Book Blurb - Epidemic Burnout
Epidemic Burnout: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix it (By Jennifer Moss)
I was geocaching in the library one day and walked past the health + wellness section (arguably tied for my favorite section with the fantasy/science fiction section) and came across this one! Not originally on my TBR list, I should have walked by, but I am glad that I did not!
So Let me give you the run down as to why this one made the cut:
Summary
This book details not only the definition of burnout but also what the research suggests about making changes to the workplace in order to improve burnout. Now, the WHO officially recognizes burnout as a workplace related phenomenon, and while it can transcend the workplace, this book focuses on organizational change. This organizational change is of course where the majority of the research lies when it comes to burnout - things like working hours and vacation time - the stuff that most individuals don’t have complete control over.
Who Should Read This
What that means is that it is less for the individual and more for the organization or the managers. So it will walk through the pitfalls and success of making changes that benefit employee health and wellness in a way that will also have positive changes on profit.
What Did I learn?
I learned that there is a whole section of economics and research around how to improve workplace functioning for the employee that does not undermine the bottom line. This is of course in opposition to what many companies seem to be doing in an effort to cut costs and increase profits.
Final Thoughts
This was certainly not a typical read for me but I would not shut it down entirely. Jennifer Moss provides great evidence based (and often real world trialed) suggestions on how the workplace can be improved so that everyone benefits. If you are a manager or you run a company, this can be a great read to make sure you are not falling victim to old ways of organizing that may be detrimental to your companies growth and prosperity.