The most important question you should ask each day

By Maureen Dingus, CAE 

“Am I okay?” 

No, really. Ask yourself. With the prevalence of burnout and mental health issues in the accounting profession, it could be the most important question you ask all day. 

Before you can help a colleague or subordinate, you have to recognize the signs of burnout in yourself. 

It’s real 

Burnout in the profession isn’t new, of course. Working double time during tax season has been a rite of passage for decades for many CPAs. Now, with mental health no longer a taboo question at work, leaders are asking: Should it still be the norm?  

Despite the rise of technology with software programs designed to do so much of the old manual accounting work, and even AI, accountants are still burned out. All you have to do is peruse the accounting chat on popular conversation website Reddit to see why. 

Under the question, “Has anyone take a step back in their career due to burnout?” dozens of accountants responded. Several took demotions because they couldn’t handle the stress. (And it’s worth noting that accountants in both public accounting and private industry report burnout.) “I’m a manager and have considered stepping back to senior,” writes one Redditor. “The pay at many companies is the same and [it] would be a huge increase in work/life balance.” 

A popular article on the snarky Going Concern accounting blog stated in 2022: “A senior partner who has probably been burned out since 1997 gives tips on avoiding burnout.” 

While there are not many studies on burnout specifically in accounting, some CPAs are speaking up. Mark Cowan, CPA, J.D., a professor at Boise State University, sounded the alarm about mental health in his 2020 Journal of Accountancy article, “Depression and the CPA.” Mark believes the nature of the accounting profession attracts stoic students.  

“Life in public accounting reinforces that stoicism,” Mark writes. “What stressed-out new associate hasn’t been told something like ‘that’s just the way it is,’ ‘grin and bear it’ … In our earliest professional experiences, we learn not to complain.” 

Holding stress in provides an incubator for more insidious feelings that can lead to burnout. 

Burnout is not stress 

While stress and burnout are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Stress is a feeling of having too much going on at one time. Unrelenting stress can ultimately lead to burnout. (Check out this great article on LinkedIn for more on the difference between the two.) 

The American Psychological Association defines burnout like this: 

“Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, and negative attitudes and feelings toward one's co-workers and job role. Burnout is associated with job dissatisfaction, low commitment to the job and absenteeism. It can lead to a number of physical health concerns, including headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, muscle tension, hypertension, more susceptibility to colds and the flu, and sleep disturbances.” 

The combination of emotional and physical exhaustion, along with negativity, can snowball into intense feelings of self-doubt and hatred. Sufferers may have cynicism about their work (that “take this job and shove it” type of attitude).  

The 12 stages of burnout 

There are many different ways to assess for burnout and several scales you can find online. By looking at burnout in 12 phases, it can be easier to identify where you or your employees fall, so that you can work to bring yourself and them back into a better, more mindful state. The following model was developed by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger and his colleagues. Freudenberger is credited with coining the term “burnout” and first identified the signs in 1974.  

Phase one: Green 

A “green” phase may make it sound like the first three symptoms of burnout are okay, but they need to be checked so that employees don’t fall down a slippery slope to other, more severe signs. 

“I must prove myself.” The personality trait that sets some people up for burnout often begins with personal, high-achieving expectations. (And may people who go into the accounting profession to begin with are, you guessed it, high achievers.)  

“I must do more.” Compulsive ambition manifests as working harder and taking on more to demonstrate worth at an organization. This, of course, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy of taking on more to prove oneself, becoming reliable at getting things done, and being rewarded with more work. 

“I don’t have time for that.” Something always has to give when workload increases, so personal needs are usually the first to go. If you or an employee normally makes time for exercise, for example, and suddenly stop going for that afternoon run, it’s a warning sign. Even pushing forward all day, every day, without taking work breaks is neglecting personal needs. 

Phase two: Yellow 

The next three phases become more serious and indicate a need to pause and implement strategies to turn the ship around. 

“Nothing is wrong.” Conflict avoidance in and of itself isn’t necessarily a red flag; plenty of people struggle with having hard conversations. In the context of burnout, however, conflict avoidance means not recognizing or acknowledging when issues arise at work — a heads-down mentality to do more work at all costs.  

“This is more important.” Revising values is a more serious problem after neglecting needs in phase one. If someone is neglecting exercise to work, problems could be afoot. At this stage, an employee could begin dismissing social events, abandoning time with family, and distancing themselves from values they used to hold dear. Additionally, people may turn to substances like alcohol to cope. 

“The problem is others.” Hallmarks of this stage are blaming others, avoiding responsibility, and denial — often because a person’s inherent values have changed. People may exhibit cynicism or frustration that others are prioritizing family and friends, and think they are inherently lazy. They cannot recognize the change within themselves. 

Phase three: Orange 

As someone continues down the burnout path, they start to show more alarming signs of personality changes. 

“I need time alone.” Employees will begin withdrawing from interaction with anyone or anything not work-related. To escape, substance abuse can become more prevalent. 

“I’m fine; stop worrying.” By this point, friends and family will have noticed a shift. With only prioritizing work, the impact is felt at home and beyond. But any confrontation often results in denial that a problem exists. 

“I just need to make it through today.” As this great article from Forbes details, in this stage, “You feel like a shell of your former self … Every day is an exercise in going through the motions.” Hallmarks of depersonalization are low self-worth and feeling like life lacks value. 

​Phase four: Red alert 

The below three stages require intervention and professional help (and to be honest, professional help in previous stages can reduce the chances of getting to desperate points). 

“I don’t feel much anymore.” An inner emptiness pervades someone’s sense of self and thoughts, with a sense of worthlessness. An employee no longer cares about work and may daydream about leaving. They may say, “I don’t know why I’m here.” Further substance abuse can occur. 

“Nothing really matters.” The gray cloud of depression colors a person’s mind and makes the future devoid of meaning. They are mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted.  

“I can’t go on.” The final stage of burnout is a total mental and/or physical collapse or breakdown.  

Where to go from here — and why 

On the most basic level, tackling signs of burnout is the right thing to do for the mental and physical health of you and your employees. But there are organizational consequences, too, in retaining talented staff, recruiting new employees, and ultimately, maintaining a strong bottom line.  

So, what’s to be done? Actually, a lot. Stay tuned for two more articles in this series coming later this year, detailing why dealing with burnout matters and what you can do to help yourself and others. 

In the meantime, if you need strategies now, check out this book: “The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships with Their Jobs.” You’ll learn key causes of workplace burnout and what managers can do to promote increased productivity and health. 

Maureen Dingus, CAE, is VSCPA chief operating officer. She first joined the Society in the 1990s and now oversees general internal operations and strategy implementation. Maureen gives frequent presentations on topics like strategic planning, mental health, and more through the VSCPA’s Strategic Insights program. She has two children, one a VCU grad and one at JMU, and in her free time combines her love for running and music in Rocktown Racers, her running group.