No to burnout: Paving the way to support employee well-being

DO what you love and you will never have to work a day. This quote, attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, is inspiring and true. But on the flip side, it can pose false expectations. The work dynamic centuries ago is far different from what we have today and simply doing what you are passionate about is not enough of a consideration when weighing employment options.

We spend around eight hours at work every day. Add another hour for preparation plus two hours for the commute to and from work, depending on factors such as traffic that can increase travel times — these only form part of the physical preparations for work. What takes more of a toll than physical fatigue is work-related stress, a factor often overlooked but is one of the workplace challenges cited by employees in the American Psychologists Association's 2021 Work and Well-Being survey. Doing what you love is clearly not enough, especially when too much stress at work leads to burnout.