When I started my working life, it was at an investment bank in New York. The firm was housed in a beautiful building in downtown Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River with the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
On the executive floors, the mahogany-panelled hallways were dotted with artworks, Persian rugs covered the floor and there was even a humidor for cigars next to the leather wingback chairs.
For plebs like me, there was a gym in the building, excellent food in the canteen and use of the latest technology tools. I was living the dream.
Every morning began at 4.30am when I woke up, showered, made sure I was impeccably groomed and dressed – as expected in the industry – and began the daily commute. Usually, I caught the 5.45am train to ensure I made the ferry by 7am. I was at my desk by 7.15am and home around 8pm, at least in the first year.
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The seven people in my department ranged in age from their early twenties, like me, to a grey-haired man in his early forties. Socialising with colleagues was expected, adding more hours, but after-hours drinks and food was good fun as most of us were single and without families. Sure, where else would we be?
Our boss, who reported directly into the C-suite, was tough and demanded high quality work on tight deadlines. Time was limited so we tended to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at our desks. I was delighted to be learning so much and interacting with people at the highest levels.
The more we succeeded though, the higher the bar got. Our boss set shorter deadlines and our hours got longer. Some weeks I was getting home at 10pm and working on Saturdays too. When I calculated my hours (70-80 a week) against my pay, I realised I would have made more working at a fast food outlet in my neighbourhood.
By now, our senior manager was promising her bosses impossible deadlines. Our volume of work increased but new hires to match the workload were out of the question.
Within two years, five of us were burned out and had stress-related medical issues ranging from me, with carpal tunnel syndrome, to others with migraine headaches, back and neck pain and chronic exhaustion.
The two healthy team members had their own ways of coping. Our immediate manager was leaving to have a longed for baby. The other colleague, who seemed unphased by it all, later told me she’d been speed-balling with her asthma inhaler and alcohol. Me? I quit, packed up my wrist splints and moved to Ireland.
Although this was many decades ago, it is not an unusual tale today. In many sectors, beautiful buildings and good salaries might lure you in but you may not get out unscathed.
Burnout by design
A focus on relentless growth may seem good for businesses’ bottom line, but it can have devastating consequences for employees and for long-term sustainability if it’s not managed well.
“Burnout is often a workplace design issue, not a personal failure,” says Dr Dean McDonnell, a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) and a lecturer at SETU.
Companies that insist on a culture of long hours, lack of worker autonomy and poor work-life balance are the most likely to burn out employees and to suffer high turnover rates and staff disengagement.
Burnout is not just tiredness. It’s when a person is suffering from emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation/cynicism and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. It’s recognised as an occupational phenomenon by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and it has serious health consequences.
The WHO found that those working 55 or more hours a week had a 35 per cent higher risk of having a stroke and a 17 per cent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, when compared to people who worked 35 to 40 hours a week.
A more extreme form of burnout, first identified in Japan, is called karoshi or death by overwork. Excessive working hours and job-related stress can also result in suicide, known there as karōjisatsu.
Prioritising corporate goals over employee wellbeing is often linked to “greedy jobs”, a term coined by Nobel prize winning economist Claudia Goldin. These roles often require long hours, constant availability and have an imbalance between job demands and resources, creating toxic work environments.
Despite the potential harms, burnout has become the new baseline in many work environments from technology and finance to legal and healthcare.
“From the 40 per cent of Gen Z workers who believe burnout is an inevitable part of success, to executives who believe high-pressure `trial-by-fire’ assignments are a required rite of passage, to toxic hustle culture that pushes busyness as a badge of honour, too many of us now expect to feel overwhelmed, over-stressed and eventually burned out at work,” says Kandi Wiens, author of Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work.
Healthy at work
For individuals, burnout doesn’t just damage productivity. It erodes long-term health and self-esteem, damages relationships and punctures parts of ourselves that aren’t easily reinflated. It’s not a recipe for success.
“Managers need to educate themselves about burnout. Design the workplace for balance. It’s not just about giving staff time off; you need to give the space and resources for staff to use that time well,” says McDonnell.
The most effective interventions work better when individuals haven’t waited for burn out to kick in. “The minute you notice the signs − not sleeping fully, waking up tired, having racing thoughts, feeling overwhelmed or lacking enjoyment − that’s a red flag,” he said.
The trick is to create a balance where you don’t experience this on a daily basis. “Be self-aware, communicate about your workload, establish boundaries and speak up if you’re feeling low.”
To avoid burnout, try to:
Set clear boundaries: When is it ok for your boss to call you? When is it best to call your staff or colleagues? Self-care is communicating with others about your boundaries and knowing when to say no.
Gain clarity and prioritise: Do you feel like everything is your responsibility but you’re getting nothing done? Ask your manager to provide clarity on your role and for help in prioritising your workload.
Focus on work-life balance: Sometimes it feels easier to work more hours instead of going to the gym, working on a relationship or finding new friends. Longer term though, this hurts more than it helps.
Seek connection: Work should be part of your life, not your entire life. “Many people turn to alcohol and drugs to cope. Addiction is getting more common. The opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection,” says McDonnell.
Give yourself a break: Taking breaks is essential says McDonnell. “My research found that short breaks, like knitting or book club, or something completely different from what their role was, something almost polar opposite of what you do in your job that gives you an essential break.”
Do you have a work-related question? If so, our panel of experts would love to hear from you. You can submit your question using the form below.
Margaret E Ward is chief executive of Clear Eye, a leadership consultancy. margaret@cleareye.ie
