SoHE’s Dr. Christine Whelan kicks off a new radio segment with a look at workplace burnout.
Late last month, the World Health Organization officially recognized workplace burnout in its International Classification of Diseases. The School of Human Ecology’s Dr. Christine Whelan joined WTMJ’s Melissa Barclay on the station’s Wisconsin Afternoon News show to discuss the phenomenon, noting, “This is a problem that so many of us face in our jobs.”
Whelan is a Clinical Professor in the Consumer Science department of SoHE and Director of the Money, Relationships, and Equality (MORE) initiative at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In her interview, she identified the particular pressures for an “always on-call” workforce by way of mobile devices and for millennials especially as they seek to climb the career ladder.
Whelan acknowledged the importance of small personal adjustments in one’s workday, like meditation and going for walks, but she insisted that some of these aren’t options for all workers and that what’s really needed is a larger cultural change: “We really do need to think about a new approach to work in this country and worldwide that doesn’t always mean more, more, more is always better—because we’re certainly not seeing that in increased productivity from workers when they work around the clock.”
Listen to Dr. Whelan’s full interview here, and tune in every Friday at 4:20 PM on WTMJ 620 AM, 103.3 FM, or online for her new regular segment discussing the insights from her research for improving one’s everyday happiness, relationships, and sense of fulfillment.
Read more about Dr. Whelan’s work here, and find her latest book, The Big Picture: A Guide to Finding Your Purpose in Life, from Templeton Press or any major bookseller. Read a sample chapter on her website.