Publishers Weekly
09/12/2022
A majority of American workers consider their jobs to be mediocre or bad, constituting a crisis in the workplace, according to this no-nonsense survey from Banishing Burnout coauthors Maslach, a UC Berkeley psychology professor, and Leiter, an organizational psychologist. They make a case that such bad feelings toward one’s work manifest as burnout, a miserable trifecta comprising crushing exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and alienation, and a sense of ineffectiveness. Burnout, they write, is the result of “the increasing mismatch between workers and workplaces,” and is not an individual problem but one that comes down to the relationship between an individual and their place of work. Solutions, therefore, must be systemic and structural. The authors break down how burnout affects workplace relationships (it can lead to workers “causing greater personal conflict and disrupting job tasks”) and lay out how organizations can ensure an ideal job-person match, which they posit involves six conditions: a sustainable workload; ample choice and control; recognition and rewards; supportive work community; norms of fairness, respect, and social justice; and well-aligned values and meaningful work. With the Great Resignation looming large, this timely, practical guide is worth a look for business leaders aiming to foster a healthy workplace. (Nov.)
Bloomberg - Jo Constantz
Ultimately, Maslach and Leiter are hopeful. The world seems much more receptive to their research now after the pandemic shredded so many assumptions about the way work happens.
Arianna Huffington
Aspiring and even experienced leaders often don’t know that in order to make sustainable change for both employees and the overall organization, burnout must be a core focus. From experts in burnout research, The Burnout Challenge offers tips and tools needed to evaluate problems and implement solutions. Vital reading for today’s and tomorrow’s leaders.
Choice
The authors use accessible language, many analogies, examples and cases, a compelling narrative style, and helpful bar graphs. This book is well suited to scholars and practitioners interested in change management, burnout, work–life balance, person–job fit, and engagement in the workplace.
Tasha Eurich
Managing burnout is one of the most important responsibilities of the twenty-first-century leader. Full of practical tips and tools to do just this, The Burnout Challenge is an essential resource for the leaders of today—and the aspiring leaders of tomorrow.
Professor Sir Cary Cooper
Maslach and Leiter are the leading scholars on this timely subject, and their research takes today’s necessary discussions about the nature of the workplace to a new level. This outstanding book will make a substantial impact.
Adam Grant
Burnout seems to be everyone’s problem, and this book has solutions. As trailblazers in burnout research, Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter didn’t just clear the path to study the causes—they’ve also discovered some of the cures.
Inc. - Marcel Schwantes
Provides the path to creating a better world of work where people can flourish rather than get beaten down.
Financial Times
Maslach and Leiter highlight how the way many people are being expected to work is running them into the ground and that the negative feelings come from six key mismatches…The book then goes on to offer ways to measure and address the problem, providing advice on how to create better matches—redesigning work, for example, using actual design principles, such as balance, unity, and rhythm.
Thom Mayer
A legendary and lasting contribution from two luminaries of burnout research. As we face a growing rampage of workplace stressors, this book offers concrete, actionable solutions for leaders at every level, reminding us that meaningful innovation can only occur at the speed of trust.
Current - David Kee
The Burnout Challenge will help managers everywhere better understand burnout…This book serves as a wise canary for workers and managers in any organization.
Christian Stadler
Maslach and Leiter’s crucial insight is that characterizing burnout as a personal issue prevents us from finding lasting solutions. A thoughtful and well researched book about a core issue at the heart of the great resignation. If you want to overcome labour shortage issues, this book helps you create a work environment which does not overwhelm people. Sounds simpler than it is.
School Administrator - Christine Collins-Otto
Provides a balance of breadth and depth to understand the factors leading to burnout, the signs and stages of those who are on the path to burnout, and opportunities for intervening when burnout is looming…brimming with important insights, interesting distinctions, and practical tools.
Library Journal
10/01/2022
Psychologists Maslach and Leiter follow up their book The Truth About Burnout with this guide to the causes of burnout and how organizations and employees can make changes to prevent it. The reality is that only a mere 20 percent of workers are fully engaged with their jobs, and the COVID pandemic has only exacerbated this problem. Organizational pressures such as cutting costs, downsizing, and overwork lead to burnout, defined as a combination of exhaustion, cynicism, and a feeling of ineffectiveness. Many view burnout as a problem with the individual, or even a mental health issue; the authors point out, however, that in 2019, the World Health Organization defined burnout as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical one. The authors propose that the way to prevent or ameliorate burnout is by addressing the mismatches between the workplace and the worker, which can fall into six areas: work overload, lack of control, insufficient rewards, breakdown of community, absence of fairness, and value conflicts. They apply their research alongside real-life examples to provide insightful strategies for both individuals and organizations to avoid burnout. VERDICT This book proposes a thoughtful approach to tackling a common and serious workplace problem.—Rebecca Mugridge
Kirkus Reviews
2022-09-07
Strategies for a healthy workplace.
Psychologist Maslach, creator of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Leiter, an organizational psychologist and consultant, offer a well-grounded examination of the causes of widespread job dissatisfaction and burnout along with proposals for solutions. “At a time when leaders extol the virtues of respectful workplaces and engaging teamwork,” they note, “complaints of incivility, abuse, and bullying run rampant.” If workers feel “ignored, limited, manipulated, distrusted, and undermined,” they become increasingly frustrated. Chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and a feeling of ineffectiveness are caused by problems that include work overload, breakdown of community, and workers’ sense of a lack of control—problems that became exacerbated during the pandemic, when working at home eroded boundaries between jobs and private life. Because burnout has been stigmatized as a sign of weakness, workers “are often reluctant to self-identify as having this problem or needing help.” The authors, though, see burnout as “a social phenomenon” that needs to be addressed by organizational solutions. Although a “massive self-care industry” advises getting enough sleep and eating healthy foods, these suggestions alone will not eliminate burnout, which is caused by a mismatch between workers and workplace environments. These mismatches, the authors have found, can be discovered through direct input from workers and managers, surveys, and organizational assessments. In an appendix, they present an informal questionnaire designed for a worker’s self-assessment. Once the area of a problem mismatch is identified, employers should consider ways to pivot to improve the job-person relationship—e.g., creating a sustainable workload, nurturing a supportive work community, and giving workers ample choice and control. The authors’ approach to problem-solving “combines the power of collaboration, customization, and commitment. These ‘three C’s’ all serve to boost participation” and can lead to lasting improvements. “Essential to any pivot,” they add, “is to pose a basic question: What will success look like?”
Thoughtful advice for managers and employers.
