Read on Twitter
Wowza! This @HarvardBiz piece on #burnout is not about #Academia but it certainly applies. Unsustainable workload, perceived lack of control, lack of fairness: check! The kicker though: mismatched values and skills! I’m an ECOLOGIST with 20 y training. But my time is spent 1/2
Reviewing legal contracts, balancing budgets, fighting admin and financial systems, scheduling and facilitating meetings, HR work, filing insurance claims, ordering supplies, tracking shipments, copy editing, reformatting, inventing Adobe work arounds, verifying invoices got paid
No wonder it feels neither fair nor rewarding. No wonder we’re all burnt out. And no amount of wellness seminars, lunch break yoga, or mindfulness tips can fix it. https://hbr.org/2021/02/beyond-burned-out?ab=seriesnav-bigidea #AcademicChatter #burnout #mentalhealth
In fact, these #selfcare promotions worsen burn out by shifting responsibility from the institution and its organizational failures that lead to unsustainable workloads and mismatch of skills and unfairness onto exhausted, overworked faculty. They just add to the pile.
I was in tears today after getting chastised for being so late grading coop reports. This is a UWaterloo thing not universally relatable. Think small generic service task. Anyway my to do list has over 40 “high priority” items. I cannot time manage my way out of this.
