What do you do if your data management workload is causing burnout?

Burnout is a serious thing that can happen, and can cause some mental health problems. As new regulations and restrictions came from COVID, as an Assistant Manager at Arby's, my responsibilities increased to keep the public and my staff safe as best as I could. The company kept us open, even when most of our staff was always out for quarantines. As time went on, the extra stress and restrictions affected my mental health the most, completely draining me into a robot. Once I realized what was happening to me, I was able to make some changes in my schedule, giving me time to start healing myself. Now after more than 4 years, I left the food service industry for a new career in Data Analytics.

Reset your mind with a quick game, side snack , a quick read in a book, start a new task that contributes to the purpose of the project. Burn out happens when your mind needs a rest, just like in working out a muscle on your body.. no one can exercise the same muscle in the same way for a long period of time.. just like your body muscles need rest and then you can pick it back up.. give the same grace to your brain when burnt out and get back on track

In my experience, employee burnout stems very much from unrealistic and/or vaguely defined goals, strategies, and direction, which starts at the top and trickles down into every business unit and then, subsequently, every employee. The uncertainty or lack of clarity from the directive often puts each employee in survival mode causing an extreme version of, "produce work for every possible scenario otherwise I don't know if what I complete is what is being asked of me" mindset. From the onset, you are already doing significantly more work than needed because goals were unclear. This then causes overhiring to fill roles that might not necessarily be needed because goals weren't articulated well. It's like a derailed train situation.

Automation and delegation only truly works if the root problem of unclear direction is solved from the top down. As an example, if the direction is just "make our data clean," and there are multiple interdependent teams who touch data from data ops to data eng to data arch to data vis, not to mention there are a plethora data sets and types to "clean" for an entire company, then delegation and automation will be a cluster you know what. If direction is "clean up our ad serving and DMP data to help create targetable audiences" then you can delegate to dataops who own these products/data to then delegate to data eng, data vis, and so on. Solve the root problem of unclear direction and delegation becomes very, very simple and digestible.

If your data management workload is causing burnout, it's important to address the situation proactively to preserve your mental health and well-being. Set clear limits on the time and resources you dedicate to data management work, and try to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency. Focus on activities that have a significant impact on your core responsibilities and leave room for recovery and rest. Set aside time for interests and activities outside of work to rest and recharge. Find activities that relax you and fill you with energy, such as sports, art, reading or spending time with friends and family. Take care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.

Boundaries and limits cannot be made unless the company strategy and direction is 100% clear and roles and responsibilities are specific and well defined. As an example, if the goal is to "increase scale of audiences who view our content so we can monetize in every digital channel," then i know the exact teams who need to be involved, including my data ops team, as well as dependent teams such as Data Products, Data Eng, Programmatic Ops, and AdOps and which team handles which part of this process, who to inform on progress, as well as who should not be involved whatsoever. It's like an assembly line where boundaries are already built into the process.

If your company goals are clearly articulated with substance, if roles and responsibilities per employee and team are clearly defined, if a well thought out cross-departmental process is created, then learnings and improvement inherently come after and more easily. We all learn together and all improve together. Using the previous example, if we increased the scale of our "Business Decision Makers" audience and tested it in market, but learned that this audience doesn't convert toward campaign KPIs as was the initial thought, then now we know that BDMs aren't our core target audience and, therefore, we all need to solve this problem...since it's something we just learned. And so the process and pattern repeats.

Like I mentioned before, if burnout is occurring, seeking support and balance will not work as the root problem is systemic and not being addressed. Seeking support will only become a sort of therapy session that lets you air your concerns without solving the root problem that is causing the burnout, which is most likely a lack of clear direction and goals that trickles down into confused workloads with lots of guesswork and chaos. The only level of support that needs to happen is a support from the top that has the power to change the way things operate. If you don't want to burn out as a leader, then make damn sure the employees aren't burning out and support them by fixing what is broken. It's that simple.

If data management workload is causing burnout, it's crucial to prioritize self-care and establish boundaries. Delegate tasks where possible, communicate workload concerns with supervisors, and seek support from colleagues. Implement time management techniques like the Pomodoro Technique to break tasks into manageable intervals. Take regular breaks, engage in physical activity, and practice mindfulness or relaxation exercises to alleviate stress. Consider professional development opportunities to enhance efficiency and skill sets. Ultimately, recognizing and addressing burnout is vital for long-term productivity and well-being. If necessary, consult with a mental health professional for additional support and coping strategies.