Burnout - When does work start feeling pointless? | DW Documentary

Superfluous meetings, endless paperwork and incompetent managers - sound familiar? Jobs that entail a steady stream of seemingly pointless demands can damage our health in the long-term. This film takes a humorous look at how we waste potentially valuable time in the workplace.

In an ideal scenario, work is fulfilling. But many people in office jobs find their daily work is making them miserable. Of course, it could be argued that the dissatisfaction of these employees is mainly a by-product of industrialization. They’re in secure, non-physically demanding professions that are often relatively well paid - unlike many people in this world living in vastly more dire circumstances. But is this unparalleled waste of human resources one of the biggest untold dramas of our time?

"The Happy Worker" explores the reasons why highly paid managers are so fond of parroting hackneyed phrases, following abstruse management methods and poisoning the working atmosphere for the benefit of shareholders. According to a Gallup poll, just 13 per cent of the working population endeavor to perform well in their job. However, 64 per cent of employees don’t care about their work and aim to get through the day with minimum effort. 25 per cent of workers hate their jobs so much they even work against the company that employs them. Although the numbers vary from country to country, these trends can be observed all over the world.

A sense that their work is pointless makes many people ill. The documentary hears from patients recovering from burnout. The accounts of their experiences are appraised by a number of experts including the Berkeley-based pioneer of research into burnout, the psychologist Christina Maslach.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #burnout #work
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[charleshart]

Problem is that now we are doing 3 people's jobs and getting paid for one.

[HelpTH-]

Bunch of people having trouble finding work and then the people who do have jobs are being burned out from being overworked. Look at what we have done to ourselves. Hopefully we figure something out soon.

Also, if you are reading this and you are going through a tough time right now, I just want to say that I appreciate the fact that you are still here fighting for life like the rest of us. I hope that as you continue to go through the process of life that you find the peace and happiness you are looking for. I also want to thank you for anything positive that you have ever done for yourself and others no matter how big or small, it all adds up. KEEP GOING!!!!

[thomasdecarlo]

This is spot on. Could not be more accurate. 30 Years in corporate management and I hated every day. Hated the job, the company, and most of the people I worked with. Sunday afternoons my mood starting changing knowing tomorrow was Monday. Sunday night I could not sleep knowing tomorrow was Monday. Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was wishing it was Friday. I pissed away my life doing what was “right” by other peoples standards

[goldenavocado]

Really appreciated this documentary. I took sick leave for burnout last year. Went back, found nothing had changed, nobody really cared about the root causes of why me and so many others were burning out in the organization. Finally, I submitted my resignation letter just this month. Everything about the way we work needs to change, especially treating people like people and not human resources.

[Tetris_Life]

I really felt that part when the lawyer said she wanted to get hit by a car just so that she wouldn’t go to work. Feel that most days, if not all.

[Jaime-egeb]

My estimate is that for every productive job/worker there's at least three people (but probably a lot more) who make a living supervising, taxing, managing, controlling and critiquing that person.

[ghassanebentahar]

Love this sentence: cannot run a marathon at a sprint pace.

[biskjay]

Brutally honest documentary. I haven't seen anything like it... It's amazing that somebody had the courage to bring this taboo to light!!

[CatsOfMarrakech]

"I was looking for a job and then I found a job and heaven knows I'm miserable now" - Morrissey

[MOR]

I’m watching this 4 months after quitting from a terrible office job because of a terrible burnout that crushed me completely.
I’m 29. It felt like I failed in life.
But now I’m starting to think that I will do whatever I can just to not work in a similar job ever again, including changing my career path completely.
The system just grinds us, I prefer making less money for a couple of years and creating my own business or path so that I can keep my sanity, rather then be a clog in the machine.

[aikangang]

This documentary should be sent to all corporations.

[anon]

I've actually rejected promotion the past couple of years. I am an engineer and just want to design, develope and build things. But I've been at the same role for years, so management wants me to move "up", to lead teams and projects, even though I have explicitly said I am uncomfortable doing that because those tasks gives me social anxiety. So, what happened? I wasn't promoted, which was ok, but my performance grade was also lowered cos of the perception that I was unwilling to contribute more. So I don't give a f anymore. If I'm disengaged, it's this stupid way of performance management that actively disengages workers, and not that the workers are inherently lazy or incompetent.

[beaveronabike]

It took burning out myself to notice that most everyone around me at the office is burned out too. It explains a lot. Still not sure how I'm getting out of it, but am finally realizing it's time for something different. Life's too short to be miserable.

[IvanLeFou]

Considering that this video came in only few hours ago, how popular it is already, says a lot on how we all feel about this topic, how really concerned most of us are. A hundred years ago, people had to fight, real fights, for improving their conditions, with real claims, and now, we just don't f****g understand what's going on, it's all about respecting budgets and standards, while HR send weekly emails on how to take care of our mental health.

[shad]

Burnout happens to people who have a work ethic and responsibility. It ends up biting you on the ass in the long run.
Today is my last day after 28 years at my workplace. Luckily I have months of leave owing so I don't need to work straight away. Sick of all the stress that should be the owners, not mine. I'm not putting my life on hold anymore waiting for others to get their acts together.

[mayukhsrivastava]

I literally have no words to describe the brilliance of this documentary. A greatly perceptive and discerning gaze at the modern white collar work life. A poignant portrayal of how our current economic system makes the top 1% richer at the expense of the rest of us- where the fruits of increased productivity goes to them and we are left alone to deal with the drudgery, stress, high housing costs and an existence greatly depleted of life.

[CRMcGee]

If one exceeds management's expectations, that becomes the new expectations.
Therefore, never do more in one day than you're willing to do every day thereafter.

[mdmgreen]

I wonder how many C-suite managers see this documentary and say ‘eff it.’ To them their bonuses are more important than any life. Greed is the base of our current society.

[icastillosmith]

I think this is why I, as an austistic person, struggle so much with doing mindless meaningless tasks in the workplace. Because it comes natural to me to analyze everything and try to make sense of what I am doing on the larger scope of the company/society. It's even harder when I find it makes no sense because my brain automatically shuts down the motivation to do it.

This generally makes me end in an unmotivated loop of self-doubt about my abilities and purpose.

[KingGameReview]

I'm in my mid thirties and I've felt this way for at least the past 15 years. I don't think I have another 30+ years in me before retirement. I truly don't think I can do this that much longer.