Employee Burnout, the struggle is real
We all deserve better. We are almost a year into a worldwide pandemic and many of us are tired and over it. One thing this pandemic has highlighted even further is the lack of support employees face.
As a therapist I have seen employees so overwhelmed with the demands of caring for their children while still trying to work full time that they are on the brink of a mental health crisis. I have seen employers increase expectations on employees working from home since they no longer have a commute. Yet, despite all we know about how tough this year has been I hear time and time again about employers punishing and micromanaging rather than offering the support that is needed.
I myself ran into this on a day when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed and had started a new job. When I explained to my new supervisor that I was feeling overwhelmed and my baby was sick, the response was simply let me know when your hours are posted along with a very invalidating message about how they had it much worse. If a mental health supervisor is unable to provide support and at the very least ask if my baby is ok what can I expect for all the other employers out there not in my field? How can employers be asked to hold their employees to the same standard knowing how drastically situations have changed?
Working parents have no option due to lack of paid leave. It’s either perform a miracle by watching your children and performing the same at work or face scrutiny and corrective action plans. We are forced to suck it up and keep on keeping on with bosses who breathe down our necks when all any of us need is a little compassion and understanding. And this extends past working parents to all workers who are struggling. None of us have the same outlets we had a year ago and we are all struggling just to make it through each ground hog like day. I expect more from our employers our coworkers and America as a whole. Enough is enough.
I can teach my clients all the DBT, mindfulness, work life balance and coping skills in the world but when the expectation is impossible we are stuck. I demand more for myself and for my clients. I ask for employers to be more understanding, more compassionate. We are all so damn burnt we are crispy but for God’s sakes let’s help one another instead of dragging each other down. Let’s drop unrealistic expectations and listen to the data and research that shows that a valued and supported employee is way more productive in the long term than one who is micro managed and treated unfairly.
If you are interested in learning more, you can contact me by clicking the link below.
https://hellodowntime.typeform.com/to/Hw5qD0#source=Marla%20Starnes
Marla R. Starnes, LCSW
