#burnout

Not because of the looming layoffs or any other reason. Just because I'm completely fed up with this job and this company. Completely burnt out. I'm sure others have their own reasons, but for me, the decision is easy.

I stopped working overtime, stressing about deadlines, and caring about making my boss happy. And guess what? Nothing bad happened and I'm actually doing fine. I'm doing better than I have in long time, in fact.

Tomorrow I’m logging into Gainwell, and honestly, I’m not happy before I even open my laptop. I’m just a regular worker, not some big-degree expert, just someone who learned by doing and is hanging on to this job because I have to and definitely not because the company makes me feel safe or valued. My boss is from Florida and she’s loaded - big house, fancy trips all the time, talking about “recharging” like the rest of us aren’t sitting here praying our name doesn’t end up on the next layoff list. When she says “we all have to tighten our belts,” I want to laugh, because if I get cut, I’m worrying about rent and food, and if she sc--ws up, she still has money stacked and options everywhere.

I see what’s going on in upper management. People are getting worked to the bone, jobs are being shipped off to cheaper places, and they slap the word “strategy” on it like that makes it smart instead of cruel. They sit in their meetings while people like me are burning out, stressed, and scared, wondering if today everything falls apart. Tomorrow I’ll still log in and do my job because I don’t have the luxury not to. My rich boss will be just fine no matter what happens at Gainwell. It’s people like me who get crushed when this place decides we’re just numbers on a spreadsheet.

So I have been wondering since this all started who they consulted to come up with this bright idea. You take an already understaffed and burnt out workforce, who is constantly being told to do more with less supports and people. Then you notify them on a dime that they’re offering VSP and all may face layoffs. They do know this is the perfect recipe to send thousands of employees out on long term stress leave. Leaving management responsible for billions in insurance payouts as you’re unable to separate that employee due to medical reasons and would face wrongful termination lawsuits from every direction. Like I don’t even understand…. Has no one even heard of risk management anymore or common sense. Like everything else here I am watching a top bloated organization unwilling to cut its own C-Suite pay or make real sacrifices, instead claiming AI is the answer. What about the jobs that AI can’t do or the ones that will be horribly mismanaged due to a machine replacing real eyes. The ghost in the machine here isn’t AI it is corporate greed just like everywhere else. I am so discouraged in the place I work, are no words.

I have spent the last decade and a half working forty plus hours a week and I have nothing left to give. My health, my hobbies, my relationships, they have all taken a backseat to just surviving work. And I have several decades of this left. Is life really supposed to be like this?

Everyone knows what's going to happen when the dust settles: Everyone left will be extremely overworked and not compensated for it. People will make $20 an hour and do the job of three people. We're just cogs in a massive machine.

We are exhausted.

The people actually trying to keep up are exhausted. The rate of change in our platform, the multiple changes in strategy and direction for messaging, the rate of innovation around AI, middle management that lacks empathy and communication skills, the upcoming move to Google, the constant loud demand to do MORE FASTER with no end in sight. And now rumors of more layoffs to come.

We are at our breaking point. Yes we need to move fast to keep up in the market, but give us some damn grace and maybe a week long shut down to catch our breath. We are only human.

Recent diktat from India leadership: managers span of control needs to be 25-28 people. All people within a POD to be equally distributed among managers, no new managers will be hired or provided. Managers lives have been he-l: people’s management, operational delivery, sales targets, DNSO targets, support multiple accounts. Mickey M is sleeping at the wheel, globe trotting, staying in hotels, giving talks on Agentic AI - all this when delivery is burning. Kyndryl delivery ia fked. God save this company

They keep adding more work even though our plates are already full. People leave or get let go, and they're never replaced, meaning we have to pick up after them. At this point, the majority of us are doing sixty hour weeks. Do they expect us to forget we have families?

This place isn't worth my health or my peace of mind. What happens, happens. I've gotten out of bad situations before, I can do it again. I refuse to look back later and regret losing sleep and energy over a job that doesn't deserve it.

I've watched at least five people leave my team over the last few months. I don't blame them, but the company makes no effort to hire new people, so those of us who stay end up doing the work of two or three people. Which means that deadlines that used to be reasonable are now impossible. If this keeps going, I'll be the next one out.

I've worked some bad jobs before but nothing even comes close to what this place has done to me. The leadership is awful, the managers are worse, and I genuinely don't recognize myself anymore after dealing with it all. It's taken such a toll on my head and my confidence that I'm not sure how much longer I can keep showing up like nothing's wrong.

I’m doing the work of two people.

Commuting in to an office to sit on zoom all day is expensive and depressing.

We do more and more hard work while org leaders reap all the benefits. Nothing trickles down.

I’ll just hang out doing the minimum until I’m laid off.

My manager keeps promising to fill open roles but nothing ever happens. We are drowning in work and every month it is the same story about help that never arrives.

Can we have just a full month without layoffs? Just one?

I know I won't. I don't give a damn what's expected, I'm already overloaded as it is.

If you are tired of doing the work of multiple severance or laid off employees for shrinking wages and benefits, Denmark is actively recruiting burned out American workers looking for a more humane and equitable economy where work-life balance is emphasized and employees are valued.

To the point that I don't know if we'll be able to get anything done.

The people who get the most done always seem to end up with even more work. It's gone from recognition to punishment at this point.

They expect you to eat, sleep, and breathe work. If you're willing to give up your evenings, your weekends, and any semblance of a personal life, you'll probably do fine. If you want to see your family or have hobbies, good luck. Is this a Cisco-wide issue? I was thinking of applying internally, but I don't want to end up in a same environment.

This place hates you. Why would you break your own back for them? You're certainly not the one benefiting from your extra work.

I’m tired of it and I’m not alone. The dysfunction across the company has become pervasive. It’s especially pronounced in TGS and IT, largely due to heavy reliance on outsourcing in critical areas. But the issue isn’t isolated. Any function that has been outsourced is struggling.

As a result, teams are left trying to deliver projects and meet goals without the resources or support needed to do so effectively. What remains is a workforce that is burned out, disengaged, and increasingly unable to keep up. Many of the most experienced and capable people have already moved on, and those who remain often feel stretched thin or are simply holding on until better opportunities arise.

There’s also a clear divide between those who are driving results and those who are not contributing meaningful value. The fact that some of the latter are highly compensated only adds to the growing frustration. The strain and resentment are becoming impossible to ignore.

The hours keep getting worse and the work keeps getting harder. The pay, though, pretty much stays the same. Who in their right mind wouldn't be tired of this cr-p?

Children's Aid Society London and Middlesex issued layoff notices. At least 23 workers will be affected starting in September. The agency faces a $5.6 million deficit this year. Union representatives worry about increased workloads and staff burnout. These cuts follow recent union bargaining and chronic underfunding.

London, Ontario

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/london-ont-children-s-aid-workers-worry-layoffs-could-hurt-youth-and-families-9.7219646

I'm going to be honest. The last several months have taken a real toll on my mental health. The constant changes around timekeeping, budget cuts, shifting priorities, and the uncertainty about what's coming next have created a level of stress that follows me home every day. There are mornings when I wake up anxious before I even open my laptop. work is the first thing on my mind, and not in a good way.
I've worked through challenging situations before, but this feels different. When the direction keeps changing and there's little clarity about the future, it's hard to feel confident, motivated, or secure. Over time, that uncertainty wears you down.
My experience at Centene, especially within DXE, has been one of the most difficult chapters of my career. I joined with a lot of excitement and optimism. Today, I find myself feeling frustrated, exhausted, and questioning whether it was the right move for me professionally.
At this point, I'm focused on finding a new opportunity where there is more stability, clearer direction, and a healthier work environment. The day I find that next role will be the day I start turning the page on this chapter.

No time to think…just Go!

The constant manipulation by management just wears you down until you don't even recognize yourself anymore. Trust me, it's not worth it.

Are your managers encouraging or discouraging taking your half day Summer Fridays? With all the layoffs, I have more work than I can handle as it is.

It takes two or three years to really learn a job here because everything's held together with tape and nobody wants to fix anything.

There is no such thing as a team here. You work in isolation and only hear from management when you messed up. Climbing past a certain point is impossible and they offer zero support for learning anything new. Do not put yourself through this. Your home life will suffer, your relationships will feel the strain, and you will need a break just to recover. Work somewhere that actually cares.

I gave up hoping it would ever get better, or that my role would see any meaningful improvement or progression. I just hope the job market improves in the foreseeable future so we can all find better options. One thing I'm sure of - I will never work for a big corporation again, if I can help it.

Do anyone feels like the load is increasing day by day. More tasks been included

Did the workload go up the last couple of years? Or is it just me getting lazy?

LC is speaking at the conference this week. Will he be man enough to address the extreme dysfunction and unhappiness in the IT function? Its absolutely miserable and most people are burned out.

300+‐400 VPCH...not feasible for what coming ahead...please think about us and not your wallet...we are tired, mad sick of it...pile more on us with no help, and definitely no hours given to us....people are scared to speak up i think....please re-think all the stupid labor intensive programs you people are hatching.....produce, meat..kitchen....etc...please...we are tired and exhausted ....so much shrink you people are creating....please stop working us into the ground

If a manager ever told me I needed to work unpaid overtime and sacrifice my life outside of work, I'd start job hunting the same day.

So burned out. This place is unhealthy.

Stage 3 burnout is a real thing. Stay balanced & healthy or you'll have issues worse than a lay off.

Every conversation comes with a little reminder that they can let you go whenever they feel like it. You are never secure or safe and they want you to know that. It's a control tactic and it is draining every bit of energy I have left.

I've been thinking a lot about the people I've watched burn out here, the ones who stayed late every night, who answered emails on weekends, who pushed through stress headaches and sleepless nights because they thought it was what they had to do. Every single one of them would tell you now that it wasn't worth it. Their health declined, their relationships suffered, and the company didn't reward them for any of it. Your health matters more than their bottom line, and I wish I'd learned that lesson earlier.