Systematic Overwork
Hi - I'm wondering when a lot is just too much? I am over-worked in a high-paced office environment, and I don't believe there is any relief on the horizon for me. I've been at the same job for six years and am worried about burn-out but am also unsure as to how to approach my manager about this. I don't want to appear to be whining, as I enjoy the work and stability. Should I put in extra hours and just "suck it up" or basically work normal hours and push-back when/if I get complaints that things aren't getting done? Help!
- Jenn
The line between high energy/demanding and high cost/burnout is often very narrow and hard to see. I know for myself, I am happiest and most productive working at about 90-95% of full capacity, which doesn’t leave me much wiggle room for unpredictable increases in workload. When some great new opportunity comes along as a surprise gift or someone on my team gets sick and needs me to cover, I can be maxed… fast! Yet I honestly don’t enjoy the same engagement or effectiveness when I cut back more than about 10%, so each year I learn a little more about how to triage and recover when I hit the tipping point between busy and crazy.
The first questions you need to assess for yourself are what kind of pace you like and what level of activity is optimal for you. Some people need to start and finish things, to have every to-do item checked off at the end of the day, and carry-over from one day to another creates a huge energy drain for them. Other people work best in service of very long term goals where there is no such thing as “done” or “caught up,” and they handle that reality with equanimity and ease. It will be helpful for you to know where you fit on that spectrum. Then you need to figure out what your “maximum” is, how close to that edge you would find your “ideal,” and learn the early warning signs that you are getting too close to the edge of overwhelm. Finally, some reflection on how much of the work issues are related to you, to your team, to your clients, to your boss, to your industry, etc. would be in order. Then you’ll be in a position to try to effect some change in your own work habits – and by that I mean not just your actions but also your habitual thinking, reactions and self talk. Sometimes the real problem isn’t the work, it’s what we tell ourselves about our handling of it (“Oh my god, I’ll never get through” and “If I don’t get this done they’ll find out I’m a complete fraud who can’t do anything right” are, as you can imagine, pretty self defeating and exhausting mantras to repeat, yet they are much more common that we think).
It may well be that changes you can make yourself will be enough to improve your experience of your job. If they’re not, you’ll be coming from an informed place, likely with very concrete suggestions and requests, when you speak to your manager. If you bring a thoughtful analysis and a menu of proposed solutions instead of just a list of problems, it will be hard for anyone to perceive you as whiner, including you.
All that said, I do recognize that some jobs are just built to cause burn-out and the only way to save your health and your spirit is to get out. It seems to me that if you’re “worried about burnout” rather than writing to me that you’re burnt, there might be hope for you in this company and it’s worth finding out if you can make things better. I would propose that you put together a six month change management program and stick to it. If things are improving at the end, renew for another six months. If not, it’s probably time to polish up that resume and start networking. Work can be satisfying and leave you more energized at the end of the day than at the beginning – why settle for less?
Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net