Workers are stressed. Many employees are burned out, running on fumes. Symptoms of stress and burnout are proliferating. A recent McKinsey report revealed that nearly 1 out of every 4 employees has moderate needs for counseling and psychotherapy. The World Health Organization estimates the impact of mental health symptoms on absenteeism, presenteeism, and loss of productivity is costing the global economy over $1 Trillion per year. Unfortunately, stress and burnout still carry a stigma and employers struggle to deal with them effectively. 

In this Geeks Geezers Googlization episode, we tackle the topics of workplace burnout and meaningful work. We’ll hear from Burnout and Meaningful Work Expert David Shar who will share what burnout is, what causes it, and how leaders can fix it by helping workers find purpose in work and passion for their job.  

What’s different about work stress and burnout this time? David Shar believes the pandemic created the perfect storm for a crisis of workplace stress and burnout, where you have this loss of control coupled with the loss of support. Millions of workers escaped into their own cocoons and jerry-rigged home offices. They didn’t have the level of deep interaction and routine that typically helps us move through a disruptive crisis like this. Contrary to popular belief, work stress and burnout were increasing long before the pandemic. Ironically, burnout was recognized by the World Health Organization for the first time in 2019 just a few months before the start of the COVID19 pandemic.  Then the world hit pause. Our lives and routines got completely flipped on their head. We all had something that you don't normally get in a capitalistic, rat-race society. We had time to reevaluate.

David is the founder of Illuminate PMC, David Shar, SHRM-SCP is a Keynote speaker, consultant, and corporate trainer. David is also an adjunct instructor at the University of Maryland’s Industrial/Organizational Psychology Master’s Program.