Work with Life
The spiraling storm of the Great Reshuffle still thunders across the world of work, forcing employees and employers alike to grasp onto the slippery concept of work-life balance. For instance, the restaurant industry has made numerous headlines over the mass exodus of its workers, as discussed by the Washington Post. Negligent management and toxic interactions, evidenced by Wayne Pankratz, former Applebee’s director of operations and his viral email, have further inspired people to flee the industry.
Many of us have perhaps observed the changing winds rippling across restaurants—notably through longer wait times and other complications during our own dining experiences—but we might not be aware of another industry beleaguered by the hurricane winds.
The healthcare industry has become the second-most hit sector by the Great Reshuffle. Interestingly, the reasons fueling the retreat from healthcare run parallel to those behind the food service exodus, as delineated by Becker’s Hospital Review. Apathy from management—an echo of the Applebee’s fiasco—toxic environments, and a need for work-life balance have all blown employees towards a career upheaval.
Employees are seeking fulfillment in their lives, and employers must ask some hard questions. Becker’s Hospital Review took a deeper dive into the cyclone, observing that psychological well-being was among healthcare workers’ top concerns.
For many, healthcare isn’t just a job—it’s a purpose. It’s up to leaders to identify and respect the purpose that guides their team members. For team members, it’s up to each individually to define what personal purpose truly is.
Doctor Jessica Louie of the Burnout Doctor Podcast, conveys in this video, that many of us make the mistake of separating our purpose at work from our purpose in life. Our professional and personal lives are big parts of who we are—but we must be sure to not allow one to consume the other. Harmony can be achieved if we identify how to connect both purposes.
Author Liz Crowe, discussing healthcare burnout in this video, by Coda Change, emphasizes that we are not our jobs. Looking through the blasting storm winds with competing lenses framed by our professional life and our personal life won’t provide clarity.
To see past the storm, we need only circumvent it. Avoid the storm all together by aligning the things that are most important to us. Are we leaves blown recklessly through the terrain of change, or are we a sturdy oak tree, sure of where we stand?
“No one on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office.’”
– Paul Tsongas
Author
by Faraz Gafoor
Faraz Gafoor is a content strategist, writer, and human-data aficionado. His passion for scientific analysis of everything—from the presentation of data to the way we communicate—is driven by a deep love of understanding how we process and make sense of our surroundings. His curiosity and a never-ending search for prolific and poetic perfection poignantly fit his Prism Personality of a double Scientist.
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