Hey there, everyone! What an eventful week it’s been since we last saw each other. How was running into all the people you forgot about from high school at the local dive bar on Thanksgiving Eve? Did you manage to convince your mom that being a turkey trot family isn’t actually cool or fun? How was clicking through 47 pages of early Black Friday sales to not buy a single item? Tell me everything!

I missed you Friday, but I’m super excited to be back today with an ode to the weirdest time of the corporate year: right now.

—Rod

So Everyone Is Burned Out Right Now, Right?

Our Lisa Frank calendars tell us there are 35 days left in this year. But what our bosses, our friends, and even Ms. Frank have failed to recognize is that there are actually only, like, two days left in 2022, at least if we’re measuring time by our ability to actually do things.

The Monday after Thanksgiving is unofficially the beginning of the end of the year for lots of us in the corporate world (except for our brave colleagues in marketing—we see you, we support you, and we have a Lorelai-Gilmore-sized coffee with your name on it).

After Thanksgiving, we start saying things like “this project can wait” and “I’ll kick off that initiative in the new year.” Meetings get canceled, productivity tanks, and 1:30pm on a Tuesday starts to feel like the perfect time to watch the Glee holiday episode in season two.

But at the same time, we’re facing major stressors—end-of-year deadlines, yearly performance reviews, the particular dread of hearing your boss sing “My Humps” during karaoke at the holiday party.

You’re not the only one thinking it: The work vibes are off. We’re somehow unmotivated and exhausted? And that’s for a couple of reasons (beyond the fact that eating leftover pie for breakfast does not set one up for success), but the most important one:

Everyone is burned out. That’s not an exaggeration—in a 2021 survey, more than half of US workers said they were feeling burned out as a result of their job demands. And women and young people tend to feel especially stressed.

The holidays can exaggerate those feelings of burnout—we say “I’ll be there” to every secret Santa party, every holiday potluck, and every friendsgiving, leaving us very much on empty when it comes to our jobs. But we also have looming deadlines and unanswered emails we can’t stop thinking about.

As a result, we’re exhausted, self-conscious about our job performance, and kinda peeved that we have to be at work in the first place. We’re more hostile, more stressed, and less efficient.

But like an addiction to saying “go piss girl” whenever someone says they need to use the bathroom, that end-of-year burnout is something that can be managed.

So how to manage it?

• Remember that feeling exhausted this time of year is as time-honored a tradition as Mariah Carey emerging from her cave to annually bless us with her holiday vocals. If you’re feeling it, chances are your coworkers are, too.

• Set boundaries, both personally and professionally, to protect your priorities. And don’t be afraid to communicate those boundaries.

• Engage in self-care (take a half-day, close your computer at lunch, meditate daily, etc.) but remember that the real responsibility for managing employee burnout doesn’t fall to the employee…it falls to their manager. If you want me to talk to your boss I will :)

May your December be chill, your workload be reasonable, and your vibes be positive as we finish the year strong (or strong-ish).

SPONSORED BY PELOTON CORPORATE WELLNESS

Hands up if you were hired for your Personality™️, not your resume

Same. We carry a heavy weight on our shoulders. Tirelessly providing our workplace with hard workgood vibes, positive energy and relatable jokes. We are soldiers, we are heroes, we are the heartbeat of our organization. Who are we? We’re personality hires—and my friends at Peloton are here to help us make the work day a bit more motivating and fun.

With Peloton Corporate Wellness, it’s even easier to uplift company culture.

Through their program, companies can provide their employees with a benefit that’ll actually impact company morale, build camaraderie and improve mental wellbeing. Some stats to prove it:

• 87% of members report an improvement in meeting their personal fitness goals.*

• 65% of members felt that their overall mental health has improved*

• 64% of members felt more productive at work.*

Think this would be a great fit for your company? Check out this fancy page just for WorkDaze readers (that’s you! omg!) that helps you share Peloton Corporate Wellness with your HR or Leadership team.

* Based on a May 2022 survey of Peloton Members (3145 respondents) who receive the Peloton Benefit from their employer

Things to Slack your work besties

…in addition to sharing your official rankings of this year’s Starbucks holiday beverages.

Shopping small is the pinnacle of smart, if you ask me. Here’s a (tw: Twitter thread) Twitter thread with some ideas of small and independent businesses to shop for the holidays (also watch this space 👀).

Now that all we have left of Thanksgiving are the leftovers and the memories, we can move on to holiday music without judgment. I found this talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before millennial holiday playlist (ok I made it).

One of my favorite pastimes when I take a break from looking at my screen all day is to keep looking at a different, smaller screen. The Lunchtime Longread™ is a piece that’s captivating, non-work related, and takes roughly the amount of time to read as it takes you to eat your reheated leftovers. Today’s selection: Abbi Jacobson in conversation with Natasha Lyonne on creativity, style, and comedy.

Thanks for reading! See you back here Friday for some As to your biggest Qs.

IDK WHAT DO I KNOW?! LMAO!

—Rod