Working in global and multicultural teams has become the norm for many organizations. Globalization has transformed the way we collaborate, manage projects, and communicate across different cultures. However, this new ecosystem also brings with it a silent risk: burnout. Today we talk about burnout, its main causes and some suggestions to combat it.
What is burnout?
Burnout is a state of work-related physical, mental, and emotional fatigue that becomes more severe and prolonged over time. The World Health Organization describes it as a significant occupational phenomenon (WHO, 2019). In teams at international companies, this exhaustion is exacerbated by unclear work flexibility regarding time zones. Distance and a lack of direct contact with colleagues can sometimes make the problem worse.
Maslach and Leiter note that burnout stems from a mismatch between the employee and their work environment (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). In multicultural teams, this mismatch may be due to differences in values, expectations, and work styles. Without adequate and well-developed intercultural communication skills, problems tend to pile up without ever being resolved. The result: exhaustion, inhibition, and reduced daily motivation.
Lack of Control: A Risk in International Companies
In large organizations, time zones and work schedules across numerous countries play a decisive role and shape the course of business projects. As a result, meetings outside of regular working hours—and sometimes without prior notice—are becoming increasingly common. Being constantly “on call” can create feelings of stress and a lack of control—and even a sense of helplessness—in the employee’s psyche. This lack of agency over one’s own work is one of the main causes of burnout.
It is essential for members of global teams to establish clear agreements regarding schedules and times for genuine downtime. Setting boundaries—both for oneself and for the group—requires optimal, explicit, and effective cross-cultural communication. It is important to claim the time that is right for each individual and to ensure that this aspect is treated as a priority. Regaining control over one’s own time is essential for preventing burnout.
Cognitive Overload in Multicultural Teams
Constant training, immediacy, and the abundance of information create a significant cognitive overload in our minds. Despite the implementation of AI systems in companies for data implementation and filtering, multicultural teams find themselves overwhelmed by having to manage situations across multiple languages and contexts. Attention becomes fragmented when we switch between different systems and work cultures, and these constant shifts in focus also exhaust employees. Without opportunities to recover, the mind gradually wears down.
This overload can lead to insomnia, chronic anxiety, and problems with memory and learning. It also affects decision-making and performance in everyday tasks. Taking breaks and being mindful when performing tasks one at a time will create the cognitive balance that is key to sustaining work over the long term.
Constant Connectivity and Its Consequences
This is nothing new; constant connectivity to electronic devices and addiction to them is a concern that affects us all. Studies conducted over the past few decades have already shown that intensive use of tablets and cell phones outside of work hours increases work-life interference and symptoms of burnout, especially when there is no psychological disengagement (Derks & Bakker, 2014).
Along with cognitive overload, psychological detachment also occurs (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2015). The inability to mentally disconnect from work and from the electronic devices that connect us to it (as well as to other areas of interest) predicts higher stress, poorer well-being, and a greater risk of burnout. To combat this, making a personal commitment to set clear self-care boundaries is essential. It all starts with oneself—“it all starts at home.”
Lack of cross-cultural communication and social isolation
Social contact and meaningful interpersonal relationships are the most effective ways to protect mental health. Neuroscience has demonstrated a clear link between prosocial behavior and well-being. In global teams, physical distance makes it difficult to build spontaneous and genuine relationships. The resulting loneliness is, unfortunately, very common in international organizations.
Poor intercultural communication exacerbates this isolation among colleagues from different countries. Without opportunities for informal connection, relationships are limited to what is strictly functional. Fostering human connection—even from a distance—helps prevent burnout. Organizations that prioritize this connection significantly reduce the risk of burnout among their teams.
The best medicine for the soul is social interaction and interpersonal relationships. Neuroscience has already demonstrated a significant correlation between prosocial behavior and brain neuroplasticity (Kühn et al., 2017). It doesn’t matter whether you play chess or do CrossFit… If you truly want to enjoy optimal mental health and combat burnout at work, the key lies in your spontaneous and genuine relationships with others, in support, in empathy, and above all in problem-solving during moments of uncertainty in those social interactions. Loneliness and isolation will only lead to the opposite, and that is, unfortunately, quite common in global companies.
Role ambiguity and value conflicts
In many multicultural teams, guidelines and job roles are not clearly defined. This ambiguity can lead to uncertainty about goals, responsibilities, and expectations. Sometimes there is simply no sense of progress; everything remains the same, and specifics become unclear. Furthermore, conflicts arising from different communication styles across cultures test employees’ patience.
Furthermore, it is important to highlight the conflicts that can arise from discrepancies between an individual’s personal values and the organization’s culture. Salaries are becoming increasingly meager when compared to the amount of work and long hours, with no apparent progress or personal and professional growth. These fundamental incompatibilities lead to burnout and damage the relationship between the employee and the organization if they are not addressed in a timely manner.
How coaching can help you deal with burnout.
Coaching and training in intercultural communication skills are not a substitute for—but can become a very valuable tool when integrated into a company’s well-being strategy. Coaching sessions involve deeper learning and lead to greater transformation than simple corporate training programs. They help develop mindful communication, empathy, and better priority management. In global teams, these skills are essential for sustaining long-term well-being. Coaching confronts the individual with what they truly need to work on and provides direct, pragmatic guidance on specific cases and areas for improvement identified by the client.
A coaching process helps develop habits and skills that prevent burnout, such as:
- Develop more mindful communication.
- Conscious action and the development of empathy toward those you see and those you don’t see.
- Improve your ability to manage priorities.
- Develop your emotional intelligence and mental flexibility.
- Increase resilience and levels of mental calm.
- Change your perspective.
- Promote self-awareness and help individuals discover stimulating and meaningful personal goals that align with those of the organization or with their specific job responsibilities.
- Improve decision-making under pressure.
Summing up:
Burnout is a topic of great concern worldwide. It is both a symptom and a consequence of the way our society has evolved today. We all feel bored, tired, and disconnected from our surroundings, and this goes hand in hand with the immediacy and the business practices of companies that are based on the needs of individuals. There is so much more—so much to improve, so much to practice, reflect on, and implement in your life. Coaching helps you do just that.
At Linkarya, we believe that the best organizations aren’t the ones that demand more from people, but rather those that create the conditions for people to give their best in a sustainable way. We work online or come to your office, and we also work in English and Spanish.
References
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311
World Health Organization. (2019). Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International classification of diseases. WHO.
Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model as an integrative framework. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S72–S103. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1924
Valk, S. L., Bernhardt, B. C., Trautwein, F.-M., Böckler, A., Kanske, P., Guizard, N., Collins, D. L., & Singer, T. (2017). Structural plasticity of the social brain: Differential change after socio-affective and cognitive mental training. Science Advances, 3(10), e1700489. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700489.
Author: Alicia Gaspar
