FROM CODE TO CALM: COMBATING BURNOUT IN TECH KCDC 2024
A presentation at KCDC 2024 in June 2024 in Kansas City, MO, USA by Todd Libby
FROM CODE TO CALM: COMBATING BURNOUT IN TECH KCDC 2024
Thank you KCDC, Speakers and attendees!
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TODD LIBBY FMR. SR. ACCESSIBILITY ENGINEER 25+ years web development/accessibility W3C Invited Expert from Phoenix, AZ “Semi-retired” but I am for hire! @TODDLIBBY on Twitter • KCDC 2024
BURNOUT HOW DO WE BEAT BURNOUT? Key Points
RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS HOW DID WE GET HERE?
There are a lot of signs that we need to or maybe we have recognized as leading to burn out, I will share my story.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
THE PRECURSOR
Five years of continuous work in accessibility auditing had run me into the ground. Managers and superiors with zero support and my own putting off addressing the symptoms led to two years of burnout. I hope my story will help others and this is a talk that works through what we can do to ensure our own mental and physical health.
This is my favorite spot in the world in Maine near Bailey’s Island. This spot was within walking distance from me so when I was feeling stress or burnout I could walk here and release all that tension.
Now that I live in Phoenix, it’s not so easy to get here. So what do I do to ensure I am being proactive in staving off burnout?
Regular walks during the early morning/evening. Multiple times I get up and do a chore or something around the house for a few minutes. Read a chapter from a book. Play with the cat or just sit and pet the cat. Switch up projects I am working on.
Those are just a few things to start.
I felt alone, stressed, was on edge which affected the people around me. I was in this pigeon-hole where I was doing the same repetitive work every day. Audit, audit, audit! No coding, not even design, just auditing for five years.
I always doubted myself. I had imposter syndrome regularly, I would wake up every day and feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. High blood pressure and hypertension, in a bad mental space was a recipe for how I got here.
I saw this quote and it stuck with me.
“BURNOUT IS THE SYMPTOM. STRESS IS THE SOURCE.” HAMZA KHAN @TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
The causes of burnout in people and the reasons at the organizational level that lead to burnout in their people.
YOU (the employee) • Stress/Anxiety • Fatigue/Tired • Reduced Performance • Emotionally Empty • Detached/Disengaged • Health (Mental, Physical) Decline
THEM (the employer) • Understaffed • Long Hours • High-Stress • Emotionally Taxing • Bad Managers • Toxic Environment
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
THE HONEYMOON IS OVER
Once you’re entrenched in the organization, then you aren’t enjoying the onboarding or “honeymoon phase”. You’re put to work almost like products that roll off the assembly line.
Do this work, do it daily, clock in and clock out. It comes to you when you least expect it and you realize the honeymoon is over.
MISSING WHAT HAS BEEN DISAPPEARING LATELY?
What has been lacking with you? With me, it was a number of things and I never noticed it until it was pointed out to me:
• Happiness • Enthusiasm • Work Ethic • Appetite • Humor • Patience
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
INTERNAL TRAITS WHY DO WE BURN OUT?
• You hold your expectations high, overly ambitious, perfectionist. • You have a strong need for recognition. • You are a people pleaser. • You need to control things, no delegation; feel irreplacable. • You overestimate yourself, overcommit to work, overburden yourself. • You view work as the only meaningful thing in life and substitute work for a social life.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
EXTERNAL TRAITS WHY DO WE BURN OUT?
• The job is a high-pressure job • There is a lack of communication and/or support from management. • You are in a job that does not promote a healthy work-life balance. • Workload is unmanageable, no realistic expectations you alone can do the work. • No system in place to address burnout at the organization level. • No system in place to reward employees with incentives.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
AGE OF COVID-19
When we moved to a remote world, that made things a little better with some aspects. We could stay home, we could attend to things at home while working. It gave me a reason to pry myself away from the computer but I just didn’t. I felt trapped.
Then there were the meetings. Oh so many meetings. Blocks of days where you sat through a meeting, even meetings you didn’t speak in. You had to be there.
Then there were these…
“THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AN E-MAIL.” YOU & I BOTH
We all had a co-worker or manager who insisted everything be a video call. We didn’t and still do not have to do it this way. Interpersonal communication is a skill and many managers do not have this skill.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
81% OF DEVELOPERS
A study by Haystack Analytics found that 81% of developers reported experiencing burnout due to the pandemic. The study found that the top reasons for burnout included higher workload, inefficient processes, and unclear goals and targets.
46% OF DEVELOPERS
Checkmarx found that 46% of developers were expected to build and deploy software faster compared to pre-pandemic. All around the world, IT teams and software developers had to support their colleagues and companies at a scale they weren’t prepared for.
ADDRESSING BURNOUT HOW DO WE FIX THIS?
How do we address burnout. We have to come to terms with it. I measured my losses against my gains. My losses far outweighed the gains. I knew I had to address this before something really bad happened. So I took inventory of myself.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
THE INVENTORY
“TIME TO GO INWARD, MAN, I HOPE I HAVE THE NERVE, TO TAKE INVENTORY OF THE CAUSES I SERVE.” RODNEY CROWELL
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
YOU SELF-CARE STARTS WITHIN
I had to find the things that made me happy again. Reading, walking, hiking, cooking. I walked away from a six-figure job in order to do just that. Find the happy guy that I was before the burnout. Just keeping up appearances was not good enough.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
INVENTORY
MASLACH’S BURNOUT INVENTORY MEASURES HOW OFTEN PEOPLE EXPERIENCE FEELINGS AROUND EXHAUSTION, CYNICISM, AND PROFESSIONAL EFFICACY.
I used this free tool to gauge where I was and relied on other research I had done.
FREE self test. https://www.mindtools.com/ auhx7b3/burnout-self-test
PAID feature that gives you more. https://mindgarden.com/117maslach-burnout-inventory-mbi
5 WORK EXPERIENCE PROFILES TO HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND THE RESULTS OF THE MBI TEST
• Burnout: Negative scores on all 3 dimensions. • Overextended: High negativity score on exhaustion only. • Ineffective: High negative score on professional efficacy only. • Disengaged: High negative score on cynicism only. • Engagement: High positive scores on exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TIME TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
I had to take actionable steps to find out where I was and how far I had to climb. It was the beginnings of a lot of hard work and the hard work we put into ourselves rewards us in the end and for the future so we, as people, can balance our self-care and home life with work.
• Acknowledge burnout is not personal failure. • Identify tasks that are energizing, not draining. • Say “no” more often. Ask for help! Rest! • Keep track of every win or positive event, no matter how small. • Re realistic with what you can and cannot achieve with what you have. • Lower demands and standards on yourself and demands at work. • Tap into resources and a support network.
These were a part of my inventory and are probably a part of most of our inventory. See if you have one of these in your inventory.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
COMBATING BURNOUT HOW DO I GET OUT OF BURNOUT?
As much as I wanted a quick “cure” I knew I had to fight and I had a big fight on my hands. How do I fix me? How do I defeat burnout?
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
THE WORK
I had to do the work. Work?! More work on top of other work?
Yes. On top of everything else (that got prioritized later, I had to do the work).
“WORK HARDER ON YOURSELF THAN YOU DO ON YOUR JOB.” JIM ROHN
I couldn’t get this quote out of my head. Value myself, value yourself above work and all else. You take you with you wherever you go. And that ripple effect I spoke about, when the pebble hits that smooth surface on the lake and causes all those waves that are the people around you? That ripple effect with diminish over time.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
HUSTLE & GRIND CULTURE
We see in tech A LOT, the hustle and grind culture which made me think of two extreme cases.
Gary Vaynerchuk (GaryVee) hawked the hustle and grind culture for decades. Wherever he was, he was blasting us in the face on social media about if you want to be successful you have to work constantly and hustle and grind and do all the things I am telling you so you too can be ultra-mega-super successful!
That is bullshit and that is an asshole move.
These days he’s a bit laid back but still thinks everyone should grind to be successful. It doesn’t have to be that way and that usually comes at a price. You and your health.
HYPOCRISY IN TECH
The hypocrisy in this industry we call tech is immense. Take this case for instance.
Nir Eyal. Author, speaker, a nice guy. Knows his stuff, is extremely successful. But the weay he did it comes at a cost far wider than just you or I and our mental health.
Eyal wrote a book, Hooked. How to build habit-forming products. Then he turned around later after some backlash and wrote “Indistractable”. How to control all that habit-forming I espoused earlier in my (Eyal’s) previous book.
THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT US
We are the product.
HR doesn’t acre about you. They are not your friends. They provide you with all the kindness and paperwork you need to fill out and the rules of the organization. But when it comes time to take action as far as an employee standpoint goes, they’re no longer a “friend”. They are indifferent and they are the insurance the company has so you don’t win a lawsuit or mediation if it comes down to it.
Your bosses don’t care about you. All bosses? Maybe not, but most do not.
WHERE DO WE BEGIN?
How do we get the ball rolling so we can get better and get out of this burnout? Action. Actionable steps even though we may not be in a good place to start, but we have to if we want to save ourselves and our health.
PLAN OF ACTION LET’S GET BETTER BEFORE WE GET WORSE
• Take care of your body and mind. • Pinpoint your problems and address them immediately. • Delegate and diversify your time and workload. • Distance yourself from stressors. • Re-evaluate your goals and values. • Explore alternative paths.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
PLAN OF ACTION LET’S GET BETTER BEFORE WE GET WORSE
• Talk to a professional. • Alert your support system. • Tell people what you need. • Self-care and/or self-compassion. • Set boundaries. • Do things that make you happy.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
A “BREAK” IS A BAND-AID
TAKE YOUR PTO IF YOU NEED TO! That is why it is there and your PTO is YOUR TIME, not your company or organizations time. Shut off and cut off from work and work on YOU!
I was an executive head chef for twenty years along with being a developer. I led crews and saw people burnt out a lot. Cooking was and is my passion and I had lost that passion over a lot of things I enjoyed doing. I’ve led teams and have seen burnout in tech also, the one thing that has always been my concern? How do we get you out of burnout? What can I do to assist you in helping you heal?
I’M BURNT OUT! I’M HUNGRY FEED ME!
My cat helped me a lot. Strange thing to say, but instead of the rubber duck, I had the cat that is not impressed with excuses.
Spending time relaxing and playing with the cat. A very menial task. But the love of a pet, and the enjoyment of just hanging out and playing, sparked the willingness and drive to heal thyself.
I worked on myself and went hiking, went camping, enjoy traveling and eating good food. Cooking! The joy of cooking came back. All those feelings and things I loved to do outside of coding and developing and creating things came back. So now it was time to work on getting me back to loving what I did.
I had to find 9-year-old Todd, the kid that was coding BASIC on a Commodore 64 then moved to an IBM 286DX and was coding Scheme and eventually Java, Perl, etc.
So one day I just sat down and tried to code. It didn’t last long, but now? I can sit down and code for a couple hours, go distract myself, then come back and code some more.
COMING OUT OF BURNOUT WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
IT TAKES A LONG TIME!
It is not an overnight fix. The long haul is a very long haul when coming out of burnout.Give yourself time and grace, work at it, take actionable steps, do the research and take the inventory. Healing starts when you start to love yourself more than the job. You can love what you do, but don’t love the workplace.
Some places may have that “work family” atmosphere, but most I have seen. heard about, and been a part of? While they preach “family” this isn’t Olive Garden and they probably value their families over the work “family”.
THE HEALING
“THE BEST REVENGE IS NO REVENGE. HEAL YOURSELF AND MOVE ON. DON’T BECOME LIKE THOSE WHO HAVE HURT YOU.” UNKNOWN
Healing myself instead of being angry and bitter has been a game changer. I used to be one of those people that wanted to see the company go under and the people that didn’t care not know what to do without me there. Bit of an egotist, I know.
Then I read this quote which changed my mindset.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
TAKE TIME OFF, GET AWAY
PLAN OF ACTION HELP US, HELP OURSELVES
• Breathing exercises/meditation. • Get outdoors. • Don’t rush it, take your time. • Spend time with family or friends. • Read. • Alone time with something new and different
I took these steps and they have helped me and if you do any of these things and it helped, please let me know. These helped me get back to a place where I could sit in front of a computer and do something productive. Small wins.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
WHAT QUALIFIES YOU TO DISPENSE ADVICE?
ME NOT A PROFESSIONAL
Research and interviewed clinical professionals - I made sure to interview professionals about burnout and what causes it, signs of burnout, the effect burnout can have.
Lessons learned through others who’ve had burnout - I spoke with people i knew that have been through burnout and their experiences and what they did to get help.
2 years removed from severe burnout - It’s been a long road back.
Multiple burnout instances over 25 years in development - I can remember at least a dozen times I have been burnout but never as bad as this go around.
Recovering alcoholic of 10+ years - I can get unspun over the littlest of things if I am not in the right headspace. It is a lot of work to stay sober. A colossal amount, add burnout to that and it’s a lot of work but doing the work and facing the fears and uncertainties has made me stronger and I hope that if others have similar experiences, they will share that too.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
Because when I am in my own head and I am not right-sized there, it is a carnival at full force. A dangerous place for a person like me to be.
If you’re reading this, it’s time for change.
If you’re feeling burnt out I hope this brings a little light to you and helps you in your journey to steer clear or come out of burnout. That change we can make for the better is always a change for the good.
The path is long, but doing the work, taking the inventory, making changes and finding ourselves happy again is worth the trek.
“THE RIPPLE EFFECT HAS IMPACT ON EVERYONE AROUND YOU.” ME
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
TAKEAWAYS WHAT DID WE LEARN?
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
Slide to leave feedback for this talk.
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
Thank you!
@TODDLIBBY • KCDC 2024
