‘Not a candle’: Boss’ ‘burnout’ claim enrages the internet
A young boss has had the internet turn on her, branding her “entitled” and “ignorant” after she made a stunning claim about burnout in the workplace.
A boss has sparked a furious reaction after claiming it isn’t possible for employees to burn out from work, stating that people aren’t “candles” in order to prove her point.
Natalie Dawson is the co-founder and president of Cardone Ventures, a US business management company that helps entrepreneurs and business owners with financial goals and growth.
The 32-year-old recently appeared on the Diary of a CEO podcast, which is hosted by British entrepreneur and investor, Steve Bartlett.
In one part of the interview, the founder boldly states that there is a “misconception” that hard work leads to burnout.
Burnout refers to a state of emotional, physical and/or mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress, with people often experiencing it in their working lives.
“I don’t know successful people who are still in the game who are burnt out by a long day,” Ms Dawson said.
MORE: 9 signs you’re burnt out from work
She then quoted her business partner, stating: “You’re not a candle, you can’t burn out. A human being cannot burn out.”
She conceded that you can feel moments of pressure and stress when it comes to work, but she doesn’t believe it is a “bad thing” to feel overwhelmed.
When asked by Mr Bartlett why she believes so many people say they feel burnt out when it comes to work, Ms Dawson said she believes it is likely because they aren’t yet seeing the positive outcomes of the sacrifices they are making.
“When people win, they are rarely burnt out at that moment and you only really get burnt out if you don’t see how the sacrifices that you’re making are actually going to lead you to achieve your goals and reach your potential,” she said.
The 32-year-old boss’ strong views on burnout were not received well online, with a clip of the interview quickly gaining hundreds of comments, with the majority strongly disagreeing with claims.
“Does she know, the phrase isn’t literal?” one person asked, while another said they have “never seen such privilege”.
MORE: How to improve work-life balance
“Girl please, I’m burnt out from listening to you,” one said, with others branding her views “so ignorant” and “extremely entitled”.
“My favourite type of people are the ones who don’t believe in things just because they’ve never experienced it and then go on podcasts acting as if they’re an authority figure to speak on something they’ve never experienced,” another commenter wrote.
In fact, it seemed that pretty much every social media user was in agreement, with one person pointing out: “This is one of those rare moments where everyone in the comments are united.”
This wasn’t the only controversial claim that Ms Dawson shared during the podcast, also revealing to Mr Bartlett that she has previously fired two of her employees after discovering they were having an affair.
“One of things I have gotten so much criticism about online was when I publicly shared a TikTok about firing somebody because I found out she was cheating on her significant other and the other person also had a significant other,” she said.
“As soon as I found out about it I terminated both of them immediately.”
She confirmed that neither of the employee’s partners worked for the company, but she made the decision to fire them “as soon as I caught wind of it”, adding she couldn’t have that kind of behaviour in her work environment.
Her decision appeared to shock Mr Bartlett, who suggested some may think that what employees do in their personal lives is “none of (her) business”.
Ms Dawson said that, while she didn’t want to get into the specifics of the incident, it did “happen around work”.
However, she clarified that, even if it wasn’t directly work related, if she found out her employee was cheating on their partner she would “fire the person immediately”.
“If they are going to cheat on the person they are supposed to spend the rest of their life with, do you think they are cheating on their work? That person is a liability to the environment,” she said.
People’s responses to her views on this issue were more divided than the comments under the burnout video, with many praising her for her firing the employees, while others agreed with Mr Bartlett and said it was none of her business.
But the mixed reaction didn’t appear to phase Ms Dawson, who doubled down on her views in a LinkedIn post, writing that firing is not about punishing employees, it is about protecting the company.
“As leaders, it’s our responsibility to create an environment where people can grow in the right direction. That means holding the line on integrity, even when it’s uncomfortable,” she wrote.
“If someone is disingenuous in their personal life, that behaviour doesn’t magically stop when they walk into the office.
“Character is consistent. And if I tolerate dishonesty in one area, I set a new standard for everyone else watching.”
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Originally published as ‘Not a candle’: Boss’ ‘burnout’ claim enrages the internet
