According to a study published by the Amarok Observatory, small business owners, exhausted by the health crisis, lack visibility for the future and are exposed to the risk of burnout. Worried, these players are less inclined to transform their ideas into opportunities, which could harm the economic recovery. Focus on the deteriorating mental health of entrepreneurs.
An unprecedented level of burnout among professionals
In its second national Covid-19 survey, published on February 26, 2021, the Amarok Observatory points out that SME managers are not immune to burnout. In fact, burnout has increased significantly, and its nature has changed during the period of confinement. The usual exhaustion linked to overactivity has mutated into an exhaustion of impediment and a feeling of repeated powerlessness.
Carried out among 1,066 entrepreneurs, the study reveals "an unprecedented level of burnout" and "record levels of fatigue". During the first confinement, burnout levels rose from 2.89 to 3.39, before peaking at 3.58 during the second wave. As a result, entrepreneurial vigilance and the ability to seize opportunities were impaired. In an interview with Les Echos newspaper, Philippe Mutricy, Director of Evaluation, Studies and Forecasting at Bpifrance, points out that the percentage of entrepreneurs able to seize opportunities has halved in one year. However, the financial capacity is there for all to see: most companies that have taken out an EMP have not used up more than half of its amount, and have built up a precautionary cash position that they will be able to call on when they take over.
Launch of a national toll-free number
Faced with the distress of entrepreneurs, associations are mobilizing. Reception and information areas for approved and recognized structures have been set aside in the courts. However, the integration of a psychological component within commercial courts is not a new idea, since it has been proposed since 2013 by the Apesa scheme (psychological assistance for entrepreneurs in acute distress). To date, 56 jurisdictions have adopted it, and 24 others have indicated their intention to implement it.
To reinforce the support provided to business leaders, the government has launched a national toll-free number, 0 805 65 50 50, accessible 7 days a week, from 8am to 8pm. In 2020, around 1,500 calls were recorded. The system was set up to prevent more serious cases. The Apesa network reports thatin 2020, more than 1,100 entrepreneurs were seen by a psychologist, a 65% increase over the year, and three executives were hospitalized.
Despite these warning signs, psychologists are confident in the adaptability of small business owners, and believe that the resilience, autonomy and delegation brought about by the crisis will work in their favor when economic activity picks up again.