BEATING BURNOUT AT WORK

A business-world book that outlines keys to overcoming work-related stress.

Davis, the founder and CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute consultancy, opens her debut book by citing several things that have contributed to “burnout” in 2021, which many readers will find familiar. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, unemployment spiked and, due to many workers working remotely, “boundaries blurred, and always being at home made it nearly impossible to fully detach from work.” In addition, she notes, “underrepresented groups have exhausted themselves trying to fit into organizations that continue to undersupport them.” Factors such as these—and she could easily have listed half a dozen more in today’s work environment—have combined to create a “tsunami of stress,” and this book presents a number of insights and strategies designed to help one understand and combat the burnout that can result from it. Readers will nod in agreement as they read this searching, empathetic, and timely work. In it, Davis describes the burnout process as more complicated than simply being tired from working too hard; she views it as a manifestation of chronic workplace stress and as a “gateway process” to more serious health problems, such as depression and panic attacks. She asserts that the key to getting through burnout is to avoid trying to do so alone. The silver bullet, she says, is teamwork: “Resilient teams,” she writes, “anticipate challenges, are aware of each other’s capacity level, provide ongoing status updates to team members during a crisis, know when to go outside the team for help, debrief regularly, and communicate appreciation.” Davis grounds her contentions with copious, well-documented research, all presented in crisp, clear prose. She also bolsters her central notion of fostering “belonging and motivation” with graphs and other well-designed visuals that help to put forward a holistic vision.

An indispensable study of the challenges of the new work world.