Managing Burnout: Did You Just Say No to Your Boss?

The Wrong Way to Set Boundaries

I read an article titled, What to Say When Your Schedule Is Too Busy, as part of a LinkedIn post and was alarmed at their unrealistic suggestions for setting boundaries and managing burnout.

While the suggestions in the article may be helpful when friends ask for help, or you are the CEO conversing with direct reports, their suggestions could easily backfire when your manager asks you to add one more task to your already full schedule. First, these suggested responses in the article shut down the possibility of a discussion. Second, if you as an employee were to respond in this manner, your boss might think you rude and arrogant, and ultimately view your attitude as career-limiting. I found the article self-centered, unrealistic, and incomplete as it did not account for a manager’s schedule and priorities.

The Right Way to Set Boundaries and Prevent Burnout

When your schedule is full (I won’t define what that means since the term is too subjective) and there have been previous discussions to that effect, there is only one response, or a variant thereof, that is truly helpful, “I’m at capacity at the moment, but I’m happy to discuss what is presently on my plate and determine priorities and deadlines. I’m sure we can figure something out.” Now, the discussion centers on success, a willingness to hear concerns, and mutual respect. Starting with this statement will then allow the conversation to shift to further clarification and a better understanding of the requirements and assumptions. One of my favorite tools for product development is, “You can adjust two of the following 3 variables: schedule/time, features/scope, and cost”. This tool, called the Project Management Triangle, can help rationalize the conversation. For example, the requestor can have a fast development schedule and low cost, but the features will be minimal. Alternatively, the requestor can have many features and low cost, but the schedule will be long. Obviously, the context and situation are critical for these to really make sense, but exceptions aside they are intuitively correct. If we consider the situations presented in the article, the requestor can be presented with choosing, for example, 2 of these 3 variables: schedule, quality, and cost. Low cost would refer to doing the work during normal business hours while high cost would require overtime pay (for non-salaried employees), exchanging for unofficial time off to make up for extra hours worked, fancy dinner with spouse paid for by company to make up for lost family time, or other creative ways to compensate an employee for a great effort and/or extra hours. Your own business environment may have 3 different variables, so adjust accordingly.

Burnout is Real and Rates are Increasing

Feeling overwhelmed due to a packed schedule is a common feeling, and we need realistic strategies to help us cope because burnout is all too real. In fact, Future Forums 2023 survey¹ of over 10K workers from across the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K. found that found that 42% of them suffered from burnout. Considering that we have (nearly) all experienced this feeling at some point in our careers, that figure would likely rise to 99% if they were asked if they ever experienced burnout at any time in their job/career. Increased competitiveness in the workplace and greater expectations of productivity and responsibility are not making the situation any easier.

Realistic Strategies to Prevent Burnout

Here are some of the article’s suggestions modified (sometimes heavily) to help reduce burnout based on the realities of your workplace and the your manager’s expectations.

1. Trim Responsibilities: Assess tasks and commitments for necessity and alignment with personal and professional priorities. Question the need and urgency of each item on your to-do list and prioritize your list accordingly. Then, schedule a time to discuss your objective concerns with your manager. Be prepared to be challenged and present your ideas to solve the situation.
2. Schedule for Success: Block off time for important tasks and implement strategies to minimize interruptions. Perhaps find an empty conference room or a quiet coffee shop, silence your phone, or use any other similar strategies that help reduce noise and interruptions. When an interruption does occur, evaluate whether it needs immediate attention or can wait for later.
3. Cancel When Necessary: Cancel commitments if they interfere with your ability to achieve your goals. Inform your boss of your desire well in advance and explain your reasoning. They may disagree, but they should at least explain their reasoning.
4. Communicate Boundaries: You may fail to convince a boss or manager that you can’t take on more work in this situation. However, you should take the long view. After a few of these types of discussions, you will hopefully have “trained” your manager to come prepared to discuss shifting priorities, trade-offs (the three variables discussed above), and any other relevant concerns you have raised previously.
5. Seek Support: If talking to your manager is not helping, and co-workers are unable to reduce your workload, then a mental health professional can offer assistance in managing your workload and help you identify coping strategies.

The first 4 suggestions are unlikely to help with every type of boss, but practice makes perfect and your calm and thoughtful approach will eventually yield positive results. Be flexible, be helpful, and be realistic.

¹ Winter 2022/2023 Future Forum Pulse