Burnout was designated as an occupational hazard in 2019, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the issue.
This phenomenon has quickly become part of our lexicon, highlighting the challenges professionals have faced during the last few years. Facing layoffs, pay cuts, transitioning to remote work, and becoming home-school teachers quickly piled onto unsuspecting workers.
However, therapist and podcast host Esther Perel says solutions can go beyond chasing a healthy work-life balance. Happiness comes with grandiose expectations, which can often lead to feelings of failure.
Instead of looking at burnout as the fault of employees, Perel says taking a cultural point-of-view can help resolve this issue.
For workers, this may mean taking a different look at their relationship with work rather than being tempted by pre-pandemic norms. Reevaluating in-person work hours, how work relates to a person’s identity, and the purpose of working hard can make it easier to identify the source of burnout.
“Work is so central that, to renegotiate it, is actually a very good thing,” said Perel.
