The Dark Side of Agile: Burnout and You

Have you ever experienced a time where overwhelming expectations have led to extreme stress that has impacted your health and well-being? Burnout and work-related stress is becoming all too prevalent in our industry. This, coupled with an unfortunate stigma around the topic, is having a detrimental impact on our overall well-being. The complexities of people and technology are making it increasingly difficult to estimate and frame projects in a true agile sense, consequently contributing to the increase of burnout in our industry.

This presentation will focus purely on solutions that are specific to burnout. Key solutions being; managing work-life balance, coupled with the ability to identify early indicators for yourself and those around you. If we equip ourselves with knowledge of burnout, can we remove the stigma around it so that people can call it out early and feel safe to do so?

Transcript

2. @siobhanavenell 2
3. BURNOUT & YOU T H E D A R K S I D E O F A G I L E @siobhanavenell 3
4. AGENDA EDUCATION = PREVENTIO N THE WHAT THE WHY SIGNS & SYMPTOMS PREVENTION TIPS @siobhanavenell 4
5. YOUR HELP Who has experienced burnout? Do you know someone who has experienced burnout? @siobhanavenell 5
6. 2/3 23% = often 44% = sometimes @siobhanavenell Article: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/237059/employee-burnout-part-main- causes.aspx 6
7. Burnout is a state of complete emotional and physical exhaustion @siobhanavenell What is burnout? Great articles below; https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/news-detail/2018/05/15/burnout https://au.reachout.com/articles/burnout-and-chronic-stress
8. Think of your personal wellbeing as a bank account…. @siobhanavenell
9. More than work @siobhanavenell 9
10. Our industry @siobhanavenell 57.16% Article; https://www.inc.com/business-insider/employee-burnout-survey-blind-app-tech- workers.html 10
11. C A U S E S F A C T O R S T H A T C O N T R I B U T E WORK RELATED PERSONALITY LIFESTYLE 1 2 3 @siobhanavenell 11
12. WORK RELATED 1 ▪ Little control over your work ▪ Lack of recognition or reward ▪ Unclear job expectations ▪ Doing unchallenging work @siobhanavenell ▪ Unrealistic job expectations ▪ High-pressure environment Some links to provide further detail on burnout related causes; https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art- 20046642 https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm 12
13. Unrealistic job expectations High-pressure environment = @siobhanavenell 13
14. WORK RELATED 1 ARE WE TRULY AGILE? @siobhanavenell ▪ Push back ▪ Question ▪ Educate • Estie Boteler Blog- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/agility-more-than-just- framework-estie-boteler/ • Link to costs; • https://www.medibank.com.au/Client/Documents/Pdfs/The-Cost-of- Workplace-Stress.pdf • https://www.smithslawyers.com.au/post/the-cost-of-workplace-stress • Article that covers costs in terms of workers comp - https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/topic/mental-health 14
15. PERSONALITY 2 ▪ Pessimistic view ▪ Reluctance to delegate to others ▪ The need to be in control @siobhanavenell ▪ Perfectionistic tendencies ▪ Type A personality/ High-achieving 15
16. LIFESTYLE 3 ▪ Poor work life balance ▪ Lack of supportive relationships ▪ Too many responsibilities @siobhanavenell ▪ Not prioritising sleep 16
17. S I G N S & S Y M P T O M S S I G N S A R E S U B T L E A T F I R S T PHYSICAL BEHAVIORAL EMOTIONAL 1 2 3 @siobhanavenell Links for further reading with regards to signs and symptoms; https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art- 20046642 https://ada.com/signs-of-burnout/ 17
18. ▪ Insomnia / Tired ▪ Headaches / general aches ▪ Dizziness ▪ Shortness of breath ▪ Loss or change in appetite PHYSICAL 1 @siobhanavenell ▪ Frequent illnesses ▪ Heart palpitations 18
19. ▪ Disengaged ▪ Procrastinating ▪ Withdrawing from responsibilities ▪ Isolating yourself ▪ Taking your anger and frustration out on others ▪ Using food or substances to cope BEHAVIORAL 2 @siobhanavenell 19
20. ▪ Feelings of defeat, helplessness and or detachment ▪ Lack of motivation ▪ Low productivity ▪ Increased pessimism ▪ Lowered sense of accomplishment and achievement EMOTIONAL 3 @siobhanavenell 20
21. Individual prevention = education @siobhanavenell We need to look broader… 21
22. PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY ▪ Listen ▪ Show empathy ▪ Be real ▪ Action Being able to show one’s true self without fear of negative consequences @siobhanavenell Some great articles; https://www.belbin.com/resources/blogs/belbin-and-project-aristotle-everything- you-need-to-know/ https://erinrocchio.com/how-psychological-safety-impacts-burnout/ https://blog.jostle.me/blog/7-ways-to-create-psychological-safety-in-your-workplace https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/google-spent-years-studying-effective-teams-this- single-quality-contributed-most-to-their-success.html 22
23. TALK ABOUT IT You are all influencers @siobhanavenell 23
24. WORK LIFE BALANCE @siobhanavenell ▪ Make it a priority ▪ No such thing as perfect ▪ Unplug - turn off notifications ▪ Show your support Prevent articles; https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/avoiding-burnout.htm https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm https://www.healthline.com/health/tips-for-identifying-and-preventing- burnout#prevention Blog on Worklife balance @ Readify - https://sway.office.com/C2GVAiNhAknynXxL?ref=Link&loc=play 24
25. PREVENT IT QUESTION IT TALK ABOUT IT @SiobhanAvenell 25
26. SUPPORT 1300 224 636 13 11 14 1300 789 978 1300 111 400 Siobhan Avenell @SiobhanAvenell Ask HR – EAP Provider Great article; https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/news-detail/2018/05/15/burnout Great website; https://www.thinkmentalhealthwa.com.au/ Resources; Beyondblue Phone: 1300 224 636 Available: 24/7 Website: beyondblue.org.au/ Online chat: 3pm-12am 7 days a week Beyondblue provides telephone and online chat support service for people, family or friends who are affected or are experiencing mental health issues. The beyondblue telephone and online chat support service can provide you with information and advice, including information about how to seek further help. Lifeline 26
27. Phone: 13 11 14 Available: 24/7 Website: lifelinewa.org.au/ Online chat: 7pm-4am, daily Lifeline WA provides all Western Australians experiencing a personal crisis MensLine Australia Phone: 1300 789 978 Available: 24/7 Website: mensline.org.au/ Online chat: online chat and video counselling available Telephone and online support, information and referral service for men with family and relationships concerns. The qualified counsellors at MensLine specialise in family and relationship issues, including relationship breakdown, separation and divorce, parenting, family violence, suicide prevention and emotional well-being. SANE Australia Helpline Phone: 1800 18 7263 Available weekdays 10am – 10pm (AEST) Website: sane.org Online chat: weekdays 10am – 10pm (AEST) Provides information, guidance, referrals, support and connection for people affected by mental illness and carers, families and friends. Wellways Helpline Phone: 1300 111 400 Available: Weekdays (9am - 9pm AEST) Website: wellways.org/helpline Wellways Helpline is a peer-led helpline staffed by trained volunteers with personal experience of mental health issues. The Wellways Helpline is a support and referral service that provides information to people experiencing mental health issues, as well as their family and friends. 26