There is much being written right now about employee burnout. And for good reason. Employees are burning out. There’s been a lot going on. A pandemic. A shift to remote work. The flu season. A shift back to the office. Travel back on. More pandemic. Travel off. A shift back to remote work… oh, and the great resignation, which means new jobs, new expectations, new workloads or (for those left behind) shrinking teams doing expanding work, and less people delivering more projects. And so on it goes.

All the while, dedicated and committed employees have been working their butts off to keep up. People are trying to stay on top of the rising pressures of ‘just getting on with it’. But they are struggling.

Many of my clients are tired… nay, exhausted. Done. Flat. Spent. They can’t keep up with the relentless pace and the ever-expanding to-do list. And they are calling time out. Enough is enough. They are realising that they can only work overtime for so many days/ weeks/ months before quality is compromised, and their sanity is stretched. Not to mention their health and well-being. Let’s not even go there.

As I’ve been talking with clients and colleagues, I’ve noticed a trend start to emerge in response to the current pressure cooker climate. A trend that the professional of today needs now, more than ever. It’s boundary setting. You know, that ability to say no, push back, cut down, ring fence, pare back. The ability to see your workload through reality goggles, not people pleasing goggles. People who have struggled in the past to manage their workloads, have had a crash course in time management and boundary setting. And surely that’s a good thing.

Whilst I don’t wish the experience of burnout on anyone, I do implore those circling around it’s edges to consider learning the lesson of boundary setting… before you are forced to. Is what you HAVE to get done, worth burning out over? Is PUSHING through really going to get you to the end of that list? Is the outcome worth sacrificing your health, happiness and relationships?

Don’t let the experience of burnout be your teacher. Let the idea of burnout be your preacher. Let it be the motivational speech that spurs you into action, before it’s too late. Start setting those boundaries today. Your future self will thank you.

Oh and can you do me a favour?

No?

Right answer . You passed.