It Was The Great Resignation. Now It's The Great Exhaustion — 'What Happens When An Entire Society Has Nothing Left To Give?'
The expectations to keep doing more and more while getting little in return have caught up with us.
Rido | Canva I encouraged my Wife, Claire, to put on her jacket and boots and take a 15-minute walk with me. It was a mild winter day, and we had been on our computers since 9 am as work-from-home tech employees.
Somewhere recently, I read an article (or saw something on Instagram) about how just 22 minutes a day of exercise — for those of us who otherwise sit on our butts in front of our computers — could add back years to our lives. Considering we are that key sedentary demographic, I figured it was worth a shot.
She was especially stressed today, so I knew getting fresh air and moving her body might help. It didn’t.
The entire walk, she vented about work and expectations that were put on her to complete projects within timelines that were not at all feasible, the lack of boundaries her team had with her outside of office hours, the incessant need to prioritize project after project, with no focus to bring any particular one through to completion. She was fed up and exhausted.
“It’s got the possibility to be the best job,” Claire declared, “except it has become the worst.”
As we neared our driveway after a full loop around the neighborhood, her stress level hadn’t changed. It might have been worse, as her energy had amplified even more.
It was naive to think that 15 minutes of self-care could cure a systemic issue that has undergirded our society for decades. After all, her company and situation aren’t unique. In 2023, isolved’s 2024 HR Trends Survey reported that 65% of employees suffered from burnout. So, Claire is in the majority.
The Great Exhaustion
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I just read Emily Ballesteros’s article in Time magazine, “Why We’re More Exhausted Than Ever.”
“Most people aren’t surprised to hear about ‘The Great Exhaustion.’ We know that we are tired, and we see it in the choices we make every day: ordering dinner because we don’t have the energy to make it, trying to find ways to work from home so we don’t have to add a two-hour commute to our day, infrequent social outings because it is impossible to coordinate busy adult schedules, complete de-prioritization of hobbies, the list goes on and on. — Emily Ballestero
In the past, working hard meant better pay and opportunities for advancement. But, nowadays, despite working harder than ever, those rewards are out of reach for many.
Finding a higher-paying job requires leaving your current company, yet the job market for white-collar work is now fiercely competitive with so many recent layoffs. Companies often favor external hires over internal promotions, making internal career advancement difficult. Blue-collar jobs are becoming less attractive despite a very open job market because the younger generation is no longer willing to be overworked for little pay or extreme conditions.
The housing market is daunting, particularly for those who haven’t purchased a home before 2020. Salary increases are meager, failing to keep up with rising inflation. You didn’t get your 3% raise this year, but your grocery bill is now $650 weekly, and you’re only buying cereal and milk now.
Many workers feel drained and overworked, seeking solace in the small acts of micro-rebellion they can bring into their day without massive ramifications, like WFH more often, slower Fridays, and not going above and beyond their pay grade at work.
Burnout is pervasive but extends beyond the workplace. The expectations to keep doing more and more while getting little in return are also around us in our everyday personal lives.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred reevaluation, leading to an increased value in personal time, a deeper desire to know life’s purpose, and a rejection of out-of-control expectations. For real change to happen, these shifts must continue evolving. But we still have a ways to go.
Reversing American Burnout
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I wrote in a recent article about reversing American burnout. Burnout in our culture is a symptom of the cultural mindset of productivity over leisure. We’ve deprioritized leisure to such an extent that it’s now demonized, viewed as lazy, and difficult to maintain.
But leisure and rest are not luxuries; they are absolute necessities for optimal cognitive brain function and mental and physical well-being. They can coincide with work, but there has to be an equal balance between them. Right now, that balance doesn’t exist.
Corporations are busy determining if hybrid vs full-time office is responsible for a lack of productivity. But they are missing the point. The location doesn’t matter.
Their employees' brains are tired, and just like the effect of a lack of sleep on the body, a tired mind has lost its capacity to think, be creative, properly execute tasks, and — be productive. It’s the same unproductive, tired brain whether they are at home or staring at the screen of their office computer.
The irony is that workers need a break, but they are too tired to demand it, fight for it, or force the issue. They also don’t know what that break should look like.
We’re beyond the freedom to take unlimited vacations. This is a different kind of rest. Taking on a new cultural mindset shift towards embracing and enjoying leisure and downtime, at this stage, is an act of social upheaval on the daily and yearly levels. And that requires a lot of energy.
These kinds of actions must extend beyond the corporate office as well. It must take priority in your personal life. Overscheduling and putting unnecessary expectations on our children to be top-performing at everything is just a continuation of the sick dynamic we’ve been fed in the office. It’s everywhere, whether projected onto us or the next generation; overworking and over-performing are the status quo.
So, how does an entire exhausted generation get what they need? They find things to do that are on the side, are secretive, take less energy, and don’t require confrontation.
Millennials are starting their businesses at a rapid pace, with the promise of financial freedom, total liberty of their time, and unlimited personal and professional growth.
Artificial Intelligence may automate some tasks from your job (or most of your job), but it has also leveled the playing field on entrepreneurship. Now, anyone can start a business, especially online, and Millennials and Gen-Z are just the generations to do it.
Millennials and Gen-Z exhibit several unique qualities that set them apart as entrepreneurs. For one, they often exhibit traits such as adaptability, digital fluency, and a desire for purpose-driven work. — Bryce Welker
The Best Cure for Two Generations of American Burnout is Gen-Z
We’ve all heard it from older generations of leadership, hiring managers, and even some colleagues: Companies are worried about this next generation because they’re ‘unreliable,’ ‘don’t take work seriously,’ ‘are entitled,’ and ‘are lazy.’
Well, I will tell you something. I’m not worried about them at all. Not one bit. Yes, they will have their struggles navigating a purely digital world. Still, the best cure for two generations of burnout is two new generations with no interest in continuing it, have the energy to reject old notions, and are completely self-motivated to build their life in their own way, with purpose at the core.
When a society has brought the culture of productivity to the end of the spectrum, any tick less than that in the opposite direction is viewed as lazy. But Gen Z isn’t lazy; they aren’t willing to be overworked anymore.
They value mental health, leisure, time, and financial freedom. When a new generation brings a value shift like this, the system changes to accommodate it. The shift might be slow, it might be disruptive, and it might be a battle at first, but it paves the way for change.
Bethany Sadler-Jasmin is a writer, Burnout Recovery Coach, Somatic Practitioner, and UX Design Lead. Her articles have been featured in Medium, Modern Woman, Illumination, UX Collective, Bootcamp, and Predict. She is the owner of Verve & Soul Coaching.