Risk of burnout in French entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-19 crisis presents manifest threats for entrepreneurs since their business survival is often directly at stake given the alarming economic downturn. This existential threat, together with their crucial role in the economy, is the reason for the plethora of public financial support schemes being implemented throughout the entire world. However, support schemes for mental health are lacking. We aim to investigate, first, whether burnout levels have increased during the crisis and, second, whether burnout levels during the COVID-19 crisis depend on the threat of becoming ill, having to stay at home due to the lockdown, and/or having to file for bankruptcy due to the economic downturn. We do so using seven data sets of French entrepreneurs with a temporal comparison of averages and two data sets of French entrepreneurs with a cross-sectional analysis of individuals. Our findings show that indeed, the risks of burnout have increased during the pandemic and that the threat of bankruptcy is the dominant threat. As an increasing number of studies in the entrepreneurship literature indicate that entrepreneurs’ mental health influences their activities, as well as the growth and sustainability of their ventures, our study is important and timely in its contribution, as it takes a close look at the perception of burnout in general and more specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic

Entrepreneurship during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A global study of entrepreneurs' challenges, resilience, and well-being

Summary: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs including the self-employed) account for 90% of businesses globally and provide 70% of employment worldwide. These businesses, typically entrepreneur led, are threatened by the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning that millions of jobs are at risk. This report presents insights from a global study conducted during the pandemic in 2020. We surveyed over 5,000 entrepreneurs in 23 countries that represent 3/4 of the world’s economic output. Most entrepreneurs faced significant challenges threatening the survival of their businesses. We also see resilience in how entrepreneurs navigated the crisis through being agile, adaptive, and exploring new opportunities, utilizing government support, giving back to society, and even harbouring growth ambitions beyond the pandemic. Entrepreneurs’ mental well-being dropped by 12% in the pandemic presenting another threat to their businesses. We chart stressors and well-being resources including social support and self-care strategies that entrepreneurs engaged to stay productive. We close the report (1) by reflecting on five trends for the post-Covid economy and formulate actionable policy recommendations of how entrepreneurs and SMEs can be supported in light of these trends (digitalisation; ‘local’ focus, inclusive business models, developing personal and business resilience), and (2) offer five practical steps for entrepreneurs to protect their well-being

Act or wait-and-see? Adversity, agility, and entrepreneur wellbeing across countries during the Covid-19 pandemic

How can entrepreneurs protect their wellbeing during a crisis? Does engaging agility (namely, opportunity agility and planning agility) in response to adversity help entrepreneurs safeguard their wellbeing? Activated by adversity, agility may function as a specific resilience mechanism enabling positive adaption to crisis. We studied 3,162 entrepreneurs from 20 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that more severe national lockdowns enhanced firm-level adversity for entrepreneurs and diminished their wellbeing. Moreover, entrepreneurs who combined opportunity agility with planning agility experienced higher wellbeing but planning agility alone lowered wellbeing. Entrepreneur agility offers a new agentic perspective to research on entrepreneur wellbeing

The Rise of Technostress: A Literature Review from 1984 until 2018

Based on 172 articles, this article contributes to the research of technostress by providing a descriptive literature review using a systematic methodology from 1984 until 2018. Following a review protocol, each article collected was classified through publications types, research methods and topics associated: research method, year of publication, journal, sample country, conceptual framework, key variables, type of technologies. The results of this literature review revealed that the research on technostress is rising and future research should be conducted following multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, using mixed method and focusing on specific technology

Confinement et risque de burnout des dirigeants propriétaires de PME : le syndrome d’épuisement d’empêchement

En utilisant l’échelle BMS-10 (burnout measure short, version composée de dix éléments) mesurant le burnout, il est montré que son niveau a augmenté et sa composition a changé chez les dirigeants propriétaires de PME françaises pendant la pandémie de Covid-19. Sept échantillons indépendants de propriétaires de petites entreprises collectés sur une période allant de 2012 à fin avril 2020 (un mois après le début du premier confinement en France) sont étudiés. Avant la pandémie, la hiérarchie des éléments est en grande partie la même avec les sentiments d’être fatigué, d’être déçu et d’en avoir marre qui se positionnent comme les trois plus importants. Pendant la pandémie, une nouvelle hiérarchie émerge, dont les deux éléments les plus importants sont les sentiments d’impuissance et d’être coincé. Cela indique une nouvelle forme d’épuisement d’empêchement. Deux leçons peuvent être tirées. Tout d’abord, les autorités gouvernementales et sanitaires doivent être conscientes du risque d’épuisement professionnel croissant des dirigeants propriétaires de PME pendant la crise de la Covid-19 et, en particulier, lors des épisodes de confinement. Deuxièmement, en supposant qu’un propriétaire de PME peut être confronté à une situation d’incapacité, due à un accident ou à une maladie, les institutions d’assurance maladie devraient être alertées sur la possibilité de mettre en place de nouveaux services d’écoute et d’accompagnement afin d’éviter la détérioration de la santé mentale liée à l’épuisement d’empêchement. Cette évolution semble si grave et spécifique que le terme « syndrome d’épuisement d’empêchement » est proposé.Using the BMS-10 scale (Burnout Measure Short version composed of ten éléments) it is shown that its level increased and its composition changed in French SME owners-managers from before to during the Covid-19 pandemic. Seven independent samples of SME owners-managers collected over a period from 2012 to the end of April 2020 (one month after the start of the first lockdown in France) are investigated. Before the pandemic the hierarchy of éléments is largely the same with feelings of being tired, of disappointment with people and of exhaustion (“I’ve had it”) as the three most important ones. During the pandemic a new hierarchy appears with feelings of helplessness and being trapped as the two most important éléments. This points at an unprecedented form of impediment exhaustion. Two lessons can be drawn. First of all, the governmental and health authorities should be aware of the risk of an increasing burnout for SME owners-managers during the Covid-19 crisis and in particular during lockdown episodes. Secondly, by assuming that a SME owner-manager can be confronted with a situation of incapacity, due to an accident or an illness, pension and health insurance institutions should be alerted about the option to set up novel consultation and support services in order to prevent the deterioration of mental health related to impediment exhaustion. This development seems so severe and so specific that the term impediment exhaustion syndrome is proposed.Utilizando la escala BMS-10 (Burnout Measure Short version compuesta por diez ítems), se muestra que el nivel ha aumentado y su composición ha cambiado en los dirigentes-propietarios de PyME francesas durante la pandemia del Covid-19. Se investigan siete muestras independientes de dirigentes-propietarios de PyME recopiladas durante un período desde 2012 hasta finales de abril de 2020 (un mes después del inicio del primer confinamiento en Francia). Antes de la pandemia, la jerarquía de los elementos era en gran medida la misma, con sentimientos de fatiga (me siento fatigado), decepción (me siento decepcionado) y cansancio («estoy harto») clasificados como los tres más importantes. Durante la pandemia, una nueva jerarquía emerge cuyos dos elementos más importantes son la sensación de impotencia y de estancamiento. Esto apunta a una forma sin precedentes de agotamiento de impedimento. De este episodio, pueden sacarse dos enseñanzas. En primer lugar, las autoridades gubernamentales y sanitarias deben ser conscientes del riesgo de agotamiento profesional creciente de los dirigentes-propietarios de PyME durante la crisis de Covid-19 y, en particular, durante los episodios de confinamiento. En segundo lugar, asumiendo que el dirigente-propietario de PyME pueda estar confrontado a una situación de incapacidad, debido a un accidente o una enfermedad, se debe alertar a las instituciones de seguridad social sobre la posibilidad de establecer nuevos servicios de consulta y apoyo para prevenir el deterioro de la salud mental relacionado con el agotamiento por impedimento. Este desarrollo parece tan severo y específico que se propone el término síndrome de agotamiento por impedimento

Techno-overload and well-being of French small business owners:: identifying the flipside of digital technologies

Technostress is an important by-product of information and communication technologies (ICT). The technostress literature suggests focusing on specific dimensions of technostress, such as techno-overload, which describes when ICT usage demands to work faster and longer. However, only a few studies have dealt with the technostress of small business owners, let alone techno-overload. This is surprising since work overload in general has been identified as an important dimension of job stress for small business owners, and technostress has been identified as an important impediment for workers in general. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of techno-overload on well-being outcomes (as a composite measure consisting of physical well-being, mental well-being, sleep quality, burnout, and loneliness) using three data sets of French small business owners. Our results indicate a strong negative correlation between techno-overload and our composite measure of well-being for all three data sets. We interpret our findings for several different disciplines: information systems, small business owners and entrepreneurship, health and well-being, psychology and organization studies. Our data also allow for the identification of contextual effects–the COVID-19 pandemic–since one survey was conducted before, one at the start of, and one during the pandemic

Techno-overload and well-being of French small business owners: identifying the flipside of digital technologies

Technostress is an important by-product of information and communication technologies (ICT). The technostress literature suggests focusing on specific dimensions of technostress, such as techno-overload, which describes when ICT usage demands to work faster and longer. However, only a few studies have dealt with the technostress of small business owners, let alone techno-overload. This is surprising since work overload in general has been identified as an important dimension of job stress for small business owners, and technostress has been identified as an important impediment for workers in general. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of techno-overload on well-being outcomes (as a composite measure consisting of physical well-being, mental well-being, sleep quality, burnout, and loneliness) using three data sets of French small business owners. Our results indicate a strong negative correlation between techno-overload and our composite measure of well-being for all three data sets. We interpret our findings for several different disciplines: information systems, small business owners and entrepreneurship, health and well-being, psychology and organization studies. Our data also allow for the identification of contextual effects – the COVID-19 pandemic – since one survey was conducted before, one at the start of, and one during the pandemic

The impact of technostress on burnout of small business owners.

International audienc

Risk of burnout in French entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 crisis

Abstract: The COVID-19 crisis presents manifest threats for entrepreneurs since their business survival is often directly at stake given the alarming economic downturn. This existential threat, together with their crucial role in the economy, is the reason for the plethora of public financial support schemes being implemented throughout the entire world. However, support schemes for mental health are lacking. We aim to investigate, first, whether burnout levels have increased during the crisis and, second, whether burnout levels during the COVID-19 crisis depend on the threat of becoming ill, having to stay at home due to the lockdown, and/or having to file for bankruptcy due to the economic downturn. We do so using seven data sets of French entrepreneurs with a temporal comparison of averages and two data sets of French entrepreneurs with a cross-sectional analysis of individuals. Our findings show that indeed, the risks of burnout have increased during the pandemic and that the threat of bankruptcy is the dominant threat. As an increasing number of studies in the entrepreneurship literature indicate that entrepreneurs’ mental health influences their activities, as well as the growth and sustainability of their ventures, our study is important and timely in its contribution, as it takes a close look at the perception of burnout in general and more specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Plain English Summary: The risk of burnout in French entrepreneurs has increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which calls for not only financial support but also other forms of support. The COVID-19 pandemic presents many threats for entrepreneurs since their business survival is often directly at stake. These threats are not just financial but also related to health, such as the threat of burnout. The findings of our study show that for French entrepreneurs, the threat of burnout increased after the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. This finding raises the question whether this outcome is due to the threat to health, the effects of the lockdown, or the threat of bankruptcy. It appears that all three factors play important roles, although the financial threat is the dominant threat. These findings call for the extension of entrepreneurial support systems beyond the financial area by also involving an “entrepreneurship care” aspect, which includes telephone support, webinars, and mental help facilities

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