Speaker on 29 June 2023

Burnout is a growing phenomenon in the modern workplace. Workplace pressures continue to grow with overwhelming workload, high expectations and structural under-resourcing. Work itself is increasingly fast-paced, complex and demanding. Digitalization has created a pervasive culture of 24/7, always-on accessibility that has eroded the boundary between where work ends and the rest of life starts.

While there has been heightened focus on wellbeing and mental health, burnout continues to grow across the globe. But what do we mean when we use the term ‘burnout’? Sally will start by clarifying what burnout means, and the impact burnout has on individual and organization. She will share the findings from the State of Workplace Burnout 2023 (which she co-authored) and discuss the misalignment between much hyped burnout prevention strategies and the root causes of burnout. She says: “We have a tendency to blame the individual while research indicates that this is not the case at all. Burnout is not a matter of personal failure, it is caused by circumstances beyond ourselves – in the organizations we work for and the society in which we live.”

This keynote will offer practical advice on what we can do to drive attraction and ensure sustainable careers through burnout mitigation. As an individual you can strengthen yourself against burnout, but there is also a real responsibility for burnout prevention on the part of organizations and governments. Too many leaders fail to recognize that they can make the investment to prevent burnout. The employee value proposition (EVP) of an organization should increasingly be about the culture and values of their organization and its
commitment to burnout prevention. Leaders can start today with two things:

1) Self leadership: do I take good care of myself and to what extent am I a good role model?
2) Looking with honesty and curiosity at your own organizational culture, and starting to address toxicity.

This keynote tackles the complex and multifaceted issue of burnout, exploring the importance of addressing structure and cultural causes – rather than individual wellness initiatives – so leaders can start preventing burnout today. Feel welcome to listen to Sally’s personal and engaging story and learn to think differently about burnout. As Sally stresses: “Burnout prevention is a lifelong journey: an everyday task for all of us.”