It’s easy to identify toxic corporate culture as a primary cause of burnout, but no one talks about why it’s a primary cause. And that’s because, not only is it a nuanced conversation not suited for a 90 second Instagram reel, but the why makes people uncomfortable.
Why is that?
To answer this question, we have to first look at what makes toxic workplaces so…well…toxic. On the surface, it should be simple: have a reasonable commute to work, get paid a reasonable amount of money for a reasonable level of tasks for which you were trained, and go home to somewhere safe and decent.
And, when we look at each of those steps, we an immediately see all the ways in which things break down:
- Commutes are long, and in most places, a car is required, because people can’t afford to live near their jobs now. You have to live wayyyy out in the country if you hope to own a small house. Best of luck to the city folks if you rely on (unreliable and slow) public transit. Not to mention, everyone moved when their jobs went remote, and then many companies called their employees back into the office…
- According to the Economic Policy Institute, in the three decades after World War II, increases in hourly compensation roughly matched increases in productivity. As workers produced more goods or services, they got paid more on a 1:1 scale. However, from 1973 to 2013, hourly compensation of a production/non-supervisory worker rose only 9 percent while productivity increased 74 percent. Comparatively speaking, workers are giving away significant parts of their time and energy for free.
- Do we really need to talk about the price of eggs? Inflation is a major problem these days, so after receiving an unfairly low paycheck for working harder than ever before, people then have to decide how to feed their children that week.
- In my experience, employee training for office jobs primarily focuses on legal things, like how to complete a time card and how not to sexually harass your co-workers. Don’t get me wrong, these trainings are extremely important, but for most office jobs (especially managerial / supervisory jobs), there is next to no training on your actual tasks, or how to manage a team. You just have to figure it out as you go – talk about stressful.
- Plus, if you are in any way not a white, straight, cis-male with an able body, expect to constantly feel “othered” at work. Handicapped doors often don’t work, HR often refuses accommodations, and the glass ceiling looms constantly: work really hard and maybe you will get a promotion to mid-level one day. Discrimination is real, whether intentional or unintentional. Sitting in work meetings wondering when you will be “othered” wears you down.
This is just a quick list I made off the top of my head in 5 minutes. I am sure this list could go on for pages.
Okay, so what?
So, why this all matters is because our very systems in U.S. society are completely shattered. And it is precisely because the systems are shattered, that we can make the above list of all the ways workplaces are letting them down.
People feel (and are) unsafe in many ways. Water has lead and pesticides in it, because corporate profits come above all else. Environmental disaster looms while climate change is ignored by our elected leaders. Buying a home isn’t possible for many people, which leads to renting low-quality housing. Neighborhoods are unsafe, and many people are threatened by the very people sworn to protect them (police, ICE). Buses and trains are unreliable, if they even exist. Social and public services like NPR, PBS, libraries, and air traffic control are under attack. Even the US Postal Service, which is required to serve all Americans regardless of how rural (unlike FedEx and UPS), is threatened. Homophobia, transphobia, sexism, ableism, and racism kill people every day. And, if that wasn’t enough, the US bombs other countries, and/or provides bombs to other countries, for things like genocide, control of oil, trade routes, or just because we can.
It is overwhelming, and scary, and it is constant.
And so, yes, your job is causing you burnout, but what is actually causing you burnout are the very systems that are supposed to protect you – but aren’t. And the fact that no one wants to talk about it.
What can we do?
The first step to fixing these problems is acknowledging them. This includes recognizing that many of the things causing your burnout are not your fault. You can’t take a vacation, for example, because: your job doesn’t have paid vacation days / you had to pay for your wife’s surgery and you didn’t have health insurance / the price of everything has gone up so you chose to feed your family instead / you are trying to save up for a house you can’t afford.
Your burn-out is not because you are lazy, incompetent, inefficient, bad with money, or weak.
You are burned out because your company’s CEO wanted to have a private jet or two, plus one vacation home in Aspen and one in the British Virgin Isles, so they left 5 positions in your department unfilled. You’re burned out because we went through a global pandemic and your employer expected you to just go on working like nothing had changed. You’re burned out because your parent’s retirement account doesn’t go as far as it used to (see: price of eggs), and they had to move in with you. You’re burned out because you’re worried that your friend will be arrested by ICE, or that we have 4 years left until climate change is irreversible, or that your water has poison in it, or that you’re worried to walk home alone at night, or…
Once you have acknowledged that much of your burnout is outside your control, you can do two things:
- Release control of everything outside your control.
- Focus on what you can actually control.
For releasing control to be remotely successful, this looks like trying to reach and then maintain a sense of inner calm. This is not easy to do during turbulent times, but can include activities like breathing exercises, meditating, going for a walk in a park, or intentional time spent with your loved ones. Maybe it means limiting how much time you spend watching the news or scrolling social media, or avoiding tv shows and movies that are violent or triggering. For myself, for example, I now refuse to watch or support anything portraying violence against women, because I don’t need that inside my home, too.
Once you have achieved more of a sense of calm, you can then focus on the areas of your life within your control, and start to make changes aligned with your values. This will look different for everyone, but could include considering whether to find a new job, move to a different home or town or even country, or even asking your friends and family for support. Maybe it looks like saying “no” to extra projects at work or asking for a well-deserved raise.
And, the more that people join together to collectively (and bravely) start pushing back on the unhealthy expectations of a broken system, the greater the chance for true, long-lasting change for everyone.
Astreya Wellness’s values
Here at Astreya Wellness, we want to talk about the hard stuff. We want to acknowledge that life isn’t fair, that burnout may not be fixable for people below the poverty line or those working multiple jobs, and that changes to US culture won’t happen overnight. However, by talking about these issues and raising awareness, it is our hope that things will start to change. We want to empower employees to stand up for themselves, at home and in the workplace; to know their value and worth; and to live a life fully aligned with their biggest dreams. We don’t want you to heal your burnout so you can go back to working 60 hour weeks and being just as productive as before – we want to heal your burnout so you can work less, to make more time for the things that make life actually worth living. Things like friends, and sunsets, and picnics in the park, and a how flowers smell after it rains.
To move us toward a truly equitable and fair world, Astreya Wellness pledges to donate 10% of every sale to non-profits that work to fill the gaps and cracks in our social structures, and is working to develop free resources so people of any income level can have support, too (we hope to have a podcast very soon, for example!). When you shop with us, you are directly supporting the fight against poverty, hatred & discrimination, and late-stage capitalism.
Together, we can heal each other and heal the planet.
We are constantly adding effortless wellness goodies to our shop. All of the tools and resources are designed for people with burnout. We help people effortlessly return to a sense of safety and calm during times of high stress, as well as identify the things within and without their control so they can pivot to a more fulfilling life. You can also stay in touch by signing up for our newsletter!