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Career Freedom - by HAERT

Burnout - some thoughts

HAERT Program
HAERT ProgramPublished on July 09, 2022

Burnout is complicated.

The situation that one person thrives in can crush their best friend. And solving for a single variable does not provide long term relief. You have to understand your personal equation and how to solve multiple issues.

Here are 5 things to consider in your own burnout equation

Impact - how much impact can you have on the situation. When the answer is "zero", that's a problem. When we can't improve a situation, we feel powerless and down that road lies depression, anxiety, and burnout.

Leadership - how well does your leadership engage with you? If you are a leader, what are you doing to engage with your team? Good leaders focus on finding and removing friction, enabling team members to be happier, and ultimately making sure team members are both enjoying and productive at their work.

Recognition - are you being recognized for your work? Regular positive feedback makes us feel appreciated and want to do more work for the team. Lack of recognition leads to feeling used and ostracized.

Advancement - just how would you get ahead in your career? HR or Leadership can help you see what needs to be learned for your next level, what old skills won't matter, and how to start experimenting with a new role while you are learning those new skills. Understanding your advancement path is key to avoiding burnout.

Work/Life balance - it is possible to work to much. Elon Musk and a few others may regularly work 80 hour weeks but for everyone else, we need to find a balance. If you love your work and want to do more - great! and not everyone thinks 50 hours is a lite week.

As you start to evaluate your situation, how are each of these areas affecting you? Which one is the best starting place? Which one is good and doesn't need work?

Now you have some ideas for where to start making improvements.

Where else do you see burnout coming from?

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