69% of Canadian workers experiencing symptoms related to burnout: survey published October 2024.

It’s no wonder that productivity is down.  Innovation and problem-solving is slow.  Creativity is mediocre.  People come in late or call in sick. Interactions are short and edgy.

More than two-thirds (69%) of Canadian employees say they’ve experienced symptoms that can develop into burnout, according to a new survey by Pollara Strategic Insights and Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, on behalf of the Canada Life Assurance Co. and Mental Health Research Canada.

Of the 2,000 workers polled, 40% of them said they felt fatigued, followed by lowered levels of motivation (38%), reduced levels of efficiency and energy (29%) and feelings of irritability (26%).  I would wager that, if the survey was done today, these numbers would be higher given the level of uncertainty in the marketplace.

The leader I spoke with last week, who said…“I’m trying to manage, but can’t keep up” has a lot of company.  Yet, he feels alone, feels embarrassed by his state, and beats himself up for not being able to handle things.

Things are difficult.  The worst thing you can do is bottle-up these feelings and push yourself to ‘get on with it’.  On the contrary there are many things you can do to lighten the load.  Today, I will just name one thing.  To list 5 or 8 or 10 suggestions can cause a sense of overwhelm.  Better to focus on one thing at a time.  Believe me, small changes can have big impact.  Try out the following thought experiment:

Here’s an example of how changing one word can shift how you feel.   Notice physical changes and shifts in thinking.

Version 1:  All of this is happening to me.

Version 2:  This is happening for me.

Did  your posture change?  Did you take a deeper breath? Do you feel a bit  more optimistic?  Did the fog in your brain lift? What else did you notice?

The leader who told me that he can’t keep up…. can’t keep up!  The self-fulling prophecy phenomena.  I had him reframe his thoughts and words he said out loud.  “I’ve got a lot of work to do, and I will get the important things done.”  When he repeated the new phrase, he recovered some energy which were being wasted on feelings of overwhelm.

We cannot slow down time; time cannot be managed, but we can manage our energy!