I’m working on a project called 100 Conversations About Burnout. It’s only early days, but already it’s been eye-opening, heartbreaking, cathartic, and motivating to drive change – all at the same time.
Here’s three very early observations:
1. Burnout is life-changing and has far-reaching effects. It wasn’t just one week off work and hey presto – we’re back! It was months off work and it took a year or more for people to recover.
2. Support in the workplace was lacking. Sometimes, the workplace said they wanted to support people (“Just ask!”), but there was a huge gap between talk and words. What’s the phrase? Actions speak louder than words. People felt if they did speak up, they would be judged and help wouldn’t actually be forthcoming. In some cases, they were judged and people heard some truly awful things.
3. Oh this one hit me hard. People have talked about the loneliness. One quote that stuck with me is, “I think the hardest thing was the loneliness. I mean I wasn’t alone – I went to work and I have my family and friends – but I went through it all on my own.”
Team, my ask for you today is to please call or message someone who is finding it hard right now. And given 57% of the workforce is at high risk of burnout (read more at Massey University), it’s probably someone close.
We’re all feeling it, that I know. And things will get better – that I also know. But right now, our relationships with others – those chats, that brief laughter with a colleague, the small talk before the start of a virtual call, that banter with the barista – it all counts. It all counts.
