Companies Offer Creative Solutions to Worker Burnout During the Pandemic

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Companies worried about employee burnout are coming up with solutions like 30-hour workweeks and surprise days off

A few months into the pandemic, Nick Popoff let his guard down in an all-hands video call and said aloud what many had been experiencing: He felt burned out.

Some weeks, the engineering director at ticketing company Eventbrite Inc. didn’t leave his house for days, he said. Slack notifications buzzed constantly. He missed seeing friends and colleagues in person. Even a hike with his wife through northern California’s redwoods, didn’t leave him sufficiently recharged.

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ChipCutter Hope this happens for social workers!

ChipCutter Great ideas!

ChipCutter must be nice

You mean our slave drivers actually care about us?!?! Maybe capitalism does work...🤔

Many people are ready to sacrifice & die for 💰💰💰 & so called 'power' or job. What a sad life...

“Surprise days off” tells you everything you need to know regarding how corporate 🇺🇸 sees it’s employees. What are we, 12?

Emails obtained by U.S. Right to Know show a statement in The Lancet authored by 27 prominent public health scientists condemning “conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin” was organized by employees of EcoHealth Alliance associated with WIV.

boohoo

Important to note that this is an elitist problem for roughly one third of the US workforce. The rest of us have to leave home -- if we still have one -- and report to work -- if we still have a job.

people are working 60 hour weeks.

Suck it up buttercup. We all sacrifice in our own way. Find peace where you can. Adapt or die.

Feeling depressed working from home

⚠️ChinaOwnsTheGreatReset⚠️ realDonaldTrump JackPosobiec ScottBaio GeorgePapa19 AntonioSabatoJr

if they want to feel better just drive over to a food bank and get in line and see how that makes you feel

Do you know a better way in the current situation? !!

Are you STILL not reporting the real news? 🤷‍♀️

Sounds like another way to cut pay and add more work in a shorter time period:

BLM, ANTIFA, who have been beating, smashing and looting for a long time this year, they are rioters, why don't the media investigate and condemn them? In the long run, society has become corrupt

“Just validate that the person is being heard,” Mr. Etheredge says, while directing them to additional resources, if needed. LMAO just act like you give a shit. Management 101. Corporate America and management is full of clowns

More good news please(((

Different experimental activities normal boots employees mindset. Keep changing working model so it impacts productivity n personal life style.

Cripes I’ve just done 69 and your all worried about 38.. only one way to get where your going.

This is amazing, actually this happened to me today. We are off next week Friday, such a great surprise. Thank you MoneySupermkt

Well that's great but that's not what most companies are doing. I'm scared of where it could lead for those of us with preconditions

Showing up to work smelling like whiskey usually got me a surprise day off.

WHEN HAVE COMPANIES EVER CARED ABOUT THEIR EMPLOYEES MENTAL HEALTH THIS PERFOMATIVE CONCERN IS OUT OF HAND!! (Translation: Work 30 hours so we can recoup the money lost on unused office buildings these last several months)

I am a firm believer in Wednesdays as a breather during the week. There's less time for things to happen unaddressed than with a 3 day weekend and it creates a more balanced week in terms of work/free time.

I would prefer to work four 10 hr shifts and have 3 days off each week instead to maintain current pay and still prevent burnout.

I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact that most jobs can be replaced with software.

ThomasDickson93 I know one company who won’t be giving surprise days off

*snort* Yeah, it will be a cold day in hell before the company I work for would ever do anything like this.

I accepted a pay cut PLUS a drop in hours to 30 hours in April! It was supposed to be “Temporary” however, here it is Nov. $550-600 every 2 weeks isn’t cutting it . I have 2 children !! After 3 years of being with this employer, I’m sad to have to potentially resign

LifeChangingBookOnDiwali लाखों घरों को रोशन करने वाली पुस्तक 'जीने की राह' इस दिवाली जरूर पढ़ें।

I'd love if every company worked like this! 40 hours is standard, but it really burns you out. People should have more time to themselves and with their families.

Bc reality is the 40 hours during stay at home are actually 50-60. My hubs works all hours all days. I have a hard time getting him not to. He feels deeply obligated. It’s burning him out terribly. No socializing w others outside of work regularly has hurt all of his coworkers.

We’ve become so soft, so weak, so worthless as a people. Our forefathers would be ashamed

More lies from the overlords.

They've done this in Europe in a few countries, and it's been pretty amazing. I wish we'd do this here.

Intriguing.

Sounds like the 8oz cans of soda we briefly saw LAST recession. Bastards tried to convince us that it was “FOR OUR HEALTH.” They also raised the prices to further persuade us to select healthier alternatives..... All things happen again....

Who's paying for the extra 10 hours your missing? I'm at work and don't have time to read the article.

I work more from home, and mu manager expects more then they did in the office. No compassion for work life balance.

4 day work weeks 👍❣️❤️😄

Where I work: increased hours, added Sat., & I was publicly admonished for needing to leave early (follow-up for ER visit on wknd) & discouraged from coming late/leaving early to explore a major health issue. Also, I haven't taken lunch in a year. If you knew what I got paid...

Recently laid off due to COVID.Single dad with two young daughters.We need help with groceries and my youngest daughter is diabetic and her insulin supply runs out soon.I hate to ask strangers but can anyone find it in their heart to donate to us. Please Venmo: Robert-Wheeler-101

Y'all acting like factory workers working rotating shifts don't exist. Talking about 30 hr work weeks when I'm in the middle of a 16 hr work night/day. Y'all funny.

Employers don’t actually care. They might ask how we’re doing but only cos they want to know if the work is going to get done. They don’t care. And If it’s work/virus related stress, they think you’re not up to job and it’s bye bye. employersdontcare

Cool. Now they don’t have to provide you insurance or none of that. Enjoy!

Wait so those 60 hr work weeks I did for 25 years was not good for me, who would have thought?

SusanFi80994388 rooneymobile Firemaster4009

Minimum wage is TOO LOW to make this a living wage option😡

mikedoeslife “Some weeks, the engineering director at ticketing company Eventbrite Inc. didn’t leave his house for days, he said. “ mate, come to me when it’s weeks that you don’t leave the house…

mikedoeslife The idea of surprise days off... is interesting. 'SURPRISE! It's your day off!' 'Oh thats great, but still I want to come in and finish this project.' 'Nope, put your feet up.'

...but then planning on dumping them as soon as people can be forced to go back to the office?

So, hourly workers will just get paid less?

Welcome to neoliberalism run by complete psychopaths.

Really? Wanna turn us into friggin France? You get up earlier than your competition and go to bed later than he does if you want to stay in business. The Eurocentric model does not work here!

The world that I live and work in is 60 hrs of working and not at home. We do paperwork when we get home and settled down. Who is going to finish the job(s) if everyone goes home after thirty hrs. Is the company expected to higher double the workers that they currently have?

I build COVID test kits... we work 12 hour days by the end shift some of my coworkers are sleeping standing up.

Why would they try anything when they don’t need to offer anything because there aren’t any other jobs available?

No they don’t

4 days / 6 hours has been shown to be more productive and less employee burnout. Other countries and some companies have tried it, it's been studied and it works.

Def not my company(a big one). They made work days longer by delivering more expectations while many are out.They reward those that are reliable, move you far from home to cover such shortages.I decided..I’m not doing it another year.50+away from home during this isn’t cake.

zdrap_ 👀

I’d probably still have a normal hourly job if full time wasn’t almost literally all the time lmao

-report from a 10 person company who specializes in printing paper. They say it’s working pretty good based off of their experience! 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Meanwhile, Walmart shifts work demands to 6 days a week at 12-14 hour shifts 🙄🙄

What companies? Definitely not visionworks 👀

My company would never do this. I’ve been there everyday since the beginning except 3 days when I was in the hospital for my heart. Haven’t even gotten a TY. I’m 62 & high risk.

So before we jump for joy how many of these jobs are hourly wage based?

SaylaShine

Lmaooooooo

I works 50+ hours on 6 day schedule.. suck it up.

Surprise! We cant afford to keep you at full time, so we're cutting you down to 30. But hey! At least you have a job? Enjoy your day off. Everyone's gonna have to work two jobs which becomes extra work. You think you're not burning them out but they will be. Strike.

“Fidelity Investments recently began a pilot program for a small portion of its workforce in which employees can opt to work 30 hours a week, with a small pay cut, while retaining their full benefits.” Ok but who can actually afford to take a pay cut rn, or ever for that matter.

To those companies: 'No shit sherlock'. The workplace has been sterilized of human decency for decades by the annual review, the ATS, KPIs, cubicles and so on... people aren't robots, people are people.

Wimps! I work 80 hours a week! Always have

What is the pay? Cux losing 10hrs of pay is horrible.

🇺🇸work

SeanJuan85 Can you imagine working 40 hours per week?

Yeah, well not for us doctors and nurses.

And yet I'm still here working 70 to 80 hours a week happy not to be bored.

Let me guess, their salaries were docked to their hourly wage from 40 to 30 hour decrease? Would I take burnout or 25% pay decrease? Give me the chance of burnout. My mortgage lender isn’t going to decrease my payments 25%.

aj_obiwan Wut.... I’ve been stuck on OT 60+ hrs since August. Now I got back spasms like Pippen 🤕

Bummer that the 30hr work week came with a pay reduction. I hope our society can just normalize 30hrs as full time. It’s okay to love both work and life outside of work

Must be nice to work for a company that gives a shit whether you're burnt out or not.

I vote for 4 day work weeks

They’re not worried. It’s like I home from work now.

Welcome to 2020 Europe where they be doing this like.. FOREVER

I'm putting in 108 hours in 10 days, all this just to pay my car payment and cell phone and food

Stay an employee like this and stay replaceable - perfect for the top dogs lol

Should just go to 4 day work weeks. No one wants to work there life away.

Meanwhile healthcare workers are walking in day and night kicking ass on the front lines! 30 hour weeks.. lol

I say this with literally no exaggeration, you guys should fire whoever wrote this because there isn't one brain cell rattling around in their head.

But am a workaholic 🤑

Meanwhile, universities are cutting spring break...

I think the problem lies with stagnant wages and trillion dollar corporations paying trash. One could work at mcdonalds and produce 100 chicken sandwhiches in an hour. Your reward? 10 bucks maybe. Each of those sandwhiches are like 6 bucks a pop. Mcdonalds gets 600. Just sayin...

CC: penguinrandom PenguinBooks

Its a start. People are completely burned out.

Then there's my job, let's see how much we can give you to do in the same amount of time until you decide to either work 16 hour days or quit.

Psh 30? I was doing 60hr work weeks for 3 months straight. These 8 hr days feel like a part-time job now 😂

If people cut out sleeping from their schedule they could add about 8 hours per day to work. That’s 24 times 7 days a week cause who needs weekends. 168 hours a week. Full productivity is what the world deserves. Why waste time on weekdays and weekends when you could be working!

Only in America is this seen as some amazing new idea

You should check in on this with Austin. He had meetings this week where this was a recurring theme by his peers.

Soft

All the people in the comments acting like they're productive all 8 hours of their work day

Having to do this myself. It's a great time to be a low/ no skilled worker looking for a job. We've raised wages and shortened the work day. Still having trouble

'SURPRISE! you don't get paid today! :)'

this is behind a paywall that i can't go past bc i am scraping by as it is: but did y'all happen to remember 'raise our pay and give us decent hours so that we can AFFORD time off'? just wondering. because from what i CAN see, this article seems like it's about salaried workers?

So many one-size-fits-all judging responses. Surprise days off are bad, surprise days off are good. Neither is true. People are individuals, companies need to work with what works best for their individual employees. Please respect people's individuality. Thank you. :)

Can we still eat tacos on our lunch break?🤣🤔😳

Most of us are told to be thankful we even have a job right now as we’re thrown extra duties in this madness... Extra time away from work isn’t a luxury many salaried employees will get mid pandemic.

AndrewYang

Should have happened years ago

Studies show people are more happier with a 30 hr work week ...life isn’t about money, I have bills and I work 70 + hours a week ...I’d love a 30 hr work week ..live within your means and you will be 100% happy, it’s when you live beyond them that the stress starts to build up

Meanwhile, in air cargo 'The volume of freight we are getting through our system has more than quadrupled in recent months, and is predicted to be more than six times normal holiday volume this year. As a result we're implementing mandatory overtime for all employees'

As soon as people figure it out and stop acting like slaves they’ll finally get a decent living wage and they won’t be so goddamn miserable… Walk away from your job, it hurts them more than it hurts you…

Like these goons really listen or care. NEXT!!

HA! Working 60 hour work weeks currently. We had a pause on fieldwork for months after COVID, and as soon as we went back into the field, the bottleneck of projects EXPLODED and now we're juggling multiple projects from multiple clients, keeping us more busy than ever.

Much needed. What will the US do for healthcare workers and associated staff that worked weekends, nights, holidays, and more during COVID? Will we forget? Already, the cheering has stopped. They don't ask to be heroes, but, they rose to the challenge during our hour of need.

loz_guest Is that a day?

OMG, WHAT! NO FREAKING WAY! Ugh....the stupidity

Do they still get paid for those 10 hours and it not come out of their PTO? if so, I support this

JoeTreacy 👀😉

I was pretty burnt out before making minimum wage with a graduate degree. Covid has definitely made my mental state much worse.

Aww man. I need some of that

Get a grip

25 hours should be sufficient, with same salaries.

How will this help anything? It's not going to reduce my workload?

You guys might find this interesting.

I would prefer more days off to take at my discretion- when *I* need them. Or just give me a raise

Uhm. This would make it a lot worse for me. No OT means very small checks. As much as a 30 hour work week sounds good. It would put me in such a terrible spot financially that I wouldn't be able to pay my bills.

WFH for some people translates into they are always available. I feel like most days can't even take a lunch break for fear of not replying to an email fast enough.

I'm suspicious. You can never burnout on something you love. Just ask SteveKornacki. But Stevie, was that '45' hours straight a coincidence?

Imagine being able to work 30 hours a week with a minimum wage.. what a joke

Amazon still works their cogs till they break :p

Yeah, yeah, “companies”... but not yours.

Jono_Boy what do you think. ChazGreen8 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤣

K7L3_N I feel like we were just talking about this sort of thing on Saturday

It's all bollocks. No company is going to pay employees for 40 hours but let them only work 30 hours per week. This is yet another way for businesses to squeeze more out of their employees and pay less, yet expect them to put more unofficial hours in.

Schedule days off, no 'surprises.' People have real lives. Also, this only remotely works if working 30 hours still pays your bills.

BorisTane how was your surprise day off 😁

You mean they’re treating them like human beings?

sociable_mike should be introduced for us 👍

Yet teachers are working more than ever before...

Lol I used to work 60 on a 47 hour week, you can make numbers up all they want the staff will just get paid less.

Are they paying for 40? 30 hours won't cut it for the check. 10 less hours....

Depends on your industry. This could end up turning the dial down on burnout but up on stress. It could work if it's an industry change though. With what we have, unlimited vaca or work from anywhere policies should do fine as long as the employee is responsible.

I'm going to assume this is for people who doesn't get paid by the hour. If it says in the full article I wouldn't know didn't read it.

Hell would freeze over before the company I work for would give us less than 70 hrs of week a work. That's not a bandwagon many will hop on.

Me, as a teacher who will never see a 4 day work week.

Lovely if you're on a salary. Rubbish if payed by the hour. Pointless really just another excuse for lazy corporate people to have a day off

Honestly, I value my mental health more than money so when I found out that some companies have employees work 5 hours a day I decided to do that by editing my availability hours to 5 hours. It's been beneficial for me mentally and I have free time for myself to recharge.

It's just way for companies to cut back on having not have pay for insurance for partime employees since work 30 hours or less !

Nice excuse to hide that they don't want to pay benefits or overtime.

It works! I made the change during the pandemic for my healthcare job, never looking back:) mental health has improved SO MUCH, and I use the days off to do small jobs that make more than my real job

'Surprise' days off? People need to plan.

Can we join hands in prayer for me to come back and for this?!? Star_Lanay

We’ve been a 4-Day (32ish) hour work week for nearly two years. It’s not perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot better.

Thank a vet today that we even have a choice to work 30-40 hour weeks. Or that we can be vegan or eat meat. 90% of the world wish they had our problems.

Today is not working at all financially I am not a failure I am incredible The government wants me to give up & die Mentally I’m excepting that none of this is my fault or in my control I’m doing the best I can and I love everyone. God is Great Amen 🙏

People are weak

Ummmmm. I need to say it. Am sad. But glad it took the pandemic to get employers to rethink & treat their staff fairly. The greatest monstrous carbuncles are some of these HR dept who kow tow to dodgy CEOs. Get NDAs signed. Btw. Good ones exist. But they have no power.

I understand. Today I'm taking a mental health day. Total burn out as a nurse dealing with COVID19 and being short staffed.

This is BS. I promise you my employer would never even consider this.

Hey GUYS we have GIFT for you

Progressive are so full of shit on mental health. Endless democrat lockdown is killing us all. They can never say a word again about bitching about mental health care

Haha try 90 hours a week as a care worker 👍🏼

What companies are these?

I have been doing this for a few years. It works AMAZING. I have more time. I can actually schedule those PITA day appts and I get all my work done. I highly recommend it.

I know this is only for the mfs at home and not the rest of us actually working in the pandemic who need it most. Lmao.

This would be difficult for the tech industry to consider, maybe people managers will enjoy this ability to not work more.

How are some people linking companies making their own free decision to socialism? Do some of you just use a word you feel like without understanding it’s meaning?

This pointless political theater is playing out amidst an economy that's missing 10 million jobs, and in the midst of a covid surge infecting over 100,000 people per day and killing roughly two 9/11's per week.

More people are working from home and doing business internationally than ever before. There should be other options besides just 9-5 mon-fri. Especially with more people going back to work and traffic increasing because everyone works the same stupid hours.

That means less pay, nah I’m good

Or at least give people the options like flexible schedules, work for 10 hours a day for 4 days per week, or 30 hours a week with the same pay if you know it takes 30 hours to do the job.

What companies are doing this and are they hiring?

Maybe whoever is having this mental stress should get over it and be thankful they HAVE THEIR JOB

*cries in public accounting busy seasons*

More like cutting hours to avoid 30 hour mandates that would force companies to provide health insurance. Obamacare BidenCare

Can’t happen in mortgage, too many things due every single day. We’re pulling 15 hour days. I’m happy if I only work 13, scared if I work 10 because I might have missed something. No compensation for record-breaking months, either. What’s a sick day?

It's a good move given that so much time at work is wasted. Working efficiently and focusing on what matters, a 30-hour workweek is probably plenty to fulfill the responsibilities of most salaried positions. Might also encourage second-thoughts about having needless meetings.

PaulSkallas you called it. 4HL life in COVID times is breaking. The weekends no longer cut it.

Oh boy a surprised day off. I would hate if the person gets that surprised has to drive more than 30 mins to get to work. Wasting their time and gas money just to get told to go home.

Maybe for you. Not for us. And we’re nonstop!!!! For you 👀

hacks4pancakes As someone with severe anxiety that's had more than one surprise sacking in their career, a surprise day off would send me into a panic spiral.

Can work for salaried employees but hourly thats not a benefit for anyone

Realistically, a company probably only gets 30 hours of productivity from office workers anyway. Essential workers on the other hand will be squeezed regardless,

Office workers are so babied it’s ridiculous.

My office in Texas had us return to the office at full capacity this summer when COVID numbers were at their highest. Still working 40hrs/week. Fully staffed. But we have Lysol wipes.

Need to tell that to 'small people' jobs. The job I had before the virus is now working people 56+ hours per week, no days off as a minimum, else they're getting fired. Glad I'm not there. Now working 40 hours flat in four days per week. And getting bonuses just for being there.

Meanwhile, *MY* company has mandatory 3-hours of OT on days when they think it's going to be busy, instead of hiring needed people during one of the largest unemployment eras. Don't try to sell 'the kind company' snake oil to me.

The number of hours worked is RARELY the cause of burnout.

Yup. People can’t take a mental health day by phoning in “ sick” ; cause then we’ll send them for covid testing and they’ll miss a week or more. Companies need to add mental health days ASAP

Yes! I've been saying!

50 hour weeks are perfect for me as long as I get weekends off

Make your pick...

Surprise! Go home, you’re not gettin paid today.

Good. The Ford 8 hour plan is antiquated, and doesn't work well with most lines of work.

lol. manufacturing companies would go under.

Yes. Do that. Nationally. Forever.

Good. The European work ethic is superior.

Damn, retail could never!

what, they taking hours out of your paycheck and pretending it a 'good thing'

Meanwhile in restaurants...

Companies that advertise good jobs but give shitty hours, little hours & no benefits... like Target I got a job there, PT but they wanted FT availability making it impossible to get another job to make ends meet, they were the WORST company I ever worked for! & I've shoveled💩!

'coming up with' lol

it's almost like forcing people to live at their jobs affects their mental health

Good idea. Maybe even have a three day weekend for that work life balance with decent pay. 8+hours at work really isn’t productive at all. And it would be a good idea to hire more people. Work becomes more manageable and more people will be in work, employed 👍

DAMN RIGHT

Mid-day siesta? Same weeks off as China? Same holy days off as Europe? How about take all religions and make all those days available to all employees? Yom Kippur anyone? How about Ramadan off? Day of Ascension? Festival of Thesmophoria?

Sounds just like France and socialism moving here at the speed of light!

Not helping the hospitals right now. They are sinking under the COVID-19 tsunami.

30hr work week? Good idea. Some countries function very well on that model. Surprise days off seems a little...suspect. Let people have agency on that one.

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