I am burnt out at work and not sure how to start the discussion with my boss. I've tried addressing the problem myself over the past year by means of exercise, diet, getting more sleep, more time spent on hobbies, socializing more, and pacing myself at work. It's not helping, it's just getting worse. I know quitting and finding a new job is an option but I would prefer not to. How can I have a productive discussion with my boss about burnout? How did you handle it?
Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
1–10 of 102 posts
Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#2I'm always a fan of being honest and authentic. Your mileage may vary depending on your boss's personality and attitude to work/life though. Previously I've recommended that in your next touchbase (you're having them right?) simply let your boss know that you're feeling burnt out and as a result not being as productive as you can be for the company and happy for yourself. One would hope your manager wants both things (productivity and happiness) and you should be able to steer the conversation from there to ways you can reclaim energy and happiness.
Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#31. Quitting and finding a new job doing the same thing (dev I presume) might not solve the issues. It could lead to additional stressors that worsen the problem.
2. As an employer, make it easy for me! Be able to say what's going on matter-of-factly with a focus on how you feel and how it affects yourself. Don't focus on other people, now is not the time to air grievances within the team. Come up with a few options you'd like to try and lay out the pros / cons (ex. lightened work load for a month, different project, extended unpaid vacation for 1-3 months).
3. See a psychologist! It may be hard to find a good one, but it is totally 100% worth it to have a professional that you can talk to openly.
Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#4If you're feeling burned out and you've put over a year into your current job, I'd highly recommend you consider switching jobs. My own opinion is, if you're not feeling passionate about your work, the first thing to try and change is the work itself!
On the side of speaking to your manager, what's your relationship with this person like? Its easy to see someone speaking to you about burnout as a warning sign that you should consider replacing them. If that's your manager's reaction, you'll need to start looking for new work anyway. I'd suggest being _really_ careful about how you bring this up with them. Make sure you focus on the positives (I love this job, I really like my colleagues, this is a personal issue), over talking about any negatives.
Finally, perhaps this is a good chance to speak to your boss about taking on a new project, or trying a different role for a little while? A change in your day-to-day might make things seem a lot better :)
Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#5I'm always a fan of being honest and authentic. Your mileage may vary depending on your boss's personality and attitude to work/life though. Previously I've recommended that in your next touchbase (you're having them right?) simply let your boss know that you're feeling burnt out and as a result not being as productive as you can be for the company and happy for yourself. One would hope your manager wants both things…
My fear is that some managers take this as a sign they need to think about replacing someone - I'd be really careful about taking this option unless I had a really great personal relationship with my manager.
Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#6Why are you burnt out would need to be addressed first? Is it because your company understaffed for the work that needs to be done, too much travel, deadlines to quick, etc. Depending on which one it is, quitting might be the only option if you are not able to have your management address the issue promptly. What I have done is go to their office and say Hi Manager's name do you have a minute? If they say yes go ahead and close the door and let them know you are feeling burnt out due 'REASON HERE' and that you were wondering when you will be getting some extra personnel to assist you with the work.
Your manager should then relay this information into seeing what they can do to lower the burden you having to take on by hiring more people or lightening your work load. If that is not something they are able to do then you will unfortunately have to start looking for a new job that does not weigh you down so much.
Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#7I am not sure how that conversation would go. In this era companies do not have a lot of loyalty, and it might taint your image.
In your comment, you say that you tried to address your burnout, but is that really true? Maybe think about the causes of burnout, and try to get to the bottom of that. I know that for myself, I get burned out when I feel like I am on a treadmill, where I work but there are no results (in other words, the feedback loop gets broken). If that is the case with you, then maybe you could adjust your role / projects so that there is a better connection between work and reward or progress. For example, reducing page or app size, increasing performance, things where there is a high chance of making some measurable benefit.
Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#8I'm always a fan of being honest and authentic. Your mileage may vary depending on your boss's personality and attitude to work/life though. Previously I've recommended that in your next touchbase (you're having them right?) simply let your boss know that you're feeling burnt out and as a result not being as productive as you can be for the company and happy for yourself. One would hope your manager wants both things…
My fear is that some managers take this as a sign they need to think about replacing someone - I'd be really careful about taking this option unless I had a really great personal relationship with my manager.
In the Bay Area, this chat triggers the Employee Retention Response Workflow.
Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#9I'm always a fan of being honest and authentic. Your mileage may vary depending on your boss's personality and attitude to work/life though. Previously I've recommended that in your next touchbase (you're having them right?) simply let your boss know that you're feeling burnt out and as a result not being as productive as you can be for the company and happy for yourself. One would hope your manager wants both things…
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Re: Ask HN: Discuss burnout with boss?
#101. Quitting and finding a new job doing the same thing (dev I presume) might not solve the issues. It could lead to additional stressors that worsen the problem. 2. As an employer, make it easy for me! Be able to say what's going on matter-of-factly with a focus on how you feel and how it affects yourself. Don't focus on other people, now is not the time to air grievances within the team. Come up with a few options y…
I can't stress (no pun intended) #3 enough. Mental health is too stigmatized. See a good psychologist! Many specialize in this type of stress.
In addition, try guided meditation (I use Headspace). It feels kind of hokey at first, but it really helped me through a burnout period.