Overtasking the multitasker

The perception that women can ‘do it all’—or want to do it all—can be detrimental to mental health and career growth.

Back in the 1940s, Rosie the Riveter was the nation’s premiere poster girl. Rosie—with her stoic face, strong, flexed arm and clenched fist—was an empowering symbol for a generation of women joining the workforce during World War II. She helped women everywhere recognize the role they could play in improving their families, communities and nation. Fast forward 80 years and women are leading the charge in companies and organizations around the world.

But with that drive often comes the tendency for women to overburden themselves with myriad tasks that may not be beneficial to their careers or at home. What does that mean for employers? If your top staff volunteers—especially women—start missing deadlines or stop responding to requests, they’ve probably overextended themselves and are burned out. That can have real consequences in the workplace, not to mention a huge impact on the employee’s mental health.

“According to Gallup, employees who are burnt out are 2.6 times more likely to be searching for a new job,” reports Business.com. “Meanwhile, Limeade found that 40% of workers leave their jobs due to burnout—and many of them do so without even having another role lined up.”

Some additional food for thought from the report:

 

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