Read on Twitter
I’ve been interested in burnout and have written a little about it. I liked this piece and wanted to share some of the passages that stood out to me. https://twitter.com/harvardbiz/status/1359598400572907523
First, most people don’t realize burnout is actually caused by organizational problems. Like an unreasonable workload and not feeling like you have control over your time. Or feeling like you toil everyday with little recognition. Self-care won’t address these problems.
Second, I’ve been thinking a lot about the intersection of isolation, loneliness, and burnout, especially in my work w higher ed leadership. Things are hard and you can’t connect w/ work colleagues in the same way. Anyway, this part about millennials reinforces these concerns.
Third, we made things worse by not really adjusting workloads meaningfully. I think this is true in higher ed, where orgs have tried to overcome enrollment, financial, curricular, and other issues by pushing as hard as possible. We just piled more and more on full plates.
Fourth, we can help a lot by cutting meetings & making meetings better. If you’re running a meeting, come prepared. Be absolutely certain it’s necessary and has a goal. If you don’t have agenda items, cancel it. People can’t do their actual jobs if they’re zooming all day.
Here’s what I wrote on burnout. Feels like 9 years and 10,000 zooms ago. Probably could use an update at this point. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-08-14-burnout-is-coming-to-campus-are-college-leaders-ready
Just so there's no confusion: the article from which I pulled those passages was written by @JenLeighMoss. She is writing a book on burnout, which you can pre-order here: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-burnout-epidemic-the-rise/9781647820367-item.html?ikwid=burnout+epidemic&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=3caf5a2c7f5b4d7a20013871a306419f
