I’ve noticed #burnout is coming up as a topic more in newsrooms. If we don’t solve this as an industry, we will continue to lose incredible people we can’t afford to lose. However, my view has changed on solutions...
1/9
1/9
I’m a big advocate of self-care, but this @HarvardBiz article by @JenLeighMoss changes some of my thinking. “…burnout is more than just an employee problem; it’s an organizational problem that requires an organizational solution.”
2/9
hbr.org/2021/02/beyond…
2/9
hbr.org/2021/02/beyond…
The research showed six reasons for burnout #culture:
1. Unsustainable workload
2. Perceived lack of control
3. Insufficient rewards for effort
4. Lack of a supportive community
5. Lack of fairness
6. Mismatched values and skills.
3/9
1. Unsustainable workload
2. Perceived lack of control
3. Insufficient rewards for effort
4. Lack of a supportive community
5. Lack of fairness
6. Mismatched values and skills.
3/9
Most of us, including me, have been addressing burnout wrong. “While these are all organizational issues, we still prescribe #selfcare as the cure for burnout…” Of note, my org has self-care in our staff values. I’m realizing it’s only a fraction of solving for burnout.
4/9
4/9
In regards to "unstable workloads", this part is especially true in media: “…overwork is celebrated, even though research clearly shows that putting in more than 55 hours a week does nothing to improve job performance.” #burnout
5/9
5/9
Newsrooms also doubled down on actions making things worse during the pandemic.
We didn’t...
1. adjust workloads
2. give people control and flexibility
3. recognize the extent of people’s struggles
4. ...and we allowed more meetings and unhealthful levels of screen time.
6/9
We didn’t...
1. adjust workloads
2. give people control and flexibility
3. recognize the extent of people’s struggles
4. ...and we allowed more meetings and unhealthful levels of screen time.
6/9
We also did (and still do) more Zoom meetings (and meetings in general) than we need to. “One of the most glaring issues related to workload was meeting fatigue — it tops the list of things organizations must tackle.”
7/9
7/9
But, we have options for researched solutions...
Factors that predicted lower levels of burnout included:
1. Feeling a sense of purpose.
2. Having a manageable workload.
3. Feeling that you can discuss your mental health @ work.
4. Having an empathetic manager.
8/9
Factors that predicted lower levels of burnout included:
1. Feeling a sense of purpose.
2. Having a manageable workload.
3. Feeling that you can discuss your mental health @ work.
4. Having an empathetic manager.
8/9
Burnout is an ambiguous topics with different meanings. As much as we are experimenting with business models in journalism, we need experimentation in models for leadership. We can’t make burnout optional to solve by delegating responsibility to individuals. #leadership
9/9
9/9
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