No we aren't ahahahahaha. I see so often 20 people doing what could be one person's job. What happens is that a lot of people are busy with creating work for themselves so they can pretend to be relevant.
and then as "thank you" they say "market is bad, we won't raise anyone salary, even though inflation is 10%, but we did raised our dividends by 7%. Be happy!" (we are at the cynical part 😉)
Really appreciated this documentary. I took sick leave for burnout last year. Went back, found nothing had changed, nobody really cared about the root causes of why me and so many others were burning out in the organization. Finally, I submitted my resignation letter just this month. Everything about the way we work needs to change, especially treating people like people and not human resources.
I went through that several years ago. I wanted to get injured enough that someone else would carry the burden of my responsibilities. Pretty low state to be in.
I have gone through that as well. I have friends who had a similar experience. I had to change work to realize how badly my previous work was for me. I’m sorry you’re going through it.
I was going to work and was involved in a motorcycle accident which i suffered a broken femur. My employer decided to terminate my contract because at the moment I'm recovering. I don't know what I'm going to do...
Bunch of people having trouble finding work and then the people who do have jobs are being burned out from being overworked. Look at what we have done to ourselves. Hopefully we figure something out soon. Also, if you are reading this and you are going through a tough time right now, I just want to say that I appreciate the fact that you are still here fighting for life like the rest of us. I hope that as you continue to go through the process of life that you find the peace and happiness you are looking for. I also want to thank you for anything positive that you have ever done for yourself and others no matter how big or small, it all adds up. KEEP GOING!!!!
My estimate is that for every productive job/worker there's at least three people (but probably a lot more) who make a living supervising, taxing, managing, controlling and critiquing that person.
@@Jaime-eg4eb Vast majority is an over statement. You do not truly understand how vast and complex the world is. You litteraly cited both supervise and manage which are arguably the same thing. It undermines the credibility of your assertion because even if you did not intened it too; it still comes across as incompetence based exagurration.
@@physetermacrocephalus2209 Your critique is the only thing here that seems incompetent. Two words I used are arguably the same thing? Who cares? I don't think saying "vast majority" is an over statement at this point in history. We have endlessly deep bureaucracies and layers of management that do nothing but get in the way of people trying to get things done. Meeting after meeting just to justify someone's job.
This is spot on. Could not be more accurate. 30 Years in corporate management and I hated every day. Hated the job, the company, and most of the people I worked with. Sunday afternoons my mood starting changing knowing tomorrow was Monday. Sunday night I could not sleep knowing tomorrow was Monday. Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was wishing it was Friday. I pissed away my life doing what was “right” by other peoples standards
Considering that this video came in only few hours ago, how popular it is already, says a lot on how we all feel about this topic, how really concerned most of us are. A hundred years ago, people had to fight, real fights, for improving their conditions, with real claims, and now, we just don't f****g understand what's going on, it's all about respecting budgets and standards, while HR send weekly emails on how to take care of our mental health.
HR send those emails about mental health things while trying their best to create an environment that goes against those exact words. Empty words at this point.
@@nothinginteresting1662 What really is the point of HR!? How do the even contribute? They are suppose to be on the workers side as well, but they just care about the company that pays them. Going against every moral fiber, if they even have any...
If so many managers weren't certifiable sociopaths/psychopaths, this would definitely help!! Plus, 30 years ago, you went home and work was over. Now, it follows you home, too.
Many people can no longer afford a home to go home to! Manager level and up are getting their bonuses and wage increases but the average worker has had his wages cut and the government in their race to support the top 10% through the property hobby has left workers with no where decent to live.
Can I say the companies like Google who sell these great perks like all you can eat canteen and office sleep pods and office laundry so they keep you at work longer too get more out of you. You leave the office to do all these things so you can rejuvenate yet they have brain washed us to believe it's a company perk. To make matters worse I think I only realised this after watching this.... we have to change
I'm in the top 94th income percentile and will not be able to own a house in the city I work in -- no car, no smoking, no alcohol, no gambling, years with no vacations. The goverment isn't working anything near the top 10%.
I think this is why I, as an austistic person , struggle so much with doing mindless meaningless tasks in the workplace. Because it comes natural to me to analyze everything and try to make sense of what I am doing on the larger scope of the company/society. It's even harder when I find it makes no sense because my brain automatically shuts down the motivation to do it. This generally makes me end in an unmotivated loop of self-doubt about my abilities and purpose.
Yep, I understand where you're coming from. And now they throw in this wrench into the mix, don't include pronouns in your status reports. So basically, I now have to remove what other people have actually said and change words to match this woke ideology, basically attributing it to them. Our CEO told us to do this at our last meeting.
It took burning out myself to notice that most everyone around me at the office is burned out too. It explains a lot. Still not sure how I'm getting out of it, but am finally realizing it's time for something different. Life's too short to be miserable.
You only have so many hours remaining. I always suggest that people utilize them wisely. What that means differs for everyone, but it's still important to Reflect upon the idea seriously.
that will create a problem. this is why we have inflation. WHEN KNOWLEDGE leaves = things get expensive. The consumer pays the cost of mistakes made. inexperience workers creates alot of havoc and costly errors down the pipeline. AND you cannot fire them because workforce is so tight. Inflation
I couldn’t agree more. When the doctor explained to me I was displaying classical symptoms of burnout, it dawned on me that my colleagues were also going through the same phenomenon; wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
I’m watching this 4 months after quitting from a terrible office job because of a terrible burnout that crushed me completely. I’m 29. It felt like I failed in life. But now I’m starting to think that I will do whatever I can just to not work in a similar job ever again, including changing my career path completely. The system just grinds us, I prefer making less money for a couple of years and creating my own business or path so that I can keep my sanity, rather then be a clog in the machine.
truly understand your feeling bro. After I quit my old job at a big corporation, I felt like I had a serious trauma that I didn't want to have any social contact, I just want to isolate myself to let all the physical and mental wound heal. I then applied for some lower-paid jobs, doing normal stuff but my mind would be stress-free. I had no idea what to do next, but life is a marathon and I couldn't run at the sprint pace to finish that marathon.
I am in the same situation and I have the exact same thoughts. Also thinking of switching my career because I can’t stand the thought of going back to a job where I have to sit behind a desk fulltime doing meaningless work
I had a part time job while I was at college, vacuum cleaning offices in the evening when nearly everyone was gone home. Best job I’ve ever had. You’re alone with your own thoughts in a quiet place, stress free, a simple not complicated at all task. I loved it. Now I work in accounting and it’s alright because people treat me like I’m someone important but my health has deteriorated including my mental health. But that’s because of the previous job I had before this accounting job and I don’t know how long I’m gonna take to recover if ever. It worries me a bit because I sometimes have problems communicating with others because there’s always this annoying thought at the back of my head that keeps distracting me when I’m talking to someone. I don’t know hot to get rid of it. I started meditating and have seen it helps me but I can’t develop a habit of meditating every day and when I do my body starts shaking uncontrollably and it’s a bit scary. Anyway, hopefully we’ll all get better soon and start living a happy life again.
It helps to realize that burnout is a form of depression, and that simply being in an office all day long in itself is a contributing factor to depression. Being inside all day, no unfiltered daylight, no fresh air, sitting still all the time, staring into a screen... None of that is helpful, and if you don't enjoy the work itself, getting mentally ill is almost a given.
Oh boy, do I know about this. I was in a lot of physical pain working a normal office job. My soul despised what I felt compelled to do to survive. All I can say is: do everything you can to avoid getting in a lot of debt.
@@DonnPneumaPiano Outside of your share of public debt, going to college is the main reason people acquire debt. It's unfortunate people are so strongly encouraged to do that. I certainly was.
The thing is you need money to make money. If education is expensive, minimum wages are low and you are born poor, what do you do? Work 3 jobs for 10 years to afford an education for a better job? Or do you borrow the money for the education and spend 5 years paying off the debt with a single job that pays better than the other 3 put together?
I wonder how many C-suite managers see this documentary and say ‘eff it.’ To them their bonuses are more important than any life. Greed is the base of our current society.
I’m all for the reduction of CEO pay… but if they gave all their salary to these employees, it would be a drop in the bucket in most large companies. The problem here is much more complex than CEO pay. I know that doesn’t fit your narrative.
Greed of Americans is beyond any limits, to me it seems like kind of ideology, man talks and says nothing, those who listen just applaud him, is all mascaraed. It resembles more to communist ideology, even Chinese when they speak they tell things in much better way, trust me. Playing with words while saying nothing has become your way of life, and this will haunt you centuries probably millennias. 😂
@@99dynasty The goal should be to reduce or remove the C-suite roles. Short stories like Manna show this is possible already in many ways with the newly emerging AI technology (and some might argue that there was nothing to do in the first place for these people).
It would be an easy fix if it were only that, but there is whole adaptive group of sycophants who wish to become just like them for the small rewards. The detachment is ubiquitous. IMO although I’m confident. I offer no solution I comment because it fills me with regret watching it.
If one exceeds management's expectations, that becomes the new expectations. Therefore, never do more in one day than you're willing to do every day thereafter.
@@taurus8263 yeah, that's the worst part about it. It's the most optimal decision for workers not to work hard because you don't get much for being a "good" worker. This is a bad situation for the economy.
@@roxanamilea7683so true.. switching from large bank to startup nbfc.. it’s utterly horrible.. one feels lost as nothing in place.. too many loose ends..
I'm in my mid thirties and I've felt this way for at least the past 15 years. I don't think I have another 30+ years in me before retirement. I truly don't think I can do this that much longer.
@@KingGameReview I come from the tech industry as well, and I feel the same way. Most tech companies do not make any money from goods and services. Instead they make money from their perceived potential for exponential growth. If the perceived potential for growth is high, then venture capitalists will invest in the company. If things are looking bad (or if the company chooses to not mindlessly copy the moves of other major players), then VC will dry up. Product Engineers build features that nobody wants for products that nobody uses (under contrived but aggressive deadlines set by upper management) while R&D fakes demos to lie about how far the tech they're building is coming. All in the hopes that venture capitalists will throw a few pennies in the well.
I worked at a public hospital in Sydney as a psychiatrist. I’d never previously met the clinical director for the service, who had invited me to meet him for an unrelated matter. Within five minutes, he identified that I had classic symptoms of occupational burnout. The hardest part of “suffering” from this condition is 1) accepting that it has happened to you 2) feeling you have to repeatedly try to explain and to justify yourself to your family and relatives, who more often than not perceive you as a “failure” and of having “given up” on your career. At the time I stopped working (coinciding with the pandemic years), I had been qualified as a MD for over 25 years and had worked within the field of psychiatry for 22 years so I can safely state that its not about giving up, it is about survival.
Very well said! Life, demands, work, stress, money… it’s no wonder that many of us are very near, or already in burn-out territory. We need a 4 day work week and a basic universal income now! (I’m in Switzerland, we work 41 hours or so).
@@MariaCarabin We need 20hr work week. With all that f’n technology this SHOULD HAVE happened already 10 yrs ago…. The most irreplaceable jobs remain of the nurses, cooks police military hairdressers farmers teachers and nannies along with plumbers electricians and builders. All of these “lower middle” class in the US should have been firmly in the middle class, being able to afford a MODEST single family home. Not a chance now. A 30yo nurse with husband in law enforcement barely could buy a very expensive modest house with both sets of parents help. Shame.
I’m another burnt out psychiatrist. I’m doing slightly better now than last year, but it feels like a roller coaster ride every week. I’ve always wanted to work with public healthcare, but it has been taking a toll on my health
@@ludmilamaiolini6811 thank you for also sharing your experiences. What also happens if you so much as dare to share that you’ve become “burned out”, your peers and colleagues more likely will shun you and there’s a good chance you’ll end up being supervised for being an “impaired clinician”.
@@Heyu7her3He didn't have that "privilege" - he had to work normally and was writing in his "free time"...he was also quite unknown and became (a little bit famous when he was an old man...
I have seen a lot of people enjoying meetings, so that people may feel their presence. I agree with you. Meeting should be the least important and loathsome act.
I was studying to be a cop I seen how it broke people down, I then decided to work in hospitality as a bartender, gaming attendant, TAB Clerk all were simple jobs and no headache. At the same company I was promoted to HR Manager I was miserable. I knew I made a mistake and went back to being a TAB Clerk a person that processes horse racing. And I must say I have never been more happier 3 years into the job I come to work do my job and go home no worries at all. I don’t need to worry about reports and garbage like that. I save alot of money now as my goals are clear compared to when I was a HR manager I was stressed and spent all my money. Morale of the story is if you are not happy downgrade to a simple job you will feel better. Also to all the people out there DON’t GIVE UP ON LIFE!
I've had a lot of horrible managers. I heard once that the degree of psychopathy among CEOs was around 20%, versus 1% in the general population. It's probably higher since there's an incentive to hide those traits. Which means in general, the higher you go in the corporate chain of command, the more likely you are to encounter such individuals. That made me realize my success within a large organization will never be too big, since when I look at people I don't think of how I can use them to climb. It's very obvious to me that is the attitude that a lot of people at the top/middle have towards those around them.
I heard ceo psycopathology is %6, its rare, so rare, when you see it there is no doubt, you are the body they can dump in a swamp to run the business better and they surround themselves with people that look the other way, the remaining %14 may be on the spectrum.
Psychopathy ? Do we have to use such terms ? It's simply " I have got the power . I will do everything I can to hold onto it until the time when they come for me. Until then I will make your lives as miserable as I have to in order to keep my job" - It is survival , nothing more, nothing less, and you would do the same if and when you become a manager.
@@eddenoy321 it's not my opinion, it's a technical word used by psychologists. I agree, that's what happens. That's why I think it's such a horrible idea for most of us to be employees instead of having our own business/farm like we all used to until recently. Human nature is what it is, we can only change our social systems.
@@Jaime-eg4eb Agree with you. I just don't like psycho=babble terminology and I have little faith in modern psychology. It is almost like religion for me. But that's me.
The way society rewards work and people is lopsided. It’s the source of disharmony across most aspects of life. But you can’t change it. You can only change yourself and work towards resiliency
Burnout happens to people who have a work ethic and responsibility. It ends up biting you on the ass in the long run. Today is my last day after 28 years at my workplace. Luckily I have months of leave owing so I don't need to work straight away. Sick of all the stress that should be the owners, not mine. I'm not putting my life on hold anymore waiting for others to get their acts together.
I literally have no words to describe the brilliance of this documentary. A greatly perceptive and discerning gaze at the modern white collar work life. A poignant portrayal of how our current economic system makes the top 1% richer at the expense of the rest of us- where the fruits of increased productivity goes to them and we are left alone to deal with the drudgery, stress, high housing costs and an existence greatly depleted of life.
DEHUMANIZED. That's what we all are right now. Turned into cogs of engines with only a trickle of oil. If we don't fix this, the engine will explode. 😥
Their fix is to replace the cogs with workers that dont burnout: automation. I'm in a team at my firm that helps teams automate their work and I realized I'm not doing society a favor. I need to get out.
A lot of times, I sit back and think that people have the younger generations all wrong. They think the younger workers are lazy. In reality, I think they just see the pointlessness of most of the "work" being done, the time wasting like meetings that could be emails and "community at work" (whatever that is) and commuting- all for what, exactly? And they say, yeah. I don't want to do this. And they check out. I'm so right there with them. I'm a Gen Xer and definitely identify with the younger workers on this point.
Yep... it all comes down to justification for a paycheck. They have to give you something to do even though that something is really nothing. They also get control of your time and even more importantly, your mental health. 😳
I am a gen Z and really did not understand those pizza parties done by the management. I worked in some sport betting and they forced us to stay over time and the closing time was 22:00, I do not know this people and do not like them, not to mention it was clear they had favourites. After that so called party where I got shamed that I did not want to learn some dumb promotional stuff giving that I will leave in a week and for the manager telling us that having your period is no excuse to not come to work. After, that party they wanted us to come to work at 08:00 like??? And I arrived at home at 04:00. Working 12 hours shifts that usually were 14 hours unpaid with no lunch break. I sometimes worked 4 days in a row. Needless to say after that summer job I needed like a week of rest, just sleep and roting in bed to get better. After that I finally was myself again and could do other stuff I could enjoy. That was depressing and the old people getting mad at the younger generations for not working, but they are the first ones to report the most stupid and littlest of mistake to corporate. As a saying goes from my country, the greamripper is searching for them at home, and they are here betting the retirement money.
I agree. I think the younger generation realise the rituals in the corporate world are really quite pointless.. the people who are setting the rules as they have the advantage and it makes them feel important….
Listen, I agree with you! Like if we were able to work for 2-3 years and be able to afford a home, then I'm sure everyone would be happier and would try harder. People are working hard just to find themselves in the same position 2-3 years ago. No Progress. No growth. Inflation lowering the value of your money.. How can anyone feel optimistic in this environment after a while?
Except for the need for money to survive, seems like at least 99+% of jobs are mindlessly meaninglessly pointless. If money weren't an issue, how many folks would actually have/go to their job.
Funnily enough, I understood this at a very early age. As I got older, I discovered others who believed in the same concepts I did. "You’re just here once, life is brief and to have to spend every day of it doing what somebody else wants you to do is not the way to live it." - Cormac McCarthy.
I spent a third of my time at my last job doing unnecessary, repetitive trainings, reading endless emails, filling in timesheets for myself and my reports, justifying the time I actually did real work, attending meetings, etc. It was exhausting and demoralizing. My coworkers and I wanted to get real work done, not do busywork.
I was raised in the nature as child and I didnt learn anything in the scholl until 13 years old. At 15 I started to analize things and use my imagination.
The microsoft teams notification sound still gives me ptsd to this day, anyone who has worked an office job will know, still, office jobs are 100x better than any retail or hospitality job, and thats a fact
I guess that depends, I have seen retail shops where work is moderate most of the day, and the employees may even have some chit chat while they are folding their clothes, but I;ve also seen the exact opposite: a huge store with few people that try to complete everything. The latter happened to me today, haven't felt so bad in a while.
That's only when money is invovled because the latter jobs do not pay well. If I had a choice without worrying abiut the pay, I would absolutely switch to a hospitality job as that's where my personality fits better, not this dog eat dog corporate world where humanity goes to die.
For me it’s slack. Everytime I hear that click I literally want to end myself. I turned the sound and notifications off at work so that I could concentrate on my work only for my higher up to tell me I’m not answering all the messages I’m receiving or being linked to. Now I’m only helping finishing other people’s problems instead of finishing my work.
Workers rights have been eroded over the last seventy years. There is essentially zero check and balance on the demands or whims of management. That's where it went wrong. You can have an incompetent or sadistic person whose personal preferences completely destroy a team, company, or industry. The 24/7 communication technology hasn't helped either, but it's 100% a worker/manager power imbalance issue destroying work satisfaction today.
I've felt burnout too and it's not pleasant, I quit my job in 2021 due to burnout, got another job in 2022 and it was just the same cycle. Being stuck in this rat race we call life you need a job but jobs come with a myriad of stresses and unhappiness. It's funny how as humans we create illusions that just seem to make our lives miserable.
200% agreed! yep it's just a broken system breeding broken people into slavery. this is started at a young age of 5 at school which is when we enter "the system" for life!
In Cantonese we have a saying that literally means "find eat". For those who have burnt out before. That is essentially all we need. Find food to eat and live a happy life. Unfortunately the world is screwed to a side that we will also need to "find a living place", "find partner", "find other enjoyment". All these added together need us work harder and harder or else we get overtaken. It is about what you can let go and accept to enjoy a happy life. Great documentary and guests who took part. Well done DW. Keep it up
The problem is the "non-work" a lot of employers are obsessed with. They expect you to work, even if there is no work to be done. A.e. what happens if you work from 9-5 but you are done with everything at 2. Instead of rewarding good and fast work via a merit based system, your employer will give you a meaningless task just so it looks like you are doing something. This leads to workers not even trying anymore after they expirienced this once or twice, leading to low work morale and sinking quality of the service/product and can also lead to a work enviroment where 5 people do in a day what one could do it 2 hours. The good old "You done wiping the bar? You still have 20 on the clock, so do it again!" Good work needs to feel rewarding. This is a very basic principle. And if i see the 5 people kicking the same bucket around for 3 hours while i do their job, yet im getting payed the same as any of them AND i get punished for it with even more work, then im obviously not gonna be happy with my job and refuse to do quality work in the future. And no, a "higher than average" pay won't justify or fix this.
My manager keeps complaining about nobody doing their work on time, but he schedules 5 meetings a week, which last upwards of an hour, to repeat the stuff we go over every day. Driving me insane. Literally had 3 stress-induced seizures on the job.
One of my coworkers told one of the managers that he was struggling with burnout. Well…he was told it was his fault and was shamed. Then that manager started gossiping about how he was suffering from “burnout” and it was his fault because he didn’t know how to do his job well. He had been there for 6 years!!
Hopefully they left the job. I would say it’s time to look for something new, that’s no way to treat anyone but I worry that they genuinely believe what they are saying because they have to justify their behaviour somehow.
@@marys3738 I am really glad to hear that you are leaving and putting yourself first, no money in the world is worth the health repercussion and the burnout. I went through burnout myself recently and have quit as well, here is to finding something better that doesn't end up burning us out :)
The biggest problem in the workplace as I see it, is the employment of managers and executives who have no specialist or technical knowledge related to the service they are in-charge of, and are unable to make quality decisions. I even had a CEO say to the organisation he wants people managers in the executive team that don’t need any experience or technical knowledge in the areas they will manage or lead….no wonders they cannot make quality decisions….ie see Boeing in 2024!
The man talking about his burnout smyptoms - i've gone through that in the last months. I thought i knew "exhaustion", but the severity of it was new to me. I thought i had a terrible illness, went to my doctor, he couldn't find anything in my blood or during general examination that pointed to so much as a flu. He sat down and talked to me for a bit and eventually went "you're showing all the signs of burnout". To which i literally said " Oof" because all the air just left me. It was a surprise to hear, but shouldn't have been. I've been crying at work alone in my office daily. I cried on the train to work, on the way home. I blamed myself for it all because i thought i wasn't cut out for the hybrid office/social work job i occupied. But i made a joking remark to a colleague i got along with well and i saw her mask slip. She was just as done and fed up and mad as i was. My contract ends in a few weeks. The question "what now?" is so big that i can barely wrap my head around. I feel out of options. I worked in retail, i worked in service, i worked in an office. I can't imagine myself finding a low-stress occupation that pays enough to cover rent and have me ending my shifts with my sanity intact. Where to go from here? I don't know
After 17 years of working the 9-5, it cost me my health and then I straight up quit without a job prospect. My moment of truth was when I experienced a traumatic miscarriage and that night I was conflicted between a case I was working on and grieving. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but I realized that moment that I had my priorities all messed up. I left that 4 months later.
I was never the type to quit a job w/o another one lined up but I have also reached a point in life where I too was broken down as a person fm work & just couldn’t do it anymore & I did the same. We all have a breaking point. That’s when you know the low is low.. it’s not a good place to be in but I thank God for His saving grace towards me at that time, too. Not sure I could have seen the light any other way tbh. I’m sorry to hear that for you & hope you’re doing better now. Life is so hard sometimes. ♥️
Yep, had my wife flood my house while I was at work on a Sunday. I left work to tear out the flooring and call the crew and was back at work 2 hours later. Fun times. Oh, almost forgot, after my ineveitable divorce my son flooded the same house I spent my entire Christmas vacation installing the floor on.
I left the workforce in Feb 2022, a few months after giving birth to my first son. When my maternity leave ended, I lasted 2 months before I threw in the towel. I was miserable and missed my son every minute I was away. I started working super part time doing contract work for a small business which allowed me great flexibility. What I've realized that I desired more than anything was flexibility and the ability to start and finish a project and move no to something else. Must of my work, (HR) was so mundane. Same thing over and over, pointless meetings, goals constantly changing due to upper management, not feeling like my work was valued, etc. I've never been more happier since leaving the 9-5 work life. I am blessed that my husband makes a very good living which allowed me to leave in the first place. We just welcomed a 2nd son a few days ago and his is getting full pay for the next 6 months from his employer. Again, truly a blessing. I am not sure if I will ever have interest in going back to a 9-5 workplace, remote or not. Since becoming a mother, my values has totally changed. I cannot give an employer 40+ hours of my life when I do not feel like my work is making much of a difference.
First time mom to be in November and I'm already telling my husband I don't even think I can make it to maternity leave. I just do not care about work anymore and doing the long and hectic commutes everyday in our congested city. Once I get home I have about an hour to myself and my husband before I need to start getting ready for bed. I can't even imagine once a baby comes into the picture 😖 I hope to find something part time down the line like you!
This video just validated my thoughts I’ve been having for the past three years where I realize jobs are only important because people give it value. If people don’t give it value, people are not gonna care about it. Because of this thinking, I give my job as much attention as I think that it deserves. I don’t put all of my waking hours into it. I don’t put all of my free weekend time into it , my job pays me for x amount of hours and then that is what I will be doing. If I can do it in less than my x amount of hours then that that is what I will do. I take my job seriously, but I have to constantly remind myself that what I do is not life-threatening, it can wait.
Excellent documentary on the pointlessness of modern ‘work’ that keeps us busy without creating value or happiness. Featuring the late great David Graeber. Thank you!
What’s missing here, though, is a discussion on solutions and the urgent need for systemic change. It’s time to address this issue and create healthier work environments for everyone.
It is impossible things have gone too far, detoxication takes centuries or even millenia is deeply rooted to your soul that is transmitted to otehr generations. There is no cure for that as easy as you say.
Before you discuss solutions, you need to properly understand the reasons. DW is a German news outlet. Over a long time now we have falling standards in schools, meaning a lot of people who shouldn't even have qualified for universities find themselves in intellectual careers they are not cut out for. Since 2015 we are struggling with uncontrolled mass migration, which keeps wages low and taxes high. On top of that Africa and Asia are increasingly supplying themselves with stuff, so all that fancy money that made the middle class rich a few decades past is now staying there and helping these people to get their slice of the pie. The best thing really is to move on when you can't stand your workplace, and if the job as such stresses you out, maybe look for something simpler to do.
Idk, I just feel the system is toxic because we let it be toxic. How about companies pay in perpetuity a percentage of all AI/machine generated work to those who actually created them? Or idk, in perpetuity to the state who gave tax breaks for various investments, which then gets re-distributed to people? I'm sure there are solutions and a 100 year old paradigm of 40 hrs per week ain't it. I'm pretty certain groups of people can figure out solutions, it doesn't have to be or should be a sole individual's contribution or idea, as it's a massive undertaking
We're living in a house of cards --- how much longer before it all comes tumbling down? My entire life I was told I needed just one more thing to be "successful." First it was a high school diploma, then it was secretarial school, then it was a BA, then it was an MA. By the time I'd finished all that, while moving multiple times, working to support myself, and looking after ill relatives, I was in my 40s. I've been playing catch-up my entire life. And it's all been a lie. Even tho we have some stability now, we're only a few paycheques away from losing what we have. In all my various jobs I had very few where I felt I had agency or any positive feedback. But when it does happen it's amazing! Imagine what we could accomplish if the majority of our working life was like that?
Oh please, business owners are suffering bad.. you work so hard, build something and once it's there and functioning you are burnt out. Not even money can fix this problem 😮😢
@cynthia-jo1zz it was their choice to start a business. People do not have a choice whether they work or not. This world revolves around money for EVERYTHING. The common employee can barely afford living week to week, but boohoo for the owners raking in the majority of profits? That's a joke. Yes, it is THEIR business, and they should receive compensation, as well as preparing for business costs, etc. However, to try and paint them as anything less than the perpetrators of their own fates is laughable. High reward= high risk= high responsibility/workload.
I would have agreed until I saw how the much pushed self-employment schemes in the UK (but they have similar equivalents in other countries) got even worse arrangements.
I've actually rejected promotion the past couple of years. I am an engineer and just want to design, develope and build things. But I've been at the same role for years, so management wants me to move "up", to lead teams and projects, even though I have explicitly said I am uncomfortable doing that because those tasks gives me social anxiety. So, what happened? I wasn't promoted, which was ok, but my performance grade was also lowered cos of the perception that I was unwilling to contribute more. So I don't give a f anymore. If I'm disengaged, it's this stupid way of performance management that actively disengages workers, and not that the workers are inherently lazy or incompetent.
I am the cad drafter for said engineers and I am so over it. I cannot draw one more line and the same thing is happening to me. Everything is always due yesterday and it's exhausting. These firms keep taking on more jobs than they have resources for and I am the one stuck trying to issue construction packages on a Friday-officially the worst day ever. I am not interested in training others especially if they are getting paid more than me, nor am I interested in creating better procedures for mass distribution. Working from home from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep I have no life. Those drawings are not created by elves it's not magic.
Work burnout can have devestating consequences for your health, if you ignore it for too long. That happened with me. I worked a government job for 15 years, and ignored the warning signs of severe burnout. The consequences to my health caused me to have to leave my job before I was ready to do so. Don't make the same mistake. Know the warning signs, and don't be afraid to get some help.
@@shawbrothers18 Nope. 8yrs on from my severe burnout and I'm struggling with burnout again after trying to hold on to a part time job for the last 4.5yrs. I'm physically exhausted all the time and my body can't handle stress anymore. Jim is not kidding you when he said it 'can have devastating consequences for your health'.
I had a hysterectomy last year. Although I could have waited, I needed a break so bad. I got surgery just so I could take a significant time off of work. And it was the absolute best 8 weeks of my life. I got enough sleep. I didn't feel like a zombie or on autopilot. I had time to think. I really wish I had a slower paced job or less stress
I left my job because I felt weak and disrespected there. My ex-boss thinks I'm incompetent. She was once upset I had signed up for a one-person shift, because she didn't think I could manage alone. She scolded a lower-ranking manager for not noticing I had signed up a coffee service. When she asked him if she thought I could do the shift, I answered for him with a firm "yes," because I felt belittled by her. She said she didn't think so, was all "I've told you not to sign up for shifts by yourself, I've been very clear about that, I don't know how much clearer I can get for you to listen" and she told me I need someone there to give me instructions and guide me. Sure, I'm a slow learner and have messed up at work before, but you got a lot of guts labeling and shaming a guy with learning difficulties like that. The fact that she trusted the newer workers to work alone but not me hurt, as did her willingness to indicate I'm inferior, no apology since then. I know her type. She didn't even respond to my two-week notice.
I didn't see any humor in this film. It's a devastating problem that never seems to be addressed. Maybe "humorous" is lost in translation. I'd call it a cynical and realistic look. Well done, everyone who worked on it. Thank you. Comes at a particularly critical time in my work life.
Amazing documentary. Clear and straightforward about a contemporary phenomenon everyone knows, but no one cares enough about to fix. Even provides new information about the actual cause. The most effective sign of this self perpetuating self sabotage is that this documentary won't make a bit of difference, which is equally amazing because this is so harmful to people. We are all so callous.
@@DWDocumentary Despite my cynical and purely personal outlook. I thank the good people at DW for bringing plenty of light on this subject (love most of your docs). There should be more, for we lose too many good people to this.
i find sciences very attractive these days. I am a jaded Tax accountant and i am exhausted . For me its physics and chemistry . i am saving up for open university as i can't do the full time thing . I gots to pay bills and put hot meals on the table . The only person in my House that can keep a secret is our Dog .
@@PHlopheyou bloody do it pal, make sure you applied for that OU degree FFS. I was you, an ex-accountant now. I bailed from that career of 9 years from burnout. Now looking at the trade route, and hoping to do a OU degree, but torn between electrical engineering or pure science.
@@DrumToTheBassWoop accountant burnout is crazy.pure science is evergreen AI can never retire it as it is always flourishing.if i was you it'd be priority
@@PHlophe So should I pursue physics and maths instead of electrical engineering? As for accountancy, I'm and agent provocateur to that career path, I will actively dissuade people going that career path, it's not good for your mental health, honestly.
Not only in the office, the same goes to work from home workers like me. I don't escape the hundreds of updates that needs to be read, new polices that seemed stupid, don't do this-don't do that or you'll get a memo
"I feel like I was something, and then I was shaped into, suffocated into, being something else, something less, something smaller" Thank you DW for sharing this with the world. It has already impacted at least one person profoundly, so thank you.
This docu is so so so relatable & I am sure every salaried person finds it so, This needs to be dubbed in every language so that it revolutionize the working conditions
Working in an office is just a terrible existence. I was so miserable at the last job that I promised myself I would only work at home from now on. Going to the office is just not an option for me. I have to say that I work a creative job that requires lots of concentration.. and I'm also very much an introvert and a night owl. These qualities do not fit the office lifestyle at all
Great documentary. This has also happened in universities and the whole educational sector. In our research we have called this “affective subjectivation”, which exactly points to how we are governed affectively to become machine. Thanks DW!
Well that'd be good 👍! There's only but so much essential work to go around anyway. Let's go back to the days where mostly men worked at businesses and women handled the business of the household. 😳
Wow, brilliant work. I saw many parallels with my own life and yet I also finished it with a smile on my face. I wish I could have watched this 10 years ago before becoming a parent.
Burnout and feeling pointless? Answer is simple : since day 1 on my first full time job at 17 years old. I'm now 46 years old and retirement couldn't come soon enough.
I work in a company where the Manager relies on other departments to "spy" on employees. We notice she sends her Manager peers to 'sit' in our area when the Team Leader is away on leave, under the guise of needing work space. This form of extreme micromanagement includes actively discouraging staff from talking about work related matters. Instead refer to the processes an procedures' manual which changes daily at a whim depending on the mood of the Team Leader. The Team Leader is extremely paranoid thinking people talk about her and tells people not to "whisper". Tricky when you're working in open-plan environment trying to keep voice down out of consideration for others. Except her and the Manager because no one else is allowed to talk unless you are one of the few 'favourites' whose job is to report back on others. It's hard to know whose in charge some days. Some days are better than others but mentally attempting to reset by checking a phone message, due to loud or distracting open plan environment is considered unproductive and it's just so sad that the culture has changed so much.
@@ibrahimabdullahimohamed8840 I'm referring to the white collar, able bodied people featured in the video. The working poor and impoverished don't have the luxury of "burn out".
@@himynameis6502 Do you really have to ask that? There are things that are outside of your control. Identify these, then walk away from them, if you feel you cannot accept them.
There were so many points in the documentary that I identified with my current job. As a nurse I hear “healthcare heroes” or frontline worker we support you but if I look back there is no one there to really truly support me and prevent burnout. I’ve been in burnout for a few years now and I’m trying extra hard to find true meaning in my role. I can see that I’m not the only one. Thank you for putting how I feel into words with the science to back it up. 😊
Excellent, excellent, excellent. One of DW's best. A must watch. Bet it describes alot of you. Love the way it's put together, especially the part with the babies in the office environment. Brilliant.
This is a valuable documentary. This rings truer than anything I see on the news of hear on the lips of politicians. Something needs to change, this meaninlessness and wage slavery is indicative of a broken culture. Thanks for making this film.
I was just diagnosed with burnout. I love my job but I have the most insane and mean boss I have ever met. I can barely open my eyes because I'm sooo tired of the sleepless nights thinking about my workload. I can totally relate with what this video says about the importance of social support and good personal skils because I would totally trade my salary for one single nice word, apreciation or comment about my work. Now I'm drained and I'm on medical care and I absolutely don't know how a person like me got here! Even worse, I have no idea how I'm ever going to work again 'cause this burnout shit is really scary.
I went from working in Healthcare, mainly pharmacy at a pharmacy lab as a tech. On my feet 10 hours a day, running from here to there, making this medication here for a patient, making IV solutions in a clean room for that patient, to now working at an office job. All because of an non work related injury i had. My job now, it pays better, but now my health has declined, i never had so many health issues than i have now. Mindless drone anymore, and overall just ugh with this office working culture. If i could go back to my old job and way of life i would but it doesn't pay me enought to support myself and family
i was unemployed for 10 years from 20 to 30 yo. These were the best years of my life, i lived off social benefits. Now im working and im shocked how miserable life is.
I'm reaching that point. This is quite a powerful documentary that rings home for a lot of people. It touches on some often overlooked aspects of our modern work culture.
Managers all too often keep good employees down, because they look bad in comparison. I used to be a team player until I got tired of being **** by the team's captain management.
@@Bigboss-xe6lm Been there, done that often doesn't end well for the employee. The manager in question usually finds another reason to cause trouble for the employee.
Thank you for sharing! This is really important now that we are finally transitioning away from having to work into helping out in things we actually enjoy doing, but much less frequently than was expected in the era that went before.
I get the impression that this has nothing to do with people being at work, with working, with work itself. What burns people out is being in a competition all the time. Compete, pretend, fake it till you make it, always seem more than you are. We have turned the working class into entrepreneurs of self, fiercely competing. A few people thrive on that, but the majority suffers.
I would be perfectly fine with too much leisure time, i have plenty of personal projects I want to accomplish and would prefer that to doing what i do currently for work. I wouldn't miss it at all.
Office workers are not the only ones who get burnout. In Argentina, teachers work differently than in other countries. We normally have to work in many different places to earn a living. My weekly schedule adds up to more than 60 hours counting the time I spend preparing classes, grading assignments, watching videos, reading books, and curating class materials. It comes to a non-existing free time. I love my job, but I have too many bosses to please, too many rules to follow, and too many deadlines to meet. Sometimes I wonder how my body can take all the pressure. Something I am learning is to say no, slowly and with a lot of effort, but I have no choice if I want to reach retirement age. I wanted to hug the people in the video throughout it so many times...
In the UK, they have Ofsted: The inspectors of Ofsted believe that they are sent out to torment the headteachers and the teachers. Their work has successfully led to the suicide of a notable headteacher -they usually go out to maximize the burnout teachers are already experiencing.
I was a teacher in the United States. I just quit teaching in February. I did switch to being a substitute teacher for 4 years, but even that was burning me out. Too much stress and not enough compensation to make it worthwhile for me. I actually started getting anxious each time I had to go to school. I never had that before. The doctor gave me anxiety medication. 😕
@@ES-qu1jd Anxiety medication!!!! 🙏 carefully….slowly… get yourself OFF it… Talk to a specialist. You cannot medicates away life. But the psychotrops will OWN you. 🌿🙏☀️
Aundrea, teachers in europe do their 50-60 hours too. my mother had to prep for hours and hours then there is email and various adhoc stuff to catch up on . and add in the set of pesky parents are in her face on a weekly basis. she has had several burn outs over the decades.
@@PHlophe Send her my love. I wish that someday people would appreciate the diffult task we face. All the new trends and ideologies, the rules that change everyday, and we are judged if we stand strong in our values. No job is easy. We should learn to understand each other's pain.
I was in the leadership but i voluntary left the position. I got tired of everyday meetings because the management didn't support the ideas for personal reasons. I joined the health and safety team and set the standards but still decisions were held back because of managers conflict interests
I had a similar experience. I found management to be excruciatingly boring 😴. I'm just not the corporate type. I got more fulfillment flipping burgers 🍔 in my teen years. Can't wait ✋🏻to retire! 😳
Thank you so much for this documentary 🙏 ❤ I'm suffering from burnout lately, and I felt very guilty and sad about it. I would simply go to work and spend 6 hours staring at my laptop screen and doing things that normally only take about 30 minutes. I felt exhausted all the time and no amount of rest restored my energy. I don't enjoy things anymore. I desperately want to understand the cause and find a way out...
Great documentary ! I’ve been through this, and it feels better to understand I was not alone with this issue, and it’s a real phenomenon of our modern life. We should really speak out
Smashing Docu ! It has so many layers and its engaging . This is just a perfect blend of serioussness and distancy at the same time. (I´m one of the miserable´s) Watched it to the end, and now I´m actually planning in my head to search for the emergency exit to get on with my life less miserable !
Magnificent documentary! 10/10! I really enjoyed it. I've been off work due to Burnout for about a year now and could relate with SO MANY things said here! I hope me and the rest of us currently struggling would soon feel better. Also, if like half of all jobs are basically needless paperwork and consulting, I'm even more sure that AI will replace them all now😂😂
Feels like this everyday. I was molded into taking nursing in the mid 2000s because it pays well (Most Filipinos parents think so). When I graduated, hospitals were not hiring but accepting "volunteers" for a fee so I worked as a call center agent and I'm in this industry ever since. It somehow feels like purgatory or even hell at times because it pays good money but at the same time, it froze my dream to become either a university of professor teaching economics or an investment banker advicing institutions or high net-worth individuals. I hope it's not yet to late for me.
Not an office worker, but a warehouse worker. I got completely burnt out because of bad management and I had to quit. I just physically and mentally couldn't take it anymore. Its been 2 years and I still feel chronically burnt out. Some days I can barely get out of bed. This video speaks to me. People really should talk about burnout more.
I developed depression, binge eating, and had anxiety ever since I took this promotion. The hours increased yet my pay was reduced because I'm no longer an hourly employee. I just started taking medication for it last week. I was miserable and could not sleep, causing me to feel tired every second of my life. The instant messaging, the text messages, the endless meetings, and phone calls really made me go from regular human being to complete avoidance of people when I'm not at work. The job is 24/7. It's exhausting. Not to mention now driving in and dealing w/ traffic makes it stressful, too.
The job is only 24/7 because you let it be. Stop being a people pleaser, set some boundaries. And if you accept a promotion that effectively decreases your income, that's on you. There is a lot of stuff in your rant that you could control, if you tried. Part of taking on responsibility is also that you now have to manage more of yourself.
Problem is that now we are doing 3 people's jobs and getting paid for one.
But you're helped by computers and AI and your phone and whatnot. Also, I need you to be available 24/7.
No we aren't ahahahahaha. I see so often 20 people doing what could be one person's job. What happens is that a lot of people are busy with creating work for themselves so they can pretend to be relevant.
And we are increasing our retirement age…
and then as "thank you" they say "market is bad, we won't raise anyone salary, even though inflation is 10%, but we did raised our dividends by 7%. Be happy!"
(we are at the cynical part 😉)
@@Mark_Proton Also use your own cell and make sure you have Internet access. 💋
Really appreciated this documentary. I took sick leave for burnout last year. Went back, found nothing had changed, nobody really cared about the root causes of why me and so many others were burning out in the organization. Finally, I submitted my resignation letter just this month. Everything about the way we work needs to change, especially treating people like people and not human resources.
I really felt that part when the lawyer said she wanted to get hit by a car just so that she wouldn’t go to work. Feel that most days, if not all.
I went through that several years ago. I wanted to get injured enough that someone else would carry the burden of my responsibilities. Pretty low state to be in.
In that state of mind so I quit, stopped working for 3 months now I work a job few would like but pays better and I'm not on a desk anymore!
Same
I have gone through that as well. I have friends who had a similar experience. I had to change work to realize how badly my previous work was for me. I’m sorry you’re going through it.
I was going to work and was involved in a motorcycle accident which i suffered a broken femur. My employer decided to terminate my contract because at the moment I'm recovering. I don't know what I'm going to do...
Bunch of people having trouble finding work and then the people who do have jobs are being burned out from being overworked. Look at what we have done to ourselves. Hopefully we figure something out soon.
Also, if you are reading this and you are going through a tough time right now, I just want to say that I appreciate the fact that you are still here fighting for life like the rest of us. I hope that as you continue to go through the process of life that you find the peace and happiness you are looking for. I also want to thank you for anything positive that you have ever done for yourself and others no matter how big or small, it all adds up. KEEP GOING!!!!
Thanks for the words, I'm sad
You are kind and good, thank you for writing this. Have a lovely life
5 hours a day is ok ....5 days a week .....
Thank you ❤
Thank you ❤
"I was looking for a job and then I found a job and heaven knows I'm miserable now" - Morrissey
Good one
"In my life why do I give valuable time to people who don't care if I live or die"
I’m so glad people still listen to the Smith’s.
😮
Because they sing the songs that saved our lives ❤
My estimate is that for every productive job/worker there's at least three people (but probably a lot more) who make a living supervising, taxing, managing, controlling and critiquing that person.
Right?!!?
Thats how society works. We can argue it has grown excessive but aside from that what exactly is your point? All of those roles are neccesary
@@physetermacrocephalus2209 some of them are, the vast majority of them are not. It's not synergy, it's parasitism.
@@Jaime-eg4eb
Vast majority is an over statement. You do not truly understand how vast and complex the world is. You litteraly cited both supervise and manage which are arguably the same thing. It undermines the credibility of your assertion because even if you did not intened it too; it still comes across as incompetence based exagurration.
@@physetermacrocephalus2209 Your critique is the only thing here that seems incompetent. Two words I used are arguably the same thing? Who cares?
I don't think saying "vast majority" is an over statement at this point in history. We have endlessly deep bureaucracies and layers of management that do nothing but get in the way of people trying to get things done. Meeting after meeting just to justify someone's job.
This is spot on. Could not be more accurate. 30 Years in corporate management and I hated every day. Hated the job, the company, and most of the people I worked with. Sunday afternoons my mood starting changing knowing tomorrow was Monday. Sunday night I could not sleep knowing tomorrow was Monday. Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was wishing it was Friday. I pissed away my life doing what was “right” by other peoples standards
Same for me, I hate the stress of my job but I need money ..
Same. I only do it bc I have to, have no other choice. I keep trying side hustles to see if I can ever break free fm the office chains. It’s tough.
I'm wondering what would you have done instead, if you could, with today's mind?
Wtf same here. Thankfully I changed jobs and now I can do what I like
Indeed😅😅😅
Considering that this video came in only few hours ago, how popular it is already, says a lot on how we all feel about this topic, how really concerned most of us are. A hundred years ago, people had to fight, real fights, for improving their conditions, with real claims, and now, we just don't f****g understand what's going on, it's all about respecting budgets and standards, while HR send weekly emails on how to take care of our mental health.
Yes that's true...many many times I've felt like I didn't understand or saw the point of anything I was doing at a corporate job.
The wellbeing industry is the product of burnout.
HR send those emails about mental health things while trying their best to create an environment that goes against those exact words. Empty words at this point.
@@nothinginteresting1662 What really is the point of HR!? How do the even contribute? They are suppose to be on the workers side as well, but they just care about the company that pays them. Going against every moral fiber, if they even have any...
@@pleaseusernamework HR is not your friend. HR is looking out for the company not the employees. Sad fact.
If so many managers weren't certifiable sociopaths/psychopaths, this would definitely help!!
Plus, 30 years ago, you went home and work was over. Now, it follows you home, too.
All too true.
Many people can no longer afford a home to go home to! Manager level and up are getting their bonuses and wage increases but the average worker has had his wages cut and the government in their race to support the top 10% through the property hobby has left workers with no where decent to live.
They always want that extra, they never say it, but they want you working afterhours.
Can I say the companies like Google who sell these great perks like all you can eat canteen and office sleep pods and office laundry so they keep you at work longer too get more out of you. You leave the office to do all these things so you can rejuvenate yet they have brain washed us to believe it's a company perk. To make matters worse I think I only realised this after watching this.... we have to change
I'm in the top 94th income percentile and will not be able to own a house in the city I work in -- no car, no smoking, no alcohol, no gambling, years with no vacations. The goverment isn't working anything near the top 10%.
I think this is why I, as an austistic person , struggle so much with doing mindless meaningless tasks in the workplace. Because it comes natural to me to analyze everything and try to make sense of what I am doing on the larger scope of the company/society. It's even harder when I find it makes no sense because my brain automatically shuts down the motivation to do it.
This generally makes me end in an unmotivated loop of self-doubt about my abilities and purpose.
God this is so relatable.
Yep, I understand where you're coming from. And now they throw in this wrench into the mix, don't include pronouns in your status reports. So basically, I now have to remove what other people have actually said and change words to match this woke ideology, basically attributing it to them. Our CEO told us to do this at our last meeting.
It took burning out myself to notice that most everyone around me at the office is burned out too. It explains a lot. Still not sure how I'm getting out of it, but am finally realizing it's time for something different. Life's too short to be miserable.
You only have so many hours remaining. I always suggest that people utilize them wisely. What that means differs for everyone, but it's still important to Reflect upon the idea seriously.
that will create a problem. this is why we have inflation.
WHEN KNOWLEDGE leaves = things get expensive. The consumer pays the cost of mistakes made.
inexperience workers creates alot of havoc and costly errors down the pipeline. AND you cannot fire them because workforce is so tight. Inflation
Quit showing up and convince everyone else to do so as well
Honestly dude I was you in an accounting job. Just bail, it's the worry of life that gets you out of the comfort zone and into a new career.
I couldn’t agree more. When the doctor explained to me I was displaying classical symptoms of burnout, it dawned on me that my colleagues were also going through the same phenomenon; wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
I’m watching this 4 months after quitting from a terrible office job because of a terrible burnout that crushed me completely.
I’m 29. It felt like I failed in life.
But now I’m starting to think that I will do whatever I can just to not work in a similar job ever again, including changing my career path completely.
The system just grinds us, I prefer making less money for a couple of years and creating my own business or path so that I can keep my sanity, rather then be a clog in the machine.
Something creative or indispensable-practical-tangible: electrician plumber welder…
truly understand your feeling bro. After I quit my old job at a big corporation, I felt like I had a serious trauma that I didn't want to have any social contact, I just want to isolate myself to let all the physical and mental wound heal. I then applied for some lower-paid jobs, doing normal stuff but my mind would be stress-free. I had no idea what to do next, but life is a marathon and I couldn't run at the sprint pace to finish that marathon.
I am in the same situation and I have the exact same thoughts. Also thinking of switching my career because I can’t stand the thought of going back to a job where I have to sit behind a desk fulltime doing meaningless work
I had a part time job while I was at college, vacuum cleaning offices in the evening when nearly everyone was gone home. Best job I’ve ever had. You’re alone with your own thoughts in a quiet place, stress free, a simple not complicated at all task. I loved it. Now I work in accounting and it’s alright because people treat me like I’m someone important but my health has deteriorated including my mental health. But that’s because of the previous job I had before this accounting job and I don’t know how long I’m gonna take to recover if ever. It worries me a bit because I sometimes have problems communicating with others because there’s always this annoying thought at the back of my head that keeps distracting me when I’m talking to someone. I don’t know hot to get rid of it. I started meditating and have seen it helps me but I can’t develop a habit of meditating every day and when I do my body starts shaking uncontrollably and it’s a bit scary. Anyway, hopefully we’ll all get better soon and start living a happy life again.
It helps to realize that burnout is a form of depression, and that simply being in an office all day long in itself is a contributing factor to depression. Being inside all day, no unfiltered daylight, no fresh air, sitting still all the time, staring into a screen... None of that is helpful, and if you don't enjoy the work itself, getting mentally ill is almost a given.
Oh boy, do I know about this.
I was in a lot of physical pain working a normal office job.
My soul despised what I felt compelled to do to survive.
All I can say is: do everything you can to avoid getting in a lot of debt.
BTW I do day labor and construction and housekeeping now because it's so flexible 🎉
@@DonnPneumaPiano Outside of your share of public debt, going to college is the main reason people acquire debt. It's unfortunate people are so strongly encouraged to do that. I certainly was.
Avoid debt? Like an education? 🤔😭 Insidious isn’t it?
The thing is you need money to make money. If education is expensive, minimum wages are low and you are born poor, what do you do? Work 3 jobs for 10 years to afford an education for a better job? Or do you borrow the money for the education and spend 5 years paying off the debt with a single job that pays better than the other 3 put together?
@@1112viggo you do understand that in Europe most higher education is still pretty free,funded by the state?!
I wonder how many C-suite managers see this documentary and say ‘eff it.’ To them their bonuses are more important than any life. Greed is the base of our current society.
I’m all for the reduction of CEO pay… but if they gave all their salary to these employees, it would be a drop in the bucket in most large companies. The problem here is much more complex than CEO pay. I know that doesn’t fit your narrative.
Greed of Americans is beyond any limits, to me it seems like kind of ideology, man talks and says nothing, those who listen just applaud him, is all mascaraed. It resembles more to communist ideology, even Chinese when they speak they tell things in much better way, trust me. Playing with words while saying nothing has become your way of life, and this will haunt you centuries probably millennias. 😂
@@99dynasty The goal should be to reduce or remove the C-suite roles. Short stories like Manna show this is possible already in many ways with the newly emerging AI technology (and some might argue that there was nothing to do in the first place for these people).
@@infiniteloopcounter9444 send them to play in the movies.
It would be an easy fix if it were only that, but there is whole adaptive group of sycophants who wish to become just like them for the small rewards. The detachment is ubiquitous. IMO although I’m confident. I offer no solution I comment because it fills me with regret watching it.
If one exceeds management's expectations, that becomes the new expectations.
Therefore, never do more in one day than you're willing to do every day thereafter.
Yep. That's the recipe for discouraging productivity.
@@NikitOS-vv4ksbut that's unfortunately true. Otherwsie you'll be taken advantage of.
I experienced it in my workplace as well.
@@taurus8263 yeah, that's the worst part about it. It's the most optimal decision for workers not to work hard because you don't get much for being a "good" worker. This is a bad situation for the economy.
Great advice
After 18 months of misery in my current job, I have resolved to do the bare minimum to keep sane. One day I will say goodbye to my current workplace.
Love this sentence: cannot run a marathon at a sprint pace.
Yep. I couldn't stand it anymore. I quit. Working for corporations is a soul, heart and life crushing existence.
Yes, but it some way I kind of miss the rigor. Maybe that’s just me.
What do you do instead?
No @@shawbrothers18
Working for startups is even worse…
@@roxanamilea7683so true.. switching from large bank to startup nbfc.. it’s utterly horrible.. one feels lost as nothing in place.. too many loose ends..
I'm in my mid thirties and I've felt this way for at least the past 15 years. I don't think I have another 30+ years in me before retirement. I truly don't think I can do this that much longer.
What job you do
@@Eggmanrocks I've worked various roles in the tech field
❤
Same…I am just taking it day by day but it is awful. Just keep tackling one thing at a time. All we can do.
@@KingGameReview I come from the tech industry as well, and I feel the same way. Most tech companies do not make any money from goods and services. Instead they make money from their perceived potential for exponential growth. If the perceived potential for growth is high, then venture capitalists will invest in the company. If things are looking bad (or if the company chooses to not mindlessly copy the moves of other major players), then VC will dry up. Product Engineers build features that nobody wants for products that nobody uses (under contrived but aggressive deadlines set by upper management) while R&D fakes demos to lie about how far the tech they're building is coming. All in the hopes that venture capitalists will throw a few pennies in the well.
I worked at a public hospital in Sydney as a psychiatrist. I’d never previously met the clinical director for the service, who had invited me to meet him for an unrelated matter. Within five minutes, he identified that I had classic symptoms of occupational burnout. The hardest part of “suffering” from this condition is 1) accepting that it has happened to you 2) feeling you have to repeatedly try to explain and to justify yourself to your family and relatives, who more often than not perceive you as a “failure” and of having “given up” on your career. At the time I stopped working (coinciding with the pandemic years), I had been qualified as a MD for over 25 years and had worked within the field of psychiatry for 22 years so I can safely state that its not about giving up, it is about survival.
Very well said! Life, demands, work, stress, money… it’s no wonder that many of us are very near, or already in burn-out territory. We need a 4 day work week and a basic universal income now! (I’m in Switzerland, we work 41 hours or so).
@@MariaCarabin
We need 20hr work week. With all that f’n technology this SHOULD HAVE happened already 10 yrs ago….
The most irreplaceable jobs remain of the nurses, cooks police military hairdressers farmers teachers and nannies along with plumbers electricians and builders. All of these “lower middle” class in the US should have been firmly in the middle class, being able to afford a MODEST single family home.
Not a chance now.
A 30yo nurse with husband in law enforcement barely could buy a very expensive modest house with both sets of parents help.
Shame.
I’m another burnt out psychiatrist. I’m doing slightly better now than last year, but it feels like a roller coaster ride every week. I’ve always wanted to work with public healthcare, but it has been taking a toll on my health
Psych is brutal. I remember being more tired from volunteering with a non-profit psych operation for 5 hours than lifting dead weight for 8 to 16 😂
@@ludmilamaiolini6811 thank you for also sharing your experiences. What also happens if you so much as dare to share that you’ve become “burned out”, your peers and colleagues more likely will shun you and there’s a good chance you’ll end up being supervised for being an “impaired clinician”.
I felt anxiety just watching this
True🥲
Me too
same
Same. I have a partial-burn out. I’m retraining/changing careers but I’m doing it while almost running on empty.
Indeed🎉
As Charles Bukowski said "A 9-5 is the greatest tragedy that happened to us"
It's usual to be much worse like 12hours straight of hard physical labour
Said a white man who had the privilege of making a living from writing. How nice.
@@Heyu7her3 what does race got to do with it...
@@Heyu7her3He didn't have that "privilege" - he had to work normally and was writing in his "free time"...he was also quite unknown and became (a little bit famous when he was an old man...
It is😮
The word "meeting" still makes me feel rage and frustration. Have not worked in an office since 2006.
What do you do now?
Same here. I remember wondering, "when does one work with all these meetings in a day?". I'm a teacher now and I love what I do so much.
I have seen a lot of people enjoying meetings, so that people may feel their presence. I agree with you. Meeting should be the least important and loathsome act.
I was studying to be a cop I seen how it broke people down, I then decided to work in hospitality as a bartender, gaming attendant, TAB Clerk all were simple jobs and no headache. At the same company I was promoted to HR Manager I was miserable. I knew I made a mistake and went back to being a TAB Clerk a person that processes horse racing. And I must say I have never been more happier 3 years into the job I come to work do my job and go home no worries at all. I don’t need to worry about reports and garbage like that. I save alot of money now as my goals are clear compared to when I was a HR manager I was stressed and spent all my money. Morale of the story is if you are not happy downgrade to a simple job you will feel better. Also to all the people out there DON’t GIVE UP ON LIFE!
Great advice, I have been thinking about doing exactly that for a while now 🤞🏼
I've had a lot of horrible managers. I heard once that the degree of psychopathy among CEOs was around 20%, versus 1% in the general population. It's probably higher since there's an incentive to hide those traits. Which means in general, the higher you go in the corporate chain of command, the more likely you are to encounter such individuals. That made me realize my success within a large organization will never be too big, since when I look at people I don't think of how I can use them to climb. It's very obvious to me that is the attitude that a lot of people at the top/middle have towards those around them.
I heard ceo psycopathology is %6, its rare, so rare, when you see it there is no doubt, you are the body they can dump in a swamp to run the business better and they surround themselves with people that look the other way, the remaining %14 may be on the spectrum.
Psychopathy ? Do we have to use such terms ? It's simply " I have got the power . I will do everything I can to hold onto it until the time when they come for me. Until then I will make your lives as miserable as I have to in order to keep my job" - It is survival , nothing more, nothing less, and you would do the same if and when you become a manager.
@@eddenoy321 it's not my opinion, it's a technical word used by psychologists.
I agree, that's what happens. That's why I think it's such a horrible idea for most of us to be employees instead of having our own business/farm like we all used to until recently. Human nature is what it is, we can only change our social systems.
@@Jaime-eg4eb Agree with you. I just don't like psycho=babble terminology and I have little faith in modern psychology. It is almost like religion for me. But that's me.
The way society rewards work and people is lopsided. It’s the source of disharmony across most aspects of life. But you can’t change it. You can only change yourself and work towards resiliency
Burnout happens to people who have a work ethic and responsibility. It ends up biting you on the ass in the long run.
Today is my last day after 28 years at my workplace. Luckily I have months of leave owing so I don't need to work straight away. Sick of all the stress that should be the owners, not mine. I'm not putting my life on hold anymore waiting for others to get their acts together.
I literally have no words to describe the brilliance of this documentary. A greatly perceptive and discerning gaze at the modern white collar work life. A poignant portrayal of how our current economic system makes the top 1% richer at the expense of the rest of us- where the fruits of increased productivity goes to them and we are left alone to deal with the drudgery, stress, high housing costs and an existence greatly depleted of life.
Thank you very much for watching and taking the time to comment!
DEHUMANIZED. That's what we all are right now. Turned into cogs of engines with only a trickle of oil. If we don't fix this, the engine will explode. 😥
Like Concorde Effect he was telling me.
Their fix is to replace the cogs with workers that dont burnout: automation. I'm in a team at my firm that helps teams automate their work and I realized I'm not doing society a favor. I need to get out.
A lot of times, I sit back and think that people have the younger generations all wrong. They think the younger workers are lazy. In reality, I think they just see the pointlessness of most of the "work" being done, the time wasting like meetings that could be emails and "community at work" (whatever that is) and commuting- all for what, exactly? And they say, yeah. I don't want to do this. And they check out. I'm so right there with them. I'm a Gen Xer and definitely identify with the younger workers on this point.
Yep... it all comes down to justification for a paycheck. They have to give you something to do even though that something is really nothing.
They also get control of your time and even more importantly, your mental health. 😳
I am a gen Z and really did not understand those pizza parties done by the management. I worked in some sport betting and they forced us to stay over time and the closing time was 22:00, I do not know this people and do not like them, not to mention it was clear they had favourites. After that so called party where I got shamed that I did not want to learn some dumb promotional stuff giving that I will leave in a week and for the manager telling us that having your period is no excuse to not come to work. After, that party they wanted us to come to work at 08:00 like??? And I arrived at home at 04:00. Working 12 hours shifts that usually were 14 hours unpaid with no lunch break. I sometimes worked 4 days in a row. Needless to say after that summer job I needed like a week of rest, just sleep and roting in bed to get better. After that I finally was myself again and could do other stuff I could enjoy. That was depressing and the old people getting mad at the younger generations for not working, but they are the first ones to report the most stupid and littlest of mistake to corporate. As a saying goes from my country, the greamripper is searching for them at home, and they are here betting the retirement money.
You speak the language I think. I'm glad to see so many people, jumping out of the insanity of this "office life", it's not normal at all.
I agree. I think the younger generation realise the rituals in the corporate world are really quite pointless.. the people who are setting the rules as they have the advantage and it makes them feel important….
Listen, I agree with you! Like if we were able to work for 2-3 years and be able to afford a home, then I'm sure everyone would be happier and would try harder. People are working hard just to find themselves in the same position 2-3 years ago. No Progress. No growth. Inflation lowering the value of your money.. How can anyone feel optimistic in this environment after a while?
Except for the need for money to survive, seems like at least 99+% of jobs are mindlessly meaninglessly pointless. If money weren't an issue, how many folks would actually have/go to their job.
No one.
So true!
YES!
Funnily enough, I understood this at a very early age. As I got older, I discovered others who believed in the same concepts I did. "You’re just here once, life is brief and to have to spend every day of it doing what somebody else wants you to do is not the way to live it." - Cormac McCarthy.
Bingo! 95% of all corporate jobs are useless. Especially any role with the word manager, director, vp, and executive, in it. 😳
I spent a third of my time at my last job doing unnecessary, repetitive trainings, reading endless emails, filling in timesheets for myself and my reports, justifying the time I actually did real work, attending meetings, etc. It was exhausting and demoralizing. My coworkers and I wanted to get real work done, not do busywork.
Brutally honest documentary. I haven't seen anything like it... It's amazing that somebody had the courage to bring this taboo to light!!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
Thank you for sharing this incredibly insightful video!
The part with the toddlers sitting in cubicles was disturbing and sad. Much like actual office situations.
I was raised in the nature as child and I didnt learn anything in the scholl until 13 years old. At 15 I started to analize things and use my imagination.
I totally felt it in my soul
it absolutely broke me. As a new father, I wish my daughter to never experience this nightmare we've found ourselves in.
The microsoft teams notification sound still gives me ptsd to this day, anyone who has worked an office job will know, still, office jobs are 100x better than any retail or hospitality job, and thats a fact
I guess that depends, I have seen retail shops where work is moderate most of the day, and the employees may even have some chit chat while they are folding their clothes, but I;ve also seen the exact opposite: a huge store with few people that try to complete everything. The latter happened to me today, haven't felt so bad in a while.
That's only when money is invovled because the latter jobs do not pay well. If I had a choice without worrying abiut the pay, I would absolutely switch to a hospitality job as that's where my personality fits better, not this dog eat dog corporate world where humanity goes to die.
For me it’s slack. Everytime I hear that click I literally want to end myself. I turned the sound and notifications off at work so that I could concentrate on my work only for my higher up to tell me I’m not answering all the messages I’m receiving or being linked to.
Now I’m only helping finishing other people’s problems instead of finishing my work.
Sometimes I don’t even want to open the freaking laptop.
I used to get a small panic attack when I heard my work phone ring.
Workers rights have been eroded over the last seventy years. There is essentially zero check and balance on the demands or whims of management. That's where it went wrong. You can have an incompetent or sadistic person whose personal preferences completely destroy a team, company, or industry. The 24/7 communication technology hasn't helped either, but it's 100% a worker/manager power imbalance issue destroying work satisfaction today.
Unions
Because of lack of proper laws favoring workers instead of capital
I have said to myself over the years “curse whoever invented email.”
I've felt burnout too and it's not pleasant, I quit my job in 2021 due to burnout, got another job in 2022 and it was just the same cycle. Being stuck in this rat race we call life you need a job but jobs come with a myriad of stresses and unhappiness. It's funny how as humans we create illusions that just seem to make our lives miserable.
200% agreed! yep it's just a broken system breeding broken people into slavery. this is started at a young age of 5 at school which is when we enter "the system" for life!
'Stoicism is the art of constantly creating truths for a life lost in rationality'
In Cantonese we have a saying that literally means "find eat". For those who have burnt out before. That is essentially all we need. Find food to eat and live a happy life. Unfortunately the world is screwed to a side that we will also need to "find a living place", "find partner", "find other enjoyment". All these added together need us work harder and harder or else we get overtaken. It is about what you can let go and accept to enjoy a happy life. Great documentary and guests who took part. Well done DW. Keep it up
Interesting, in Malay the phrase is exactly the same: cari (find) makan (eat) although makan can also translate as food.
Yeeh🎉
wan sik
Best comment
The problem is the "non-work" a lot of employers are obsessed with. They expect you to work, even if there is no work to be done.
A.e. what happens if you work from 9-5 but you are done with everything at 2. Instead of rewarding good and fast work via a merit based system, your employer will give you a meaningless task just so it looks like you are doing something. This leads to workers not even trying anymore after they expirienced this once or twice, leading to low work morale and sinking quality of the service/product and can also lead to a work enviroment where 5 people do in a day what one could do it 2 hours.
The good old "You done wiping the bar? You still have 20 on the clock, so do it again!"
Good work needs to feel rewarding. This is a very basic principle. And if i see the 5 people kicking the same bucket around for 3 hours while i do their job, yet im getting payed the same as any of them AND i get punished for it with even more work, then im obviously not gonna be happy with my job and refuse to do quality work in the future.
And no, a "higher than average" pay won't justify or fix this.
My manager keeps complaining about nobody doing their work on time, but he schedules 5 meetings a week, which last upwards of an hour, to repeat the stuff we go over every day. Driving me insane. Literally had 3 stress-induced seizures on the job.
One of my coworkers told one of the managers that he was struggling with burnout. Well…he was told it was his fault and was shamed. Then that manager started gossiping about how he was suffering from “burnout” and it was his fault because he didn’t know how to do his job well. He had been there for 6 years!!
Toxic work environment = burnout waiting to happen
That’s beyond disrespectful :(
Hopefully they left the job. I would say it’s time to look for something new, that’s no way to treat anyone but I worry that they genuinely believe what they are saying because they have to justify their behaviour somehow.
@@DanasDiary. unfortunately they truly believe that. That’s the culture where I work, so I’m quitting because I’m starting to suffer from burnout.
@@marys3738 I am really glad to hear that you are leaving and putting yourself first, no money in the world is worth the health repercussion and the burnout. I went through burnout myself recently and have quit as well, here is to finding something better that doesn't end up burning us out :)
The biggest problem in the workplace as I see it, is the employment of managers and executives who have no specialist or technical knowledge related to the service they are in-charge of, and are unable to make quality decisions. I even had a CEO say to the organisation he wants people managers in the executive team that don’t need any experience or technical knowledge in the areas they will manage or lead….no wonders they cannot make quality decisions….ie see Boeing in 2024!
Yes, and these people managers in my company have the highest staff turnover as they do not understand the process…. Quite ironic….
The man talking about his burnout smyptoms - i've gone through that in the last months. I thought i knew "exhaustion", but the severity of it was new to me. I thought i had a terrible illness, went to my doctor, he couldn't find anything in my blood or during general examination that pointed to so much as a flu. He sat down and talked to me for a bit and eventually went "you're showing all the signs of burnout". To which i literally said " Oof" because all the air just left me. It was a surprise to hear, but shouldn't have been. I've been crying at work alone in my office daily. I cried on the train to work, on the way home. I blamed myself for it all because i thought i wasn't cut out for the hybrid office/social work job i occupied. But i made a joking remark to a colleague i got along with well and i saw her mask slip. She was just as done and fed up and mad as i was.
My contract ends in a few weeks. The question "what now?" is so big that i can barely wrap my head around. I feel out of options. I worked in retail, i worked in service, i worked in an office. I can't imagine myself finding a low-stress occupation that pays enough to cover rent and have me ending my shifts with my sanity intact. Where to go from here? I don't know
After 17 years of working the 9-5, it cost me my health and then I straight up quit without a job prospect. My moment of truth was when I experienced a traumatic miscarriage and that night I was conflicted between a case I was working on and grieving. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but I realized that moment that I had my priorities all messed up. I left that 4 months later.
I’m really sorry about your experience.
I was never the type to quit a job w/o another one lined up but I have also reached a point in life where I too was broken down as a person fm work & just couldn’t do it anymore & I did the same. We all have a breaking point. That’s when you know the low is low.. it’s not a good place to be in but I thank God for His saving grace towards me at that time, too. Not sure I could have seen the light any other way tbh. I’m sorry to hear that for you & hope you’re doing better now. Life is so hard sometimes. ♥️
i pray you get the help you need
Wish you find peace and content..🎉
Yep, had my wife flood my house while I was at work on a Sunday. I left work to tear out the flooring and call the crew and was back at work 2 hours later. Fun times. Oh, almost forgot, after my ineveitable divorce my son flooded the same house I spent my entire Christmas vacation installing the floor on.
I left the workforce in Feb 2022, a few months after giving birth to my first son. When my maternity leave ended, I lasted 2 months before I threw in the towel. I was miserable and missed my son every minute I was away. I started working super part time doing contract work for a small business which allowed me great flexibility. What I've realized that I desired more than anything was flexibility and the ability to start and finish a project and move no to something else. Must of my work, (HR) was so mundane. Same thing over and over, pointless meetings, goals constantly changing due to upper management, not feeling like my work was valued, etc.
I've never been more happier since leaving the 9-5 work life. I am blessed that my husband makes a very good living which allowed me to leave in the first place. We just welcomed a 2nd son a few days ago and his is getting full pay for the next 6 months from his employer. Again, truly a blessing. I am not sure if I will ever have interest in going back to a 9-5 workplace, remote or not. Since becoming a mother, my values has totally changed. I cannot give an employer 40+ hours of my life when I do not feel like my work is making much of a difference.
First time mom to be in November and I'm already telling my husband I don't even think I can make it to maternity leave. I just do not care about work anymore and doing the long and hectic commutes everyday in our congested city. Once I get home I have about an hour to myself and my husband before I need to start getting ready for bed. I can't even imagine once a baby comes into the picture 😖 I hope to find something part time down the line like you!
Can't imagine bringing children into this world. Hope your sons will be equally blessed. The world is getting more inhospitable.
I hated working in construction for 30 years and all i have is a literal broken body and no safety net.
What was your trade?
@@nattidread5844 roofing siding and rough framing non union
@@nattidread5844 from age 15 to 46
i hope things are could positively change for you. it does ache to see you dropping a note like this.
Thank god there are unions so not everyone falls victim to this scenario.
This video just validated my thoughts I’ve been having for the past three years where I realize jobs are only important because people give it value. If people don’t give it value, people are not gonna care about it.
Because of this thinking, I give my job as much attention as I think that it deserves. I don’t put all of my waking hours into it. I don’t put all of my free weekend time into it , my job pays me for x amount of hours and then that is what I will be doing. If I can do it in less than my x amount of hours then that that is what I will do. I take my job seriously, but I have to constantly remind myself that what I do is not life-threatening, it can wait.
Amen to this!
Excellent documentary on the pointlessness of modern ‘work’ that keeps us busy without creating value or happiness. Featuring the late great David Graeber. Thank you!
What’s missing here, though, is a discussion on solutions and the urgent need for systemic change. It’s time to address this issue and create healthier work environments for everyone.
It is impossible things have gone too far, detoxication takes centuries or even millenia is deeply rooted to your soul that is transmitted to otehr generations.
There is no cure for that as easy as you say.
The choice is yours to make.
Before you discuss solutions, you need to properly understand the reasons. DW is a German news outlet. Over a long time now we have falling standards in schools, meaning a lot of people who shouldn't even have qualified for universities find themselves in intellectual careers they are not cut out for. Since 2015 we are struggling with uncontrolled mass migration, which keeps wages low and taxes high. On top of that Africa and Asia are increasingly supplying themselves with stuff, so all that fancy money that made the middle class rich a few decades past is now staying there and helping these people to get their slice of the pie.
The best thing really is to move on when you can't stand your workplace, and if the job as such stresses you out, maybe look for something simpler to do.
Idk, I just feel the system is toxic because we let it be toxic. How about companies pay in perpetuity a percentage of all AI/machine generated work to those who actually created them? Or idk, in perpetuity to the state who gave tax breaks for various investments, which then gets re-distributed to people? I'm sure there are solutions and a 100 year old paradigm of 40 hrs per week ain't it. I'm pretty certain groups of people can figure out solutions, it doesn't have to be or should be a sole individual's contribution or idea, as it's a massive undertaking
We're living in a house of cards --- how much longer before it all comes tumbling down?
My entire life I was told I needed just one more thing to be "successful." First it was a high school diploma, then it was secretarial school, then it was a BA, then it was an MA.
By the time I'd finished all that, while moving multiple times, working to support myself, and looking after ill relatives, I was in my 40s.
I've been playing catch-up my entire life. And it's all been a lie. Even tho we have some stability now, we're only a few paycheques away from losing what we have.
In all my various jobs I had very few where I felt I had agency or any positive feedback.
But when it does happen it's amazing! Imagine what we could accomplish if the majority of our working life was like that?
The quote about CEOs is 100% accurate: “Paying them more doesn’t seem to make them any better”. Criminals at the top
Employee. The worst position in life.
Un-employee is pretty bad too
Oh please, business owners are suffering bad.. you work so hard, build something and once it's there and functioning you are burnt out. Not even money can fix this problem 😮😢
@cynthia-jo1zz it was their choice to start a business. People do not have a choice whether they work or not. This world revolves around money for EVERYTHING. The common employee can barely afford living week to week, but boohoo for the owners raking in the majority of profits? That's a joke. Yes, it is THEIR business, and they should receive compensation, as well as preparing for business costs, etc. However, to try and paint them as anything less than the perpetrators of their own fates is laughable. High reward= high risk= high responsibility/workload.
I would have agreed until I saw how the much pushed self-employment schemes in the UK (but they have similar equivalents in other countries) got even worse arrangements.
Yes😊
I've actually rejected promotion the past couple of years. I am an engineer and just want to design, develope and build things. But I've been at the same role for years, so management wants me to move "up", to lead teams and projects, even though I have explicitly said I am uncomfortable doing that because those tasks gives me social anxiety. So, what happened? I wasn't promoted, which was ok, but my performance grade was also lowered cos of the perception that I was unwilling to contribute more. So I don't give a f anymore. If I'm disengaged, it's this stupid way of performance management that actively disengages workers, and not that the workers are inherently lazy or incompetent.
I am the cad drafter for said engineers and I am so over it. I cannot draw one more line and the same thing is happening to me. Everything is always due yesterday and it's exhausting. These firms keep taking on more jobs than they have resources for and I am the one stuck trying to issue construction packages on a Friday-officially the worst day ever. I am not interested in training others especially if they are getting paid more than me, nor am I interested in creating better procedures for mass distribution. Working from home from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep I have no life. Those drawings are not created by elves it's not magic.
Work burnout can have devestating consequences for your health, if you ignore it for too long. That happened with me. I worked a government job for 15 years, and ignored the warning signs of severe burnout. The consequences to my health caused me to have to leave my job before I was ready to do so. Don't make the same mistake. Know the warning signs, and don't be afraid to get some help.
Your doing well now though?
@@shawbrothers18 Nope. 8yrs on from my severe burnout and I'm struggling with burnout again after trying to hold on to a part time job for the last 4.5yrs. I'm physically exhausted all the time and my body can't handle stress anymore. Jim is not kidding you when he said it 'can have devastating consequences for your health'.
Just interrupt your work, no need for help.
And fight.
@@urimtefiki226 That's exactly the attitude I took, until it was too late.
Unionise
I had a hysterectomy last year. Although I could have waited, I needed a break so bad. I got surgery just so I could take a significant time off of work. And it was the absolute best 8 weeks of my life. I got enough sleep. I didn't feel like a zombie or on autopilot. I had time to think. I really wish I had a slower paced job or less stress
I left my job because I felt weak and disrespected there. My ex-boss thinks I'm incompetent. She was once upset I had signed up for a one-person shift, because she didn't think I could manage alone. She scolded a lower-ranking manager for not noticing I had signed up a coffee service. When she asked him if she thought I could do the shift, I answered for him with a firm "yes," because I felt belittled by her. She said she didn't think so, was all "I've told you not to sign up for shifts by yourself, I've been very clear about that, I don't know how much clearer I can get for you to listen" and she told me I need someone there to give me instructions and guide me. Sure, I'm a slow learner and have messed up at work before, but you got a lot of guts labeling and shaming a guy with learning difficulties like that. The fact that she trusted the newer workers to work alone but not me hurt, as did her willingness to indicate I'm inferior, no apology since then. I know her type. She didn't even respond to my two-week notice.
“I missed my exit”. Yup, I feel this.
I didn't see any humor in this film. It's a devastating problem that never seems to be addressed. Maybe "humorous" is lost in translation. I'd call it a cynical and realistic look. Well done, everyone who worked on it. Thank you. Comes at a particularly critical time in my work life.
Amazing documentary. Clear and straightforward about a contemporary phenomenon everyone knows, but no one cares enough about to fix. Even provides new information about the actual cause. The most effective sign of this self perpetuating self sabotage is that this documentary won't make a bit of difference, which is equally amazing because this is so harmful to people. We are all so callous.
Thanks for watching and for the feedback!
@@DWDocumentary Despite my cynical and purely personal outlook. I thank the good people at DW for bringing plenty of light on this subject (love most of your docs). There should be more, for we lose too many good people to this.
lol. I literally quit my job of 3 years last week to go back to school for environmental science. My bank account may be lighter, but so is my soul. 💯
i find sciences very attractive these days. I am a jaded Tax accountant and i am exhausted . For me its physics and chemistry . i am saving up for open university as i can't do the full time thing . I gots to pay bills and put hot meals on the table . The only person in my House that can keep a secret is our Dog .
@@PHlopheyou bloody do it pal, make sure you applied for that OU degree FFS. I was you, an ex-accountant now. I bailed from that career of 9 years from burnout. Now looking at the trade route, and hoping to do a OU degree, but torn between electrical engineering or pure science.
@@DrumToTheBassWoop accountant burnout is crazy.pure science is evergreen AI can never retire it as it is always flourishing.if i was you it'd be priority
@@PHlophe So should I pursue physics and maths instead of electrical engineering? As for accountancy, I'm and agent provocateur to that career path, I will actively dissuade people going that career path, it's not good for your mental health, honestly.
Not only in the office, the same goes to work from home workers like me. I don't escape the hundreds of updates that needs to be read, new polices that seemed stupid, don't do this-don't do that or you'll get a memo
Exactly. Too much to process and to keep up to date with. Too much of engagement. Too little to keep life worthwhile!
"I feel like I was something, and then I was shaped into, suffocated into, being something else, something less, something smaller"
Thank you DW for sharing this with the world. It has already impacted at least one person profoundly, so thank you.
This docu is so so so relatable & I am sure every salaried person finds it so, This needs to be dubbed in every language so that it revolutionize the working conditions
Working in an office is just a terrible existence. I was so miserable at the last job that I promised myself I would only work at home from now on. Going to the office is just not an option for me. I have to say that I work a creative job that requires lots of concentration.. and I'm also very much an introvert and a night owl. These qualities do not fit the office lifestyle at all
@12:06 When the gentleman at the beginning said he missed his exit, I felt that. ❤ Thank you for sharing your story 🙂
Great documentary. This has also happened in universities and the whole educational sector. In our research we have called this “affective subjectivation”, which exactly points to how we are governed affectively to become machine. Thanks DW!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
As usual, DW brings in another topic that has been deviling our lives.
Thank you for your hard work. Take your flowers 🎉
And now, it's not just about burnout at work, it's about burnout search for work. Eventually, many people will just not be allowed to work.
Well that'd be good 👍! There's only but so much essential work to go around anyway.
Let's go back to the days where mostly men worked at businesses and women handled the business of the household. 😳
@@alphaomega1351indeed😮
@@alphaomega1351 this is such a boomer thing to say.
Wow, brilliant work. I saw many parallels with my own life and yet I also finished it with a smile on my face. I wish I could have watched this 10 years ago before becoming a parent.
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
Besides the work load stress in a confined space real stress was dealing with bosses and coworkers
RIP, David Graeber. One of the most important sociologists of our century. 😢
Best doc I have seen on the topic. Says what I never could say. I still have sudden flashes of panic attacks from my corporate life.
Burnout and feeling pointless? Answer is simple : since day 1 on my first full time job at 17 years old.
I'm now 46 years old and retirement couldn't come soon enough.
I work in a company where the Manager relies on other departments to "spy" on employees. We notice she sends her Manager peers to 'sit' in our area when the Team Leader is away on leave, under the guise of needing work space. This form of extreme micromanagement includes actively discouraging staff from talking about work related matters. Instead refer to the processes an procedures' manual which changes daily at a whim depending on the mood of the Team Leader. The Team Leader is extremely paranoid thinking people talk about her and tells people not to "whisper". Tricky when you're working in open-plan environment trying to keep voice down out of consideration for others. Except her and the Manager because no one else is allowed to talk unless you are one of the few 'favourites' whose job is to report back on others.
It's hard to know whose in charge some days.
Some days are better than others but mentally attempting to reset by checking a phone message, due to loud or distracting open plan environment is considered unproductive and it's just so sad that the culture has changed so much.
she is the worst .
Sounds like the same office I work at 🥲
Focus on being good at what you do. Exercise. Eat well. Less screen time. Socialize and focus on family. Have a hobby or two.
Get outside, walk amongst trees and in parks, listen to birdsong, watch the sunset and go stargazing....
Unfortunately is not possible for many 😮
@@ibrahimabdullahimohamed8840 I'm referring to the white collar, able bodied people featured in the video. The working poor and impoverished don't have the luxury of "burn out".
What happens when someone does all of that and still it doesn’t take care of the issue(s) at hand?
@@himynameis6502 Do you really have to ask that? There are things that are outside of your control. Identify these, then walk away from them, if you feel you cannot accept them.
There were so many points in the documentary that I identified with my current job. As a nurse I hear “healthcare heroes” or frontline worker we support you but if I look back there is no one there to really truly support me and prevent burnout. I’ve been in burnout for a few years now and I’m trying extra hard to find true meaning in my role. I can see that I’m not the only one. Thank you for putting how I feel into words with the science to back it up. 😊
Excellent, excellent, excellent. One of DW's best. A must watch. Bet it describes alot of you. Love the way it's put together, especially the part with the babies in the office environment. Brilliant.
This is a valuable documentary. This rings truer than anything I see on the news of hear on the lips of politicians. Something needs to change, this meaninlessness and wage slavery is indicative of a broken culture. Thanks for making this film.
I was just diagnosed with burnout. I love my job but I have the most insane and mean boss I have ever met. I can barely open my eyes because I'm sooo tired of the sleepless nights thinking about my workload. I can totally relate with what this video says about the importance of social support and good personal skils because I would totally trade my salary for one single nice word, apreciation or comment about my work. Now I'm drained and I'm on medical care and I absolutely don't know how a person like me got here! Even worse, I have no idea how I'm ever going to work again 'cause this burnout shit is really scary.
One of the best documentaries on the topic. I hope and wish that more people can watch this. Well done to DW.
I went from working in Healthcare, mainly pharmacy at a pharmacy lab as a tech. On my feet 10 hours a day, running from here to there, making this medication here for a patient, making IV solutions in a clean room for that patient, to now working at an office job. All because of an non work related injury i had. My job now, it pays better, but now my health has declined, i never had so many health issues than i have now. Mindless drone anymore, and overall just ugh with this office working culture. If i could go back to my old job and way of life i would but it doesn't pay me enought to support myself and family
i was unemployed for 10 years from 20 to 30 yo. These were the best years of my life, i lived off social benefits. Now im working and im shocked how miserable life is.
I'm reaching that point. This is quite a powerful documentary that rings home for a lot of people. It touches on some often overlooked aspects of our modern work culture.
Managers all too often keep good employees down, because they look bad in comparison.
I used to be a team player until I got tired of being **** by the team's captain management.
Thats when you state the expericence to the boss above the boss
@@Bigboss-xe6lm Been there, done that often doesn't end well for the employee. The manager in question usually finds another reason to cause trouble for the employee.
Thank you for sharing! This is really important now that we are finally transitioning away from having to work into helping out in things we actually enjoy doing, but much less frequently than was expected in the era that went before.
Absolutely LOVE the framing of the issue with the opening sequence. Genius.
I get the impression that this has nothing to do with people being at work, with working, with work itself.
What burns people out is being in a competition all the time. Compete, pretend, fake it till you make it, always seem more than you are.
We have turned the working class into entrepreneurs of self, fiercely competing. A few people thrive on that, but the majority suffers.
I would be perfectly fine with too much leisure time, i have plenty of personal projects I want to accomplish and would prefer that to doing what i do currently for work. I wouldn't miss it at all.
Office workers are not the only ones who get burnout. In Argentina, teachers work differently than in other countries. We normally have to work in many different places to earn a living. My weekly schedule adds up to more than 60 hours counting the time I spend preparing classes, grading assignments, watching videos, reading books, and curating class materials. It comes to a non-existing free time. I love my job, but I have too many bosses to please, too many rules to follow, and too many deadlines to meet. Sometimes I wonder how my body can take all the pressure. Something I am learning is to say no, slowly and with a lot of effort, but I have no choice if I want to reach retirement age. I wanted to hug the people in the video throughout it so many times...
In the UK, they have Ofsted: The inspectors of Ofsted believe that they are sent out to torment the headteachers and the teachers. Their work has successfully led to the suicide of a notable headteacher -they usually go out to maximize the burnout teachers are already experiencing.
I was a teacher in the United States. I just quit teaching in February. I did switch to being a substitute teacher for 4 years, but even that was burning me out. Too much stress and not enough compensation to make it worthwhile for me. I actually started getting anxious each time I had to go to school. I never had that before. The doctor gave me anxiety medication. 😕
@@ES-qu1jd
Anxiety medication!!!!
🙏 carefully….slowly… get yourself OFF it…
Talk to a specialist. You cannot medicates away life. But the psychotrops will OWN you. 🌿🙏☀️
Aundrea, teachers in europe do their 50-60 hours too. my mother had to prep for hours and hours then there is email and various adhoc stuff to catch up on . and add in the set of pesky parents are in her face on a weekly basis. she has had several burn outs over the decades.
@@PHlophe Send her my love. I wish that someday people would appreciate the diffult task we face. All the new trends and ideologies, the rules that change everyday, and we are judged if we stand strong in our values. No job is easy. We should learn to understand each other's pain.
I was in the leadership but i voluntary left the position. I got tired of everyday meetings because the management didn't support the ideas for personal reasons. I joined the health and safety team and set the standards but still decisions were held back because of managers conflict interests
I had a similar experience. I found management to be excruciatingly boring 😴.
I'm just not the corporate type. I got more fulfillment flipping burgers 🍔 in my teen years.
Can't wait ✋🏻to retire! 😳
Thank you so much for this documentary 🙏 ❤
I'm suffering from burnout lately, and I felt very guilty and sad about it. I would simply go to work and spend 6 hours staring at my laptop screen and doing things that normally only take about 30 minutes. I felt exhausted all the time and no amount of rest restored my energy. I don't enjoy things anymore. I desperately want to understand the cause and find a way out...
Look for a new job or start your own business. You need change.
Great documentary ! I’ve been through this, and it feels better to understand I was not alone with this issue, and it’s a real phenomenon of our modern life. We should really speak out
This is one of the best things I’ve seen in a while. Thank you for this documentary ❤
Smashing Docu ! It has so many layers and its engaging . This is just a perfect blend of serioussness and distancy at the same time.
(I´m one of the miserable´s) Watched it to the end, and now I´m actually planning in my head to search for the emergency exit to get on with my life less miserable !
An entire documentary on what I've been saying since 2018, when I started office work.
Loved it. Will send to my boss
Gotta love the directness of a Dutch guy explaining how burned out he is in English. Typical Dutch live: cram 3 days work in 1 and claim it's normal.
Helaas ! he is jaded and no longer gives a toss ha ha ha
He sounds and feels burnt out...
Magnificent documentary! 10/10! I really enjoyed it. I've been off work due to Burnout for about a year now and could relate with SO MANY things said here! I hope me and the rest of us currently struggling would soon feel better.
Also, if like half of all jobs are basically needless paperwork and consulting, I'm even more sure that AI will replace them all now😂😂
Feels like this everyday. I was molded into taking nursing in the mid 2000s because it pays well (Most Filipinos parents think so). When I graduated, hospitals were not hiring but accepting "volunteers" for a fee so I worked as a call center agent and I'm in this industry ever since.
It somehow feels like purgatory or even hell at times because it pays good money but at the same time, it froze my dream to become either a university of professor teaching economics or an investment banker advicing institutions or high net-worth individuals.
I hope it's not yet to late for me.
These documentaries are PERFECT, thank you
Not an office worker, but a warehouse worker. I got completely burnt out because of bad management and I had to quit. I just physically and mentally couldn't take it anymore. Its been 2 years and I still feel chronically burnt out. Some days I can barely get out of bed. This video speaks to me. People really should talk about burnout more.
Thank you. May this documentary go out and accomplish all of which you have set out for it to accomplish for the greatest good of the people.
I developed depression, binge eating, and had anxiety ever since I took this promotion. The hours increased yet my pay was reduced because I'm no longer an hourly employee. I just started taking medication for it last week. I was miserable and could not sleep, causing me to feel tired every second of my life. The instant messaging, the text messages, the endless meetings, and phone calls really made me go from regular human being to complete avoidance of people when I'm not at work. The job is 24/7. It's exhausting. Not to mention now driving in and dealing w/ traffic makes it stressful, too.
The job is only 24/7 because you let it be. Stop being a people pleaser, set some boundaries. And if you accept a promotion that effectively decreases your income, that's on you. There is a lot of stuff in your rant that you could control, if you tried. Part of taking on responsibility is also that you now have to manage more of yourself.