Job Burnout

What is Job Burnout ? 

Burnout is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and  prolonged stress. It can occur when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place. Burnout reduces your productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly hopeless, powerless, cynical, and resentful. The unhappiness burnout causes can eventually threaten your job, your relationships, and your health. 

The Signs of Burnout 

· Frustration and powerlessness 

· Hopelessness 

· Being drained of emotional energy 

· Detachment, withdrawal, isolation 

· Being trapped 

· Having failed at what you’re doing 

· Irritability 

· Sadness 

· Cynicism (people act out of selfishness and nothing can be done about it) 

Causes of Burnout 

1. Lack of recognition or rewards for good work. 

2. Unclear or overly demanding job expectations. 

3. Doing work that’s monotonous or unchallenging. 

4. Working too much, without enough time for relaxing and socializing. 

5. Being expected to be too many things to too many people. 

6. Working in a chaotic or high-pressure environment. 

7. Not getting enough sleep. 

8. Lack of close, supportive relationships. 

9. Pessimistic view of yourself and the world. 

10. Taking on too many responsibilities, without enough help from others. 

Coping with Burnout 

1. Get 30 Minutes of vigorous exercise at least three times a week. 

2. Find moments in the day when you stop, take a breath, and be aware of what is around you. 

3. Learn to sooth yourself and reduce built-up tension. 

4. Get the right amount of healthy sleep. 

5. Organize your activity so that mentally stimulating activity occurs early in the day, soon after you wake up. 

6. Belong to a group of like-minded people. 

7. Take time to appreciate yourself every day. 

8. Surround yourself with friends/family by whom you feel supported.

360 Degree Feedback

 Introduction

360 degree feedback is a method and a tool that provides each employee the opportunity to receive performance feedback from his or her supervisor and four to eight peers, reporting staff members, coworkers and customers. Most 360 degree feedback tools are also responded to by each individual in a self assessment.

360 Degree Feedback

360 degree feedback allows each individual to understand how his effectiveness as an employee, coworker, or staff member is viewed by others. The most effective 360 degree feedback processes provide feedback that is based on behaviors that other employees can see.

360-degree feedback is also known as multi-rater feedback, multi source feedback, or multi source assessment.

Advantages

•  Individuals get a broader perspective as to how they   are perceived by others.
•  The feedback provides a more rounded view of their performance.
•  Enhanced awareness and relevance of competencies.
•   Awareness for senior management too, as they will get to know their need for development.
•   Feedback is perceived more valid and objective as it’s collected from varied sources.

Disadvantages

•          Frank and honest opinion may not be received.
•          Stress might be put on individuals for giving   feedback.
•          Lack of action following feedback.
•          Over reliance on technology.
•         Too much bureaucracy (Official Procedure might slow  the process).

Carbon Footprint

What is Carbon Footprint ?

Today, the term “carbon footprint” is often used as shorthand for the amount of carbon (usually in tonnes) being emitted by an activity or organization.

When you use fossil fuels, like heating oil to keep your house warm or gasoline for your family’s car, these things create carbon dioxide, also called CO2. Carbon dioxide is called a greenhouse gas. Many scientists believe that greenhouse gases are making the earth too warm. Your carbon footprint is the total amount of CO2 you create. A big carbon footprint is bad for the planet.

A carbon footprint is composed of two parts, a primary and secondary footprint. The primary footprint is the sum of the direct carbon dioxide emissions of burning of fossil fuels, like domestic energy consumption by furnaces and waters heaters, and transportation, like automobiles and airplane travel. The secondary footprint is the sum of indirect emissions associated with the manufacture and breakdown of all products, services and food an individual or business consumes.

Causes of Carbon Footprint

•            The world’s population is continuing to grow.
•   Forests are being cut down.
•            Fossil fuels are being burned.
•      Driving and travelling. 
•         Appliance use. 
•   Water Use

How to reduce your carbon footprint ? 

1. Replace the light bulbs in your home with long life CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs. These last up to 15 times longer than regular bulbs and use up 80% less electricity than regular bulbs. You could simply replace your regular bulbs as and when they burn out. 

2. Recycle your waste. 

3. When you next buy a vehicle, go for an electric, hybrid or fuel-efficient car instead of a gas guzzler. 

4. Make compost. 

5. When you mow the lawn, leave the clippings spread across the grass. It decomposes and fertilizes the ground. 

6. Bring your own mug to your favourite coffee shop. This will reduce the usage of the paper cups, the energy used to produce them and save trees. Paper cups are usually not 100% recycled. 

7. Plant a tree this is one of the best things you can do. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. 

8. Try to use something other than black plastic garbage bags. The black bags can't be recycled because of the black pigment they put in them to make them black. So if possible stick with white or even better dont use any at all. 

9. When replacing household appliances choose energy efficient appliances. You can check their Energy Star ratings for a quick reference. 

10. Use both sides of the page to print or copy. 

11. Unplug your phone charger when not in use. 

12. Use a laptop rather than a desktop. Laptops use up to 80% less energy. 

13. Switch off lights in rooms at home when leaving the room. 

14. Don't wash food under a running tap. 

15. Donate or recycle your old clothing rather than throwing it away.

Karl Marx Qoutes

Auguste Comte

Born: 19 January 1798

Died: 5 September 1857

Comte is regarded as the founder of modern sociology. He is the first one to have used the word 'Sociology'. He tried to create a new science of society, which could not only explain the past of mankind but also, predict its future course. He felt that society moves through definite and fixed stages and that, it progresses towards ever-increasing perfection. 

The three stages, according to him, in which the society moves, were:

i) the theological or the religious

ii) the metaphysical or the philosophical

iii) the positive or the scientific stage.

In the first stage. people thought, all phenomena were caused by supernatural forces.

Abstract forces of either a religious or secular type were considered to be the source of knowledge in the second stage. In the last stage, scientific laws were supposed to determine both the natural and the social worlds.

He also talked about two broad areas -'social statistics', which deals with the orderly and, stable aspects of social life and patterns of behaviour (family, occupational, polity. etc.). The second area called 'social dynamics' emphasises the study of changes in a social system. According to him, sociology was to be the queen of all sciences.

Karl Marx

Born: 5  May  1818,  Died: 14 March 1883 Karl Marx, the son of Hirschel and Henrietta Marx, was born in Trier, Germany, in 1818. Hirschel Marx was a lawyer and to escape anti-Semitism decided to abandon his Jewish faith when Karl was a child. Although the majority of people living in Trier were Catholics, Marx decided to become a Protestant. He also changed his name from Hirschel to Heinrich. After schooling in Trier (1830-35), Marx entered Bonn University to study law. At university he spent much of his time socialising and running up large debts. His father was horrified when he discovered that Karl had been wounded in a duel. Heinrich Marx agreed to pay off his son's debts but insisted that he moved to the more sedate Berlin University. The move to Berlin resulted in a change in Marx and for the next few years he worked hard at his studies. Marx came under the influence of one of his lecturers, Bruno Bauer, whose atheism and radical political opinions got him into trouble with the authorities. Bauer introduced Marx to the writings of G. W. F. Hegel, who had been the professor of philosophy at Berlin until his death in 1831. Marx was especially impressed by Hegel's theory that a thing or thought could not be separated from its opposite. For example, the slave could not exist without the master, and vice versa. Hegel argued that unity would eventually be achieved by the equalising of all opposites, by means of the dialectic (logical progression) of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. This was Hegel's theory of the evolving process of history. Heinrich Marx died in 1838. Marx now had to earn his own living and he decided to become a university lecturer. After completing his doctoral thesis at the University of Jena, Marx hoped that his mentor, Bruno Bauer, would help find him a teaching post. However, in 1842 Bauer was dismissed as a result of his outspoken atheism and was unable to help. Marx now tried journalism but his radical political views meant that most editors were unwilling to publish his articles. He moved to Cologne where the city's liberal opposition movement was fairly strong. Known as the Cologne Circle, this group had its own newspaper, The Rhenish Gazette. The newspaper published an article by Marx where he defended the freedom of the press. The group was impressed by the article and in October, 1842, Marx was appointed editor of the newspaper. While in Cologne he met Moses Hess, a radical who called himself a socialist. Marx began attending socialist meetings organised by Hess. Members of the group told Marx of the sufferings being endured by the German working-class and explained how they believed that only socialism could bring this to an end. Based on what he heard at these meetings, Marx decided to write an article on the poverty of the Mosel wine-farmers. The article was also critical of the government and soon after it was published in The Rhenish Gazette in January 1843, the newspaper was banned by the Prussian authorities. The philosopher, social scientist, historian and revolutionary, Karl Marx, is without a doubt the most influential socialist thinker to emerge in the 19th century. Although he was largely ignored by scholars in his own lifetime, his social, economic and political ideas gained rapid acceptance in the socialist movement after his death in 1883. Until quite recently almost half the population of the world lived under regimes that claim to be Marxist. This very success, however, has meant that the original ideas of Marx have often been modified and his meanings adapted to a great variety of political circumstances. In addition, the fact that Marx delayed publication of many of his writings meant that is been only recently that scholars had the opportunity to appreciate Marx's intellectual stature.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Born: 12, February 1824

Died:  30 , October 1883


Achievements: Founded Arya Samaj and established gurukuls to impart vedic education.

Dayanand Saraswati was one of the most radical socio-religious reformers in the history of India. Swami Dayanand Saraswati was the founder of Arya Samaj and propagated egalitarian approach of the Vedas at a time when widespread casteism was prevalent in the society.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati's original name was Mool Shankar Tiwari. He was born in 1824 in Tankara, Gujarat in a rich family of Brahmins. As a child Dayanand was brought up under the strictest Brahmin rule, and at the age of eight was invested with the Sacred Thread (Upanayna). When he was fourteen his father took him to the temple on the occasion of Shivaratri. Dayanand had to fast and keep awake the whole night in obedience to Lord Shiva. In the night he saw a rat nibbling the offerings to the God and running over Shiva's body. He tried to find out from elders why this "God Almighty" could not defend himself against the menace of a petty mice, for which he was rebuked. This incident shattered Daya Nand Saraswati's faith in the idol worship and thereafter he refused to participate in the religious rites for the rest of his life.

At the age of nineteen Dayanand Saraswati ran away from home to escape from a forced marriage. He was caught and imprisoned. He fled again in1845. For fifteen years he wandered all over the country in the search of a guru. In 1860, he found his guru and mentor Swami Virjanand Saraswati at Mathura. He was blind. Dayanand Saraswati underwent rigorous training under Swami Virjanand Saraswati. Virjanand Saraswati gave him the name Dayanand and as gurudakshina extracted promise from Dayanand that he would devote his life for revival of Hinduism.

Dayanand Saraswati undertook a tour of the entire county, made fiery speeches condemning the caste system, idolatry, and child marriages. He advocated the ideal age for a girl to be between 16 and 24, and for men between 25 and 40. Dayanand Saraswati was the first leader in the field of theology who welcomed the advances of sciences and technology. To him, the Vedas as the source book contain the seed of science, and to him, the Vedas advocate the philosophy of dynamic realism.

Dayanand Saraswati founded Arya Samaj in Mumbai in 1875 to promote social service. Arya Samaj, postulates in principle equal justice for all men and all nations, together with equality of the sexes. It repudiates a hereditary caste system, and only recognizes professions or guilds, suitable to the complementary aptitudes of men in society. He gave new interpretations to reform the stagnant Hindu thought through his book "Satyaprakash" (The Light of Truth). He profusely quoted the vedas and other religious texts to insist that salvation was not the only motto of a Hindu or Arya, as was believed. To lead a fruitful worldly life, working for a noble cause was important, and he preached that salvation was possible through social service.

Due to his radical thought, Swami Dayanand had acquired enemies from all spheres of life. On the occasion of Deepavali in 1883, he was a guest of the maharaja of Jodhpur. The king was a womanizer and Dayanand advised the king to lead a righteous life as a ruler, upsetting a mistress by the name of Nanhi Jan. That night Swami Dayanand was poisoned during the festival meal. Swami Dayanand Saraswati breathed his last chanting "Om".