Occupational burnout is felt by many people at some point in their career. We'll discuss what burnout is, the causes, symptoms, and impacts of burnout, as well as ways to recover from it. This talk brings together scientific research, with a personal story of burning out and returning to health over the course of 12 months.
Occupational burnout is a concern for employees and employers. It is common across all industries and companies regardless of the number of employees, revenue, types of projects or hours worked. Burnout is also deceptive, often the person experiencing it doesn’t even realize they are in the middle of an episode. At best, a burnt out employee can work their way through it. At worst, they break friendships, burn bridges, and leave what would otherwise be happy employment with a trail of sadness in their wake.
During this talk, we’ll take a walk through a recent, long-lasting episode of burnout, discussing each point and how it relates to the research on the topic, and what the current research teaches us. We’ll especially look at methods to identify burnout in yourself and others, and how to break the cycle before it’s too late.
