'Navigating the Dangers of Burnout at Work' Dr Amy Bradley and Dr Katherine Semler

One of the legacies of the pandemic is the prevalence of overwhelm and burnout.  Dr Amy Bradley, a professor in leadership and management and a member of the prestigious Thinkers 50 and Dr Katherine Semler, Senior Partner at the global consulting agency Korn Ferry, describe this in their recent book as ‘Running on Empty’. In the workplace there are crises of confidence, pressure, a feeling of being thinly spread and in many cases zoom fatigue. We need to be conscious of the dangers and impact on mental and physical health of doing too much. Experience varies with individuals but there is a real need to find a balance and time for your own space. Andy, Amy and Katherine discuss the effects of admitting to burnout on reputation where there is still a stigma attached to confessing a weakness. There are also gender differences where women, especially mothers take on a double burden. The role of leaders is to provide a culture of support through empathy and compassion. It is our collective responsibility to address the problems of burnout.