Exclusive OHW+ member webinar. Watch on-demand below.
Although people working in healthcare generally find their work meaningful and satisfying, they are at high risk of burnout. Research has found that challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath have intensified this risk, posing a huge challenge for occupational health professionals.
And this is not just an issue for the healthcare sector. Workers in many other industries are facing increased pressures after the pandemic, exacerbated by vacancies and intense workloads.
Burnout has serious implications for organisations, patients and service users, as well as the health and wellbeing of practitioners, so it is essential to implement evidence-informed interventions for its prevention and management.
On this webinar, exclusively for OHW+ members, Professor Gail Kinman presents the risk factors and solutions for burnout and share key messages for occupational health practitioners.
Drawing on the findings of SOM’s recent ‘Burnout in healthcare: risk factors and solutions’ report, where Professor Kinman was the lead author, the webinar is focused on healthcare employees, but is relevant to other sectors where jobs are emotionally demanding and stressful.
At the end of this 60-minute webinar, OH professionals should be able to:
- Understand the signs and symptoms of burnout and the individual, organisational and occupational factors that can make them more vulnerable
- Recognise the need for interventions at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and identify those that are likely to be most helpful
- Appreciate OH’s role in promoting a workplace environment that reduces the risk of burnout and supports those who are experiencing it
- Identify the actions that OH can take to manage burnout.
This webinar, which took place on 7 September at 2:00pm BST, features a presentation by Professor Gail Kinman and a Q&A session chaired by Professor Anne Harriss.
About our speakers
Gail Kinman is Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at Birkbeck University of London. She is a Chartered Psychologist, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and the Academy of Social Sciences and a Director of the Council for Work and Health. Gail has a particular interest in the wellbeing of people whose work is emotionally demanding with a high risk of burnout. Her recent work focuses on developing and evaluating multi-level interventions to enhance emotional resilience, work-life balance and wellbeing in health and social care. This is being used to inform national organisational change initiatives and an ‘emotional curriculum’ for practitioners. Gail is currently working with several bodies, such as the NHS, the Ministry of Justice, Research in Practice and the Society of Occupational Medicine on intervention projects designed to support wellbeing. She has also developed and delivered training sessions and workshops on reducing stress and burnout and improving work-related wellbeing.
Professor Anne Harriss is emeritus professor of occupational health. 
Former course director at London South Bank University, she led the development of more than ten educational programmes at diploma, degree and MSc level. Anne is a past president of the Society of Occupational Medicine.
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