Burnout: Myth or Reality?
I’ve blogged before about the possibility of work-life balance. Recently, Inc.com featured an article concerning Marissa Mayer, the much blogged about new Yahoo CEO who recently had a baby. Mayer claims that burnout, or physical and mental exhaustion from work, is not possible. She calls burnout a myth, saying that it comes from resentment, which comes from not being able to get what matters most to you. By asking her employees what matters most to them and allowing them to take the time to address those needs, she claims that her team members remain happy and unfatigued.
Mayer herself claims to have worked 130 hours a week when Google was still in its infancy. Inc.com has already received numerous comments that dispute the idea that burnout isn’t real. Here are two (paraphrased) reader comments:
- Though you may have achieved a type of balance – being able to put in lots of time or hours at work doesn’t indicate whether they are as productive as it might appear on the surface level. – anonymous
- Organizations are designed with the group in mind, not the individual. That being said, sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the group. Some organizations are more flexible than others, as in the type of work that is being done and its level of urgency. – leandrepierre
Another reader commented that stress must be acknowledged in order to take steps to mitigate overstressed, burnt out employees. The blog has already received wide circulation across the web and appeared in places such as Good, Inc where one reader, CruxCatalyst commented on a tragic situation resulting from burnout, saying in her blog:
Like any work where there is a deep personal commitment and intrinsic motivation, it’s not so easy to ‘let go’…Now, there are reams of advice out there on ways and means to better manage ourselves…but this depends on people’s ability to set boundaries in order to give those things the priority they deserve…And contrary to most of the literature out there, this isn’t about setting boundaries with difficult people, its about being ruthless with yourself!
Another Good, Inc reader, Max Schorr mentioned the Energy Project as a recommendation for organizations, leaders, and employees looking for solutions to increase performance, productivity and satisfaction. The Energy Project aims to train participants around four pillars of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual behaviors to “fuel” their focus and motivation.
What do you think? Is burnout really a myth? Who carries the responsibility to manage and prevent burnout? Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment below.
