A Conversation About Workplace Burnout

I’m aware of how the 9-5 system has helped people to develop their personal lives and the economy during times like The Great Depression, but I also know that the great depression was just shy over a century ago. Believe it or not, times do change. The 9-5 system should remain in the past. Though this system worked for them, I'm arguing that this system now is a significant factor in how work burns us out. Here’s why: 

The 9-5 system was created during the great depression by Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford motor company. The system was intended to involve as many people as possible in a given workplace. At the time, it was normalized to have an assembly of men who were forced to work like robots. As much as I hate to say it, that was what was needed at the time to aid in the economy’s recovery. However, I don't believe that this is applicable in today’s society. 

Most people find that from the moment they walk into the workplace up until the moment they walk out is mentally and physically draining. Hours upon hours of work is more often than not the leading cause of built up, chronic stress. This mental factor then leads to physical tolls on the body, such as headaches, insomnia, or back and neck pain. In the time of The Great Depression, these kinds of hardships were awarded to the men who worked these hours, as if to say that the more bruised you were the more valued your work ethic was considered. Though that was the hard truth back then, in this day and age we have learned more about our human rights. Employees have learned their values and limits as they should. We need to practice the idea that working yourself to the bone should not determine your value. 

Ask yourself this: Do you feel drained, unable to cope, and exhausted? Because same. Now ask yourself this: is the 9-5 system worth these stressors? With such little time to plan and sort out other factors in your life combined with burnout, this leaves employees feeling unmotivated. This then leads to poor performances not only in the workplace, but in their lives. It is okay to feel the way that you feel, because we are not robots, and neither were the men who had no other choice but to work tooth and nail. This is why we are questioning the system. 

The 9-5 system leaves employees feeling hopeless and apathetic. Burnout is one of the main factors that could lead to depression. This is why people who experience burnout due to the 9-5 system feel as though they are numb, going through an exhausting hamster wheel. This is the reality of the 9-5 system. So many people wake up, struggle to get out of bed, go through the ebb and flow of their job, go home, and then struggle to start all over again. 

We are not discouraging hard work, and in no way are we attempting to invalidate anyone else's hard work. We are, however, discouraging the idea that people should not take care of themselves and prioritize their jobs. To whoever needs to hear this, your needs matter too. If the grueling burnouts have taught us anything, it's that we need to prioritize our mental, emotional and physical health. 

At the end of the day I am very grateful for a job that allows me to pay my bills and provide food for the table. I am also very grateful that I have this outlet to share my thoughts and start a conversation with you.

Thank you for allowing us to do what we love, and continue to build this community. Please let me know your thoughts, and let’s start a conversation about this.