Managing the Burnout Burndown

As engineering managers, we're used to managing the Sprint Burndown chart. Even in non-agile projects, the idea still applies. Over time, the amount of work that remains to be done should go down, and good engineering managers carefully guide the team towards this goal.

However, engineering managers have to manage more than backlogs of user stories. They have to stay current with an ever-changing technology landscape, manage the professional and personal concerns of their team members, navigate office politics, and solve the challenges of their own lives. These competing responsibilities often result in burnout and a reduction in the capacity of engineering managers as well as the teams that rely on them for direction.

This talk will provide insights and tools to help engineering managers reduce burnout and keep their stress levels in a managed state.

Transcript

1. Managing the
   Burnout
   Burndown
   

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6. The Burnout Problem
   

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7. “Burnout is a psychological syndrome
   emerging as a prolonged response to
   chronic interpersonal stressors on the
   job. The three key dimensions of this
   response are an overwhelming
   exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and
   detachment from the job, and a sense
   of ineffectiveness and lack of
   accomplishment.”
   The ongoing feeling that today’s
   resources aren’t enough to meet
   tomorrow’s demands.
   Defining Burnout
   Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
   

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8. The Three
   Dimensions of
   Burnout
   Emotional
   Exhaustion
   Depersonalization
   Reduced Personal
   Accomplishment
   Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
   

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9. Widespread
   Burnout
   Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
   “Organizations are facing an employee
   burnout crisis. A recent Gallup study
   of nearly 7,500 full-time employees
   found that 23% of employees reported
   feeling burned out at work very often
   or always, while an additional 44%
   reported feeling burned out
   sometimes.”
   “That means about two-thirds of
   full-time workers experience burnout
   on the job.”
   

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10. Engaged But
    Burned Out
    Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    “ Interestingly, many employees
    appear to be optimally engaged while
    they are burned-out and considering
    to leave their jobs.”
    “The highest turnover intentions
    were reported by the ‘highly
    engaged-exhausted’ group – higher
    than even the unengaged group that
    might be commonly expected to be
    eyeing an exit.”
    

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11. Individual
    Costs
    Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    

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12. Corporate
    Costs
    Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    “...the researchers determined that
    workplace stress caused additional
    expenditures of anywhere from $125
    to $190 billion dollars a
    year—representing 5 to 8 percent of
    national spending on health care.”
    “The biggest factor in these costs was
    high demands at work, responsible for
    an estimated $48 billion in spending;
    followed by lack of insurance,
    contributing to $40 billion; and
    work-family conflict, contributing to
    $24 billion.”
    

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13. Common Solutions to Burnout
    

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14. Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    

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15. Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    

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16. Managing the Burnout Burndown
    

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17. WORK
    50
    Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    DAYS
    38
    33
    31
    30
    28
    25
    23
    

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18. Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    BURNING DOWN BARRIERS
    

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19. Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    BURNING DOWN DISTRACTIONS
    

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20. ➔ TBD
    ➔ TBD
    ➔ TBD
    ➔ TBD
    The Power of Health
    Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    BURNING DOWN ILLNESS
    

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21. WORK
    50
    Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    DAYS
    38
    33
    31
    30
    28
    25
    23
    THE IDEAL LINE
    

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22. Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    PRACTICE OVER PERFECTION
    

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23. Managing the Burnout Burndown @aneika & @anjuan
    MANAGING THE BURNOUT BURNDOWN
    

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24. Managing
    the
    Burnout
    Burndown
    Thank you.
    Twitter: @aneika
    Instagram: aneikals
    Twitter: @anjuan
    Instagram: anjuan
    

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