful or silly ___ Bold participation by employees is discouraged ___ Minimal help is provided even if tasks require extra effort ___ There are constant changes in policy ___ Mistakes are emphasized and successes are downplayed ___ Role definitions for workers are very rigid ___ There is discrimination in the workplace ___ There is harassment in the workplace ___ Little emphasis is placed upon positive feedback ___ Policies are changed without considering the priority of the issue or the big picture ___ There is little concern to make the environment comfortable for employees

If your work environment contains three or more of these characteristics it is considered burn-out prone. How can you deal with these types of situations in your work environment?