Yes, people's ability to handle stress is different, I do believe some workplaces overload people and expect them to work at a ridiculous pace for the money.
Until you've experienced burn out yourself, it's very hard to understand.
However, what is dead right is creating support for workers to prevent them burning out, and sometimes this support is actually listening and facilitating reduction in workload. It's the pointless admin tasks, the meetings that could have been sent in an email - all of those little things that create mountains and prevent people doing their actual job - in my case, educating and supporting students.
I certainly agree that people need to take responsibility, but balance must be the key. You can't overload people and create kettles and then blame them when they can't survive. That kind of attitude is partly why people burn out in the first place, because they blame themselves, try to reach ridiculously high targets and expectations that are unfair and unsupported, feel like they have to do these things or they'll lose their job or the respect of their work mates or they're trying to maintain their own self esteem judging against others who 'seem' to be doing just fine.
When I burnt out I got up one morning and could not get out of bed. My mind had broken. I couldn't stop crying and I was terribly depressed. All the warning signs had been there for a while, but no one had listened nor cared nor identified - as long as I was performing, what did it matter? In retrospect my workload was insane and I should have said 'no, I'm not doing that' but I was scared of losing my job and being seen as incapable, which I absolutely wasn't - I was a super high performer and and excellent teacher. When I fell, school was great - they gave me time off, and I came back on a reduced workload. They sent me to a counsellor, which I resented (have you done hard drugs? what was your childhood like - wtf???) and made me feel like it was my fault.
So yeah, I'm all for supportive workplaces, but a supportive workplace doesn't overload people in the first place.
You raise so many points I hadn't even considered... the pointlessness of so many tasks surely contributes to burnout too. I get so frustrated when I don't understand why I need to do something.
It's utter insanity. Like having a meeting to read through a agenda for the next week or to be taught how to do something you've been doing for years and don't need to know. It's just justifying people's jobs. And it's hours and hours of time you could be doing your actual fkn job.
Have you ever thought that a lot of the pointless admin tasks and meetings are actually created by other people who are trying to protect themselves? Many are unable to handle their own emotional states but rather than discussing it and dealing with it, they "share the load" to others. And when it comes to meetings and emails, one of the problems is that a lot of people don't act on emails anymore.
But what is overload? If the majority can handle the load and some can't, should the load be lightened for all? Yes, overloading is bad of course, but what is the "right amount" when people are different? And then, if one person can lift half as much as another, should they get paid half as much?
Burnout can be terrible, as can depression and many other mental aspects of life. But at the same time, I believe we are using them as crutches and excuses more often, or we are getting to that state earlier when the load may not be that high. Change the environment, and we will change also. The environment has changed massively in the last few decades, but we haven't learned how to deal with all the changes in and out of work.
I disagree. It's obvious when the whole workplace complains about the workload, morale is low, bitching is high. It's also obvious that some people may handle high stress, but it doesn't mean everyone else should. It's obvious when people are asking for reasonable things, like less meetings in a term that don't do anything to enhance performance or culture.
I hope you aren't implying I used my burnout as a crutch or excuse. I don't think most people do - burnout is very real and documented, not just some one not handling an ordinary work environment because they're weak.
Of course. There's 500 staff at my school resentfully looking at people in exec positions earning twice as much to give everyone else more work to do to justify their positions.
Not acting on emails? Perhaps in your line of work, but I don't see that here. There's nothing more insulting that getting an email and then having a meeting that goes over the email. That's just stupid beyond belief, like reading from PowerPoints.
I don't know Taraz, we are probably speaking from totally different experiences in different workplaces and different cultures. Perhaps sweeping statements about workplaces and burn outs and solutions aren't where it's at.