Recognising Burnout Andrew (LinuxJedi) Hutchings @LinuxJedi - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Nov 24, 2022 284 likes •540 views

Recognising Burnout Andrew (LinuxJedi) Hutchings @LinuxJedi Physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. - Oxford Dictionary @LinuxJedi My Story @LinuxJedi My Background An Open Source database software engineer

SLIDE 1

Recognising Burnout

Andrew (LinuxJedi) Hutchings

@LinuxJedi

SLIDE 2

“Physical or mental collapse caused by

verwork or stress.”
Oxford Dictionary

@LinuxJedi

SLIDE 3

My Story

@LinuxJedi

SLIDE 4

My Background

An Open Source database software engineer

○ Currently at MariaDB

An OpenStack Cloud software engineer
Developer relations & product manager for a web server software project

@LinuxJedi

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August 2010 - Joined Drizzle project

@LinuxJedi

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March 2011 - Drizzle hits GA

@LinuxJedi

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Soon After - The phone call

@LinuxJedi

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April 2011 - MySQL Conference

@LinuxJedi

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October 2011 ...

@LinuxJedi

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@LinuxJedi

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Changes Made

@LinuxJedi

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About Burnout

I am not a doctor
Burnout and depression are pathologically indistinguishable
Extremely common in tech, rarely talked about
Burnout can cause a person to leave a company / community

@LinuxJedi

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Burnout Causes

@LinuxJedi

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Drowning in Workload

@LinuxJedi

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Lack of Autonomy

@LinuxJedi

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Feeling Undervalued

@LinuxJedi

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Reduced Pride in Work

@LinuxJedi

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Isolation

@LinuxJedi

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Values Conflict

@LinuxJedi

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Recognising Burnout

Productivity can drop (or quality)
A person can shy away, lose motivation
They could start to feel hopeless, pessimistic and/or resentful
Chronic exhaustion
Typically that person has no time for simple life joys
Everyone is different

○ Me? I become irritable and withdrawn @LinuxJedi

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Recognising Burnout

Problems could be something else (depression, drugs, etc…)
No silver bullets
Cannot ask directly if someone is burnt out
Family and friends will likely spot it, especially workload / stress

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Preventative Measures (Organisation)

Build automated tools to remove mind-numbing tasks
Regular check-ins with team / community members (1-to-1s)
Make sure holidays / vacations are taken
Give people a buffer when they return
Communication is key

@LinuxJedi

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Preventative Measures (Self)

Take time to reflect mental state

○ Meditation (no, seriously)

Separate your identity from your job
Take holidays / vacations

○ Non-stressful ones, don’t max out credit card ○ Enforce disconnection during holidays

Communication is key

@LinuxJedi

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Mental health is unfortunately still taboo

○ Especially among men in my country

The brain and the body are connected

○ Mental health issues can have physical manifestations ○ You can be more vulnerable to illness

Burnout can spill into everyday life
Everyone can have different tolerances

○ Personal life can affect these

Working in tech can be very stressful and mentally taxing
Communication is key

Key Takeaways

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Thank You!

Twitter: @LinuxJedi Email: andrew@linuxjedi.co.uk @LinuxJedi