Local entrepreneur, Melanie Sodka, is working to understand burnout and support those who experience it. As CEO and founder of Capacity Creator, she helps people create personal capacity in their work and home lives. Melanie is also a business professor, executive path coach, author and podcaster who, like us, regularly engages in research and conversation about placing human wellbeing at the center of workforce development.
In a recent TED Talk, Melanie shared about her personal journey with burnout. Like many women and working mothers who are more likely to experience burnout, she began to suffer the mental and physical health symptoms of overwhelm. Her doctor prescribed her time off from work around the same time that she received a Top 40 Under 40 Award, praising her contributions to work and community. This paradox led her to deeply reflect on how “hard work” all too often leads to “overwork”, and begin to cultivate a healthier relationship to work.
Melanie’s work and learning aligns with our recent examination of The Great Resignation with burnout contributing to labour shortages across our country. The pandemic sped up the rate at which certain workforce segments, women in particular, resigned from work due to mental health challenges. Perpetuated by inequitable work systems and social expectations, women were already moving at an unsustainably frantic pace. Melanie is also fascinated by the emerging generation of workers, who tend to hold different attitudes towards resignation. Gen-Z has grown up with influence from media and tech which equips them with information and choice like we’ve never seen in any other generation. If an employer’s talent management structure isn’t attuned to this, younger workers quickly and easily leave to pursue other options.
Today’s employers and employees alike can benefit from the kinds of services that Melanie offers. Through her website, you can find an assessment and resources to help you discover your State of Capacity as well as how to restore and manage it.