Reimagine: Your Energy

If you took a poll in your workplace or among your group of friends and asked who feels burned out, how many would say yes?

Everyone?

Burnout is one of the defining challenges of our workplaces today, with some going so far as to say we have a “human energy crisis.”

Many of us are stuck in a vicious cycle of burnout, and it’s killing us at work and at home–and sometimes literally.

Read on to learn more about the “negative cycle” draining your energy and how to combat burnout in your own work and life!

We’re stuck in a “negative cycle” at work.

Organizations are burning people out because they have too many priorities and don’t acknowledge how our brains work–that we have peaks and valleys of energy and focus, not unlimited wells of stamina.

Because of this always-on way of working, when people don’t have opportunity for focus or rest, we get burned out–and can’t do our best work.

When people aren’t doing their best work, organizations can’t achieve their mission, so they try to demand more from employees who have nothing left to give.

This leads to more burnout, more ineffectiveness, and so on and on and…

Sounds pretty bleak, huh?

Microsoft’s Chief People Officer recently coined a phrase to describe the result of this vicious cycle: a human energy crisis. 

She says that “According to the Microsoft Work Trend Index, a global survey of 20,000 workers, 48% of employees and 53% of managers report that they’re burned out at work. According to Gallup, seven in 10 people globally are grappling with their mental health.”

That has a real impact on how well we do our jobs, and therefore an impact on an organization’s bottom line. But that isn’t the only reason why leaders should care. 

We can’t forget the “human” in human energy crisis. Our organizations employ real people who, yes, need to put food on their tables, but also have families, friends, hobbies, communities, passions, opinions, and their physical and mental health to tend to. 

Instead of viewing burnout as a problem to solve with yoga classes and happy hours, think about how you can address the underlying causes of burnout in your own organization. How does the way you work contribute to the negative cycle of burnout? What small but powerful changes can you make to alleviate the human energy crisis? 

Working Well and Living Well

Does this look like a Fairy Tale dinner? It kind of was. 

Last week I went to the Fairway Dinner hosted by Erin Gallagher of Ella for All and Anushay Hossein (author of The Pain Gap).

It was lovely - sure, I mean look at these pictures. 

But it was also so impactful. And that was the Fairy Tale part. 

We all got a chance to share:

• What we’re up to

• What we’re hyping (what we’re proud of in ourself or others)

• Our Ask - a chance for women to be explicit about our needs and desires and see if someone around the table has the emotional, social, or financial capital to help meet them

I left the dinner with people offering very specific things to help me with my asks and I have a list of women I can offer capital to. 

If you get a chance to go to one of the Fairway Dinners - don’t hesitate! 

P.S. What was one of my asks that someone said they could help with? I want to be on the Armchair Expert podcast and someone there knows one of the producers! Watch out Dax Shephard - I’m coming for you! The world needs to hear more about reimagining work!

Follow me on LinkedIn for more insight about reimagining how we work and live!