professional development
EMERGING FROM YOUR BURNING POINT Recovering from HR Burnout
By Dr. LaShanda S. Miller and Dr. LaTaisha S. Mack
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hen choosing to strive for success in corporate America, most aspiring black professionals experience feelings of selfdoubt. We are predisposed to believe that our ladder toward success will be difficult. Black professionals also face workplace microaggressions that we often must ignore or quietly forgive. We must work harder to avoid being labeled as lazy, and we must temper elements of our culture to be perceived as ‘fit’ for higher-level positions. Many of us have accepted this historical truth hoping that our cumulative successes will outweigh the undesirable. We willingly accept the existence of differing standards and climb the challenging corporate ladder while being judged and scrutinized; only to wonder if the sacrifices are worth it.
Leon Kaye published an article titled “More Black employees feel burnout, but do companies even notice?” He noted that the rise in visible microaggressions on the black community, predisposed biases, and the detrimental impacts of COVID-19 led to feelings of exhaustion and hopelessness among black employees. This burnout is often not shared by our non-black colleagues and managers thus causing a perception that our emotions are dismissed. While most people of color have a tolerance for overcoming obstacles and thus do not quickly reach a “breaking point”, we have reached a “burning point.” A “burning point” is the point at which we reach high levels of exhaustion and irritation that inflames our tolerance leading to uncharacteristic behaviors of intolerance. The “burning point” has resulted in Black HR professionals feeling they must leave corporate HR. This exodus is occurring not because black practitioners now lack passion for HR but because they feel powerless to
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impact workplace problems and injustices coming at them from every angle. If you too have reached your ‘burning point’, it may feel extremely difficult to get back on track but not impossible. Choose to EMERGE: • Enlist feedback! Consult a trusted person to help brainstorm possible solutions to burnout symptoms (stress, agitation, exhaustion). They can provide different perspectives. • Manage your limitations! – We tend to be very ambitious in accomplishing and surpassing expectations of daily work goals. As a result, we try to “do everything,” but we have limits. • Experience something new! Consider connecting with a cause or community group that is meaningful to you. Learn a new skill or switch up your routine. • Reality check! Acknowledge that “doing it all” isn’t realistic. Evaluate commitments and consider prioritizing to experience instant relief. • Get to delegating! The best way to avoid “doing it all” is to request at least one project is reassigned or add a person to your team to share assignments and duties. • Enjoy taking time off! Try taking a full break from work. We must take vacation days and remove ourselves from the situation. Leave your work devices at home and turn off your email notifications. If you are approaching or have reached your burning point, choose to EMERGE and reclaim your power. Remember the industry needs you as you make a difference in the lives of the humans that you are a resource for. u
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