Australian workers taking a day off a month to overcome burnout and work overload

More Australian workers are having to take time off work as they struggle to climb their career ladder. Now, experts reveal what bosses and staff need to do to find a solution.

More than half of Aussie employees are taking a day off work every month as they struggle with burnout and work overload.

Some say their work demands are so unmanageable that they need time off every week, new

research from work management platform Asana reveals.

While keen to emphasise that worker wellbeing is vital, experts warn taking so much time out of the workplace could have dramatic consequences on future job prospects, with ``showing up’’still the best way to climb the career ladder.

Instead of calling in sick, they say workers should talk to their boss about establishing a more

realistic workload.

“Even with the huge shifts we have made towards remote work … the more you are in the office and the more you are showing up and connecting face-to-face (with your manager), the more likely you are to be promoted,’’ says Rebecca Hinds, head of Asana’s Work Innovation Lab.

“Showing up in the workplace and grinding on day-in-day-out (gives the impression) you’re

more committed.

“When people are looking for that next person to bring into a project … that could lead to the next promotion, they tend to think about the people they can see the most.’’

Worker exhaustion

The Asana research shows 52 per cent of Australians need to take a day off work at least once a month due to unmanageable workloads.

Almost a third (31 per cent) feel they need a day off at least weekly, while about one in ten

workers (9 per cent) report wanting time out on a daily basis.

Hinds says while the volume of work is a major contributor to exhaustion levels, so too is the

high number of digital tools required to perform work tasks.

“We’re using too many technologies that don’t speak to each other,’’ she says, noting the use of the same collaboration technology within an organisation can increase efficiency and reduce

worker burnout.

Despite the potential impact that so much leave time may have on careers, Hinds says workers

must look after themselves, warning the cumulative effects of exhaustion can be crippling.

“It’s much better (to take time off) when you are feeling burnout and feeling overwhelmed,

otherwise it will just get worse,’’ she says.

Co-founder Sustainable Growth Co Tara McFall. Picture: Supplied

‘Pressure to perform’

A self-described high performer, Tara McFall used to work up to 70 hours a week in her e-

commerce role before burnout took its toll.

In her last six months before finally quitting, McFall needed a day off every month to overcome work exhaustion – ``sometimes, even more than that’’, she says.

The time off left her riddled with guilt.

“I felt like all I did was work,’’ says McFall, who has since co-founded Sustainable Growth Co, a marketing firm that provides sustainable growth solutions to companies to avoid worker

burnout.

“It was a global team so not only was I responsible for the team in Australia, there was Paris and Hong Kong too. I had to do a lot of digital work and … there were a lot of meetings for meetings sake.

“I was able to manage it quite well for a while but I ended up burning out to the point I would wake up and dread the thought of going in.

“I just felt this intense pressure to perform.’’

Return of the RDO

Jamie MacLennan, vice president of global health care leader Telus Health, says while mental

health is a legitimate reason for workers to call in sick, it is much better to speak to employers about implementing a more realistic workload.

“It’s not reasonable for an unsustainable workload to eat up all your (sick) leave days,’’ he says.

“If you are having to take a day off from work every month because the workload isn’t

manageable, then there will be no leave left if something else (another health issue) comes along.

“For some people, working a nine-day fortnight could be a fantastic approach and provide all the balance (between work and rest) they need. Or perhaps we need to bring back something like the RDO (rostered day off).

“Whatever it is, we need definite change. This can’t be just a band-aid or a one-off solution.’’

MacLennan says while flexible work arrangements have been welcomed by workers, they have contributed to greater burnout, blurring the boundaries between work and home and preventing employees from switching off at the end of the day.

He says a constant barrage of emails and text messages, along with back-to-back meetings, are

also contributing to poor worker wellbeing through information overload.

Right to disconnect laws introduced earlier this year may help, MacLennan says, but workers

must notify bosses and colleagues when they are off-the-clock.

He says workers should also look after their wellbeing by scheduling regular work breaks,

especially after meetings.

Worker burnout

 52 per cent of Australian workers feel they need to take a day off work at least once

a month due to unmanageable workloads

 31 per cent report needing a day off work at least once a week

 9 per cent feeling they need time off on a daily basis

The sectors experiencing the most unmanageable work

 Energy and utilities

 Technology

 Telecommunications

Source: Asana.

Originally published as Australian workers taking a day off a month to overcome burnout and work overload