Part 4/9:
At the heart of the discourse is the issue of burnout among workers. Sally McManus emphasized that burnout is not merely an individual issue but a systemic one rooted in management failures. When employees are sidelined from decision-making processes and are overburdened, their mental and physical health suffers, which ultimately undermines organizational efficiency.
"People doing the actual work are often the best source of ideas to improve processes," McManus explained. She pointed out that effective management involves consulting workers and leveraging their insights, rather than simply issuing top-down directives. Yet, many managers prefer easier tactics such as cost-cutting measures and unilateral decision-making, which exacerbate feelings of disengagement and fatigue among employees.