It’s been a few weeks since my last edition - sorry for the nail-biter 😉 Over the past six weeks I’ve taken on a new client, hosted Thanksgiving with our family while wrangling my 15 month-old, and got sick for the first time this season. So, in line with my own advice below, I took a minute for myself. And now I’m back.

As we enter the holiday season and (hopefully) step away from work a bit, I often find myself taking a deep breath and reflecting on the past year. This is also usually exactly when I realize how tired I am!

I’d like to caveat this entire edition with the fact that, although many people like to treat HR like we’re therapists, we are not. So my tips for burnout are not based on anything but my real-life experience. If I can save one person from having the burnout meltdown that I had in 2017, then I’ll take it as a win.

‘I’m burnt out. Help!’

I’ve personally experienced the burnout stage a few times in my career and have witnessed countless employees hit their boiling point as an HR bystander. Each time is unique, but there are definitely themes throughout:

1. The work itself isn’t invigorating. When I love what I’m doing everyday and am feeling challenged and impactful, my adrenaline surges and I forget how tired I am. When I’m bored or doing menial tasks that I don’t believe serve a bigger purpose, I feel drained and unmotivated.

2. The volume and/or pace is unsustainable. Enter my “burnout meltdown of 2017” that I referenced above. After years in the tech industry, I often found myself regularly logging 15+ hour days and consistently working on weekends. It was nonstop, I set no boundaries, and I couldn’t keep up. Ultimately, the only option I saw for myself was to quit my job and reset. Not my proudest moment professionally, but one of my proudest personally.

3. There are other factors at play. This is the age-old example of when people have major events going on in their personal lives and try to use work as a distraction. This never works. Being half in and half out isn’t good for the personal life situation or for those at work who are expecting 100% of you.

There’s no way around it - burnout is so prevalent in today’s work where we’re expected to be always on and, when it hits you, it’s debilitating. It’s important to identify what’s causing burnout in order to try to work through it. Here’s what I’ve seen work well in the past:

• Step away - While this seems so obvious, this is actually the hardest thing to do when you’re facing burnout due to reason #2 or #3 above. I’ve worked at companies with unlimited PTO yet, in the busiest of times, I would find myself taking one week off over the course of an entire year - I’d barely call that adequate time to recharge. While it feels counter-intuitive, taking time off actually provides perspective and can often give your mind the reset you need to tackle next steps.

• Talk to your manager or HR - It’s a vulnerable conversation to have and they may not be able to provide solutions, but what if they can? In one of my prior roles, I tried to quit once and I blamed it on being over-worked. My boss (kudos to him), pointed out that I was actually doing the tactical work of someone on my team whose role we had chosen not to backfill. He told me to open the backfill immediately and to get back to the strategic work that was fulfilling to me and where I added the most value. The company was strapped for cash but he said that the investment was worth it. I ended up staying there for another 2 years (which is a long time in the tech space!).

• Consider a change - While I have professional regrets about my sudden need to reset and quit my job several years ago, it was the right decision. I ended up in a subsequent role that catapulted my career and gave me the balance that I needed in my personal life. This option is a last resort, but it’s an important consideration to think through. Are you living to work or working to live? There’s no right answer, but make sure that your reality aligns with your goals.

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‘Do You Have a Minute’ is taking a holiday break. See you in 2025!

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Disclaimer: This newsletter is purely opinion-based and nothing included should be interpreted or construed as legal or professional advice. If you want professional advice, I’d love to work with you. Please reach out.