They’re calling it the Great Resignation, and it’s all over the news these days. So many people quitting their jobs! What’s going on?! Pundits and analysts are looking from every angle, trying to get a handle on what may (or may not) be a huge trend here in the US at the end of 2021. In this October 2021 article, Time Magazine’s health correspondent Jamie Ducharme analyzes the situation, focusing on worker burnout, and offers suggestions for workers and their employers.
Read it here.
EXPLORE, REFLECT, SPEAK UP.
1. Job burnout is certainly not a new phenomenon, by any reckoning. Why, according to Jamie Ducharme, are companies starting to pay more attention to it? Summarize her explanation. Does the information she presents seem reliable? Why or why not? Point to two examples to support your conclusion.
2. Ducharme offers tips and suggestions to employees, and she also offers advice to employers. Is her credibility as an author damaged by offering help to “both sides”? Or might Ducharme be even more credible and trustworthy for demonstrating willingness to help everyone—companies and workers alike? In responding, consider how your own position—gig worker, employee, manager, employer, something else—may affect your response. How did you arrive at your conclusion? Explain your reasoning.
3. LET’S TALK. Workers feel stress. Jobs cause stress. Ducharme points out that in the past, all of the responsibility for maintaining mental health and equilibrium with stress has been placed on individual employees, but today, for a variety of reasons, companies are beginning to realize the value of reducing some of the stress on their workers and assuming some of the responsibility of attending to healthful conditions in their workplaces. Clearly, neither individual workers nor companies should bear 100% responsibility for avoiding burnout, but how could the responsibility be shared fairly? What might be reasonable expectations for all of the parties involved? Discuss these questions with a few classmates. You may want to frame your conversation by thinking of a specific work context and the specific roles and tasks involved. Pay particular attention to ideas that you don’t agree with (at least initially). Your job in this conversation is not to come to an agreement (although you may), but rather to explore ideas and options. Identify one idea that would never have occurred to you by yourself.
4. AND NOW WRITE. You may or may not have 20+ years of experience at a stressful full-time job, but we bet you know something about burnout either way. Whether studying is your only job or whether you juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, is there anything in Ducharme’s article that resonates with you as a suggestion for easing your stress and avoiding burnout? If so, what? If not, why not? Reflect on Ducharme’s descriptions and suggestions as they might apply to your life, and write an essay describing what you already do and exploring what you might wish to try in order to “turn the job you have into the job you want.”
LetsTalkLibrary 
Though job burnout is not particularly new, companies are now starting to become more aware of the “severity” this issue can cause. Jamie Ducharme claims this rising issue is due to two major reasonings with the first one being,”First, many of the people who wanted to quit in 2020 but held off due to fear or uncertainty would finally feel secure enough to do so.” With the second one being [H]ow pandemic-era epiphanies, exhaustion and burnout would drive a whole new cohort of people to quit their jobs.” Though her information seems logical, a big aspect of credibility is shown as some of her information is based off of “Klotz Predictions” and preeminent burnout experts. On top of that, she discredits the severity of the whole situation by stating burnout is not a medical diagnosis, yet she states.”It can overlap with physical and mental health issues including depression, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems and headaches.”
LikeLike
Hi Manuel, I like your summarization of the article by Jamie Ducharme and I completely agree with your point of view on the article how you state, “Though job burnout is not particularly new, companies are now starting to become more aware of the “severity” this issue can cause” (Pina). This is true because burnout has been affecting many people within the work industries across many sectors, which is causing them to leave their jobs. I also completely agree that the author is contradicting herself in her statements about the entire situation such as when she states, “But studies show that it can overlap with physical and mental health issues, including depression, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and headaches. It can even be a predictor of chronic diseases including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, research shows” (Ducharme). Good job on your response.
LikeLike
Hi Manuel, agree with that fact that you show that Jamie contradicts her self in the article which it does make her seem credible. For example when you said “she discredits the severity of the whole situation by stating burnout is not a medical diagnosis”(Pina). Also l believe that Durante make her self seem not reliable because she contradicts herself.
LikeLike
Hi Manuel, I agree with your response one hundred percent. Throughout the article, Ducharme contradicts herself and fails to back up her claims with strong evidence. Ducharme supplies data from people who have conducted studies but fails to explain it thoroughly.
LikeLike
Hello, Manuel, I like the summarization you did of the article by Jamie Ducharme. I very much agree with your thoughts about the article. I also agree that she contradicts herself such as when you said,” she discredits the severity of the whole situation by stating burnout is not a medical diagnosis” ( Pina).
LikeLike
Hi Manuel it’s Shakira coming to you, I really liked your summarization of the article because I agree with your point. I feel like adding that first point of the why people were quitting to begin with was very important. Her information was logical yes I agree but I also feel like once you dig a bit deeper they are not all 100% reliable.
LikeLike
Hi Manuel, I certainly agree with you that job burnout is nothing new, but until now people have begun to notice the seriousness of what this issue can cause, such as people wanting to quit their jobs.
LikeLike
Good evening Manuel, I totally agree with your point you made in response to the prompt. One of the main topics i agree on is when you say “a big aspect of credibility is shown as some of her information is based off of “Klotz Predictions”” Which this is a very good explanation based on how the author is using other sources to include into her writing in order to try to prove her point. In the article Ducharme stated “Klotz predicted that a “Great Resignation” was coming.” with that quote is why i agree because how it shows how in the end of her prediction was about the resignation that was going to take place. Overall I totally agree with the points you made in your response.
LikeLike
Hi Manuel, I hadn’t really noticed the fact that the author relies a lot on “Klotz predictions” until you pointed it out. I like how you mention her contradictions. I believe her intention was to highlight the treatment of workers and how that leads to burnout, but didn’t go about it in the best way possible.
LikeLike
Job burnout is not particularly a new thing nowadays it has always been around. But many companies are started to see that many employees are feeling “burnout”. Jamie Ducharme, claims that the two issues are causing problems such as the first one,” First, many of the people who wanted to quit in 2020 but held off due to fear or uncertainty would finally feel secure enough to do so. And second, pandemic-era epiphanies, exhaustion, and burnout would drive a whole new cohort of people to quit their jobs. In a moment of inspiration, Klotz predicted that a “Great Resignation” was coming. Her information seems very reliable and reasonable, a big chunk of her information is coming from Klotz Predictions. Which to me seems very unreliable information and not very good credibility
LikeLike
Hi Damian, I also agree with your viewpoint on the ongoing situation of worker burnout such as when you state, “Job burnout is not particularly a new thing nowadays it has always been around. But many companies are starting to see that many employees are feeling ‘burnout'”(Lopez). It is evident that companies are now noticing that numerous employees are not satisfied with their work such as when Jamie Ducharme mentions in her article, “But any person, in any profession, can experience burnout, and right now, people are reporting it in droves” (Ducharme). In this section of the article, Ducharme expresses that many individuals are experiencing this burnout and have been reporting it in large amounts, which leads to the conclusion that change is needed. I like your response overall!
LikeLike
Hey Damian, I also agree with your stance on how the situation is not particularly new, yet it is barely being brought out. It is clear companies are now starting to view this as an issue with the main causes being affiliated with the pandemic. Yet I agree on how the main accusations lack credibility and overall effect. “Job burnout is not particularly a new thing nowadays it has always been around. But many companies are starting to see that many employees are feeling ‘burnout’”(Lopez).
LikeLike
According to Jamie Ducharme companies are starting to pay more attention to job burnout because of the pandemic era problems. In Time Magazine “ The ‘Great Resignation’ Is Finally Getting Companies to Take Burnout Seriously. Is It Enough?” By Jamie Ducharme states in page one, “And second, pandemic-era epiphanies, exhaustion and
burnout would drive a whole new cohort of people to quit their jobs. In a moment of inspiration, Klotz predicted that a “Great Resignation” was coming.” I would say that the companies are starting to pay more attention because they are starting to notice the way people are thinking of resigning from their jobs because of the problems that are being overlooked by the company’s. Another example where it seems that companies are starting to pay more attention Is in In Time Magazine “ The ‘Great Resignation’ Is Finally Getting Companies to Take Burnout Seriously. Is It Enough?” By Jamie Ducharme where it states in page two,” “tech companies including Bumble, LinkedIn and Hootsuite closed for a week this year to give people a break and combat burnout.” Which here the example given was showing us how some of the companies are closing their doors and letting the employees have time off to recuperate from the burnout and giving them time to relax so this shows us the perfect example how they are caring for their employees and giving them the week off to take a break and get back to being themselves. After reading the whole article I would say it seems reliable because the author does provide statical data and also have some examples from the company side that does shows they are doing things to combat the burnout of their employees, just how it includes data from the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics and also how it includes what tech companies are doing for their employees.
LikeLike
Hi Camilo, I do agree with your viewpoint on the issue at hand when you state, “I would say that the companies are starting to pay more attention because they are starting to notice the way people are thinking of resigning from their jobs because of the problems that are being overlooked by the compan[ies]” (Garcia). It is clear to note that the burnout various employees are facing is due to the long work hours and unsafe working conditions that put many employees’ health at risk. On the contrary, I do disagree with your statement with the article being reliable as a whole because the author, Jamie Ducharme, only accounted for some work sectors, not the entire work industry as a whole, making it seem like every work sector has been affected. For example, the author states, “In a pre-pandemic Deloitte study on burnout, 42% of U.S. respondents said they had left a job specifically
because of burnout—which means organizations have a clear motivation to finally take the problem
seriously” (Ducharme). The author does not specify which specific organization has been affected by this matter but accounts for all organizations to make the issue seem more urgent. In all, I like your response to the article and prompt.
LikeLike
Hello Camilo, I very much do agree with you that ” I would say that the companies are starting to pay more attention because they are starting to notice the way people are thinking of resigning from their jobs because of the problems that are being overlooked by the companies (Garcia). Companies are started to see that their employees are being treated unfairly depending on the working conditions or even long shifts. I also agree that the article that we read was somewhat reliable many studies that Ducharme gave us were somewhat credible and reliable.
LikeLike
Hi Camilo, I agree with the fact that the article “seems reliable”(Garcia Jr ). Also I also think that Durante did give studies and statistics to make her article reliable, but the statistics she show didn’t seem reliable.
LikeLike
Hi Camilo, I agree with you in some aspects in your explanation but also disagree as well. You concluded, “Which here the example gives was showing us how some of the companies are closing their doors and letting the employees have time off to recuperate from the burnout…” (Garcia Jr.). I agree that this type of movement is very influential and causing companies to just close their doors for the well-being of their employees. I disagree with you in regards to the credibility of the author. You states, “… it seems reliable because the author does provide statistical data and also have some examples from the company side…” (Garcia Jr.). Yes, the author does provide some data but does not elaborate on it enough. We don’t know the specific details like who was in the study and how many people were included. That missing information is what weakens the author’s argument.
LikeLike
Hey Camilo, I also agree with your viewpoint on the whole situation. It is interesting the way they class the concept of giving temporary time off as “Slapping a bandaid” on the conflicting issue and not fully addressing it. I do however disagree with the article being reliable. I found that most of the sources lack credibility and don’t provide proper biases and the effects it has.
LikeLike
Jamie Ducharme offers tips and advice to employees and employers and helps “Both Sides”. Ducharme is credible and trustworthy and helps everybody such as companies and workers. Such as taken from the article by Jamie Ducharme it said: “There’s no one-size-fits-all burnout cure, but Maslach’s research suggests there are six key areas on
which businesses should focus: on creating manageable workloads, giving employees control over their jobs, to the extent possible, rewarding and acknowledging good work, either financially or verbally, fostering community, treating workers fairly and equitably, helping workers find value in their work.” These are primes examples that Jamie Ducharme used so that the employers can use and make the employees feel welcome and not so burnout. The way I arrived to my conclusion was that I have seen many of my coworkers be burnout on the spot. They have those lifeless eyes just moving around without any words. I as well experienced being burnout it is not very a good feeling.
LikeLike
Hi Damian, I along with you have experienced job burnout as well. I disagree with you though in your opinion regarding Ducharme’s credibility. In your quote that you provided that explained different tips for employers and employees, we cannot really trust Ducharme’s word being that we don’t know if she is an expert in this field. She can be making this up for all we know. Also how do we know that these tips are even beneficial? Ducharme provides some statistics but it is not very efficient. I feel her argument would have been stronger with the addition of stronger, clearer evidence.
LikeLike
Hi Damian it’s Shakira coming to you, I feel like I do and don’t agree with you because like I mentioned not all of Ducharme’s sources are 100% reliable. I definitely agree with you witnessing coworkers go through burnout because personally in my experience as both a student and an employee I feel burned out a lot especially after COVID. I feel like school still doesn’t understand that it is very hard to do both at the same time and still have time for ourselves.
LikeLike
hi Damian, I must say that your argument seemed very good to me, in terms of some options that employees can use to not feel so exhausted, and without a doubt I think your conclusion is very good since you mention what you yourself have experienced about it being exhausted at a job.
LikeLike
Good evening Damian, I totally agree with the points you made in response to the prompt. Where you say “They have those lifeless eyes just moving around without any words.” That is a great response you made because of the way you used your own experience to point back on how it made you feel, which you connected with the way those employees may have felt when they were burnt out by doing their jobs. The quote i found that Ms. Ducharme made in relation to Damian’s response is “businesses should focus: on creating manageable workloads, giving employees control over their jobs, to the extent possible, rewarding and acknowledging good work” this is a great backup to the point Damian made because those are all things a employer/ company could work on to help improve the way their employees feel while at work.
LikeLike
1. Job burnout is certainly not a new phenomenon, by any reckoning. Why, according to Jamie Ducharme, are companies starting to pay more attention to it? Summarize her explanation. Does the information she presents seem reliable? Why or why not? Point to two examples to support your conclusion.
Response: According to Jamie Ducharme in her article “THE ‘GREAT RESIGNATION’ IS FINALLY GETTING COMPANIES TO TAKE BURNOUT SERIOUSLY. IS IT ENOUGH?” companies are starting to pay more attention to job burnout due to health issues that are rising among their employees. For example, it is stated, “Companies are clearly taking notice, particularly given the staffing shortages that are hamstringing many customer-facing industries and slowing the supply chain” (Ducharme). In the article, Ducharme is illustrating in a serious tone that the great amounts of stress that workers experience, has caused them to quit their jobs, as well as unfair treatment with their long work week schedules. Furthermore, as people leave their work/companies that they were employed at, the business and operation of that company decreases because they do not have enough workers as before. The information that the author presents may seem reliable in some areas of research presented, however, her work is clearly false. The author mentions that burnout is not a medical diagnosis, yet, she states, “But studies show that it can overlap with physical and mental health issues, including depression, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and headaches. It can even be a predictor of chronic diseases including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, research shows” (Ducharme). In essence, Ducharme is Contradicting herself with her own statements as she mentions that burnout is not a medical disease, but it overlaps with physical and Mental health issues. Further in the article, Jamie Ducharme mentions that “But any person, in any profession, can experience burnout, and right now, people are reporting it in droves” (Ducharme). In this section of the author’s statement, her logic is truly biased because she is mentioning that everyone in the world right now is reporting burnout in droves, making the topic seem urgent. However, Ducharme is only accounting for the people that are quitting their jobs due to burnout, not the entire population, making her assertion false and illogical.
LikeLike
Hello victor, I liked your in-depth analysis of the article. Something that stood out to me was when you wrote, “The information that the author presents may seem reliable in some areas of research presented, however, her work is clearly false. The author mentions that burnout is not a medical diagnosis, yet, she states”. The example provided after this quote was very strong. And i liked the way you used “however”. Overall strong response!
LikeLike
According, to Jamie Durante companies were paying more attention to the “Burnout” situation because many employees were quitting there jobs. The information that she give doesn’t seem reliable because there’s many fallacies in her statements. For example in the article Jamie Durante states in the title “particularly given the staffing shortages that are hamstringing many customers-facing industries and slowing the supply chain”. In this quote Durante uses the word hamstringing which she exgerente the situation by putting that way. Also she make the situation look worst that it is. Also in the article Jaime Durante says that “So far, 2021 quit leves are about 10% to 15% higher than they were in the record setting 2019, by Klotz calculations”. Which this seems not very reliable because it’s only based on “Klotz calculations” only one source which it doesn’t make it seem very credible.
LikeLike
Hi Vivian, I too find the use of “Hamstringing” excessive and completely unnecessary. The most amusing aspect is how they state it is not a real medical issue in any way, yet provide a list of how it can cause severe illness and show it off as something more serious than what it really is.
LikeLike
Hi Vivian, I also agree with you when you said that “[Ducharme] uses the word hamstringing [to exaggerate] the situation by putting [it] that way. Also[,] she makes the situation look worst [than] it is” (Perez). I believe that Ducharme does this to draw more attention to the situation by making the situation seem urgent and to catch the readers attention.
LikeLike
Good evening Vivian, I agree with the points you made in response to the prompt, especially where you mention “hamstringing many customer-facing industries and slowing the supply chain”. You did a great job by explaining how Durante “ exaggerated the situation by putting it that way.”. Which myself as well agrees with that because she uses those words to try to prove a point and make it seem like it’s a worse deal than what it really is.
LikeLike
Hi Vivian, great response! But I was a bit confused with the sentence, ” Also she make the situation look worst that it is”. As I understand what you’re trying to say but I don’t see any evidence supporting that claim.
LikeLike
Hello Vivian!! I totally agree with you when you mention that her sources are not reliable because she only uses one source. Also, the “hamstringing” exaggeration is very noticeable in her article, I do not think that it was necessary for her to include. I am glad that you pointed that factor out because I forgot to!
LikeLike
Hello Vivian,
Regarding your quote, I do agree that Ducharme is using the word “hamstringing” as more of an exaggeration than anything. I believe that doesn’t make a good article because it has the ability to show bias towards one side. In the article it also uses the phrase “pipe line” to compare to managers as a metaphor/ exaggeration. Which can also be seen as bias such as hamstringing.
LikeLike
In the article, “THE ‘GREAT RESIGNATION’ IS FINALLY GETTING COMPANIES TO TAKE BURNOUT SERIOUSLY. IS IT ENOUGH? Workers Are Demanding Better Treatment- Or Leaving,” written by Jamie Ducharme explains that job burnout has always existed but companies are starting to pay closer attention to this concept due to this burnout being detrimental to employees’ well-being. Ducharme expresses, “But studies show that it can overlap with the physical and mental health issues, including depression, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and headaches. It can even be a predictor of chronic diseases including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, research shows” (Ducharme 2). This quote explains the different fatal diseases that are brought on by job burnout which would alarm any company. The listing of these fatal diseases creates a tone that job burnout is very toxic and life-threatening. On the other hand, this claim is not efficiently supported with strong evidence. At the beginning of this paragraph Ducharme wrote, “Importantly, burnout is not a medical diagnosis or a mental-health condition…” (Ducharme 2). If job burnout is not a “medical diagnosis” let alone a “mental-health condition” how can it necessarily bring on these extreme chronic conditions? Ducharme’s information does not seem reliable due to the lack of evidence. Ducharme claims studies have proven that burnout causes these health conditions, but fails to explain these studies which raises many questions. Who was the study conducted on? How many people were included in the study? Do they have any underlying/hereditary health conditions that is being blamed with job burnout? Ducharme’s article is not reliable and fails to provide sufficient evidence.
LikeLike
Hello Tylor, I also agree with you that “Ducharme’s information does not seem reliable due to the lack of evidence. Ducharme claims studies have proven that burnout causes these health conditions, but fails to explain these studies which raise many questions” (Lyster). She did very much indeed have a lack of information and the sources she was using didn’t seem reliable or credible.
LikeLike
Hi Tylor it’s Shakira coming to you live, I really enjoyed reading your response because girl you did the thing! I love how you provided tons of evidence and built your opinion off of it. I definitely agree with you in how she isn’t a reliable source completely. She does fail to explain the studies as well that’s something I also noticed.
LikeLike
Hello Tylor!
I agree that the statement, “But studies show that it can overlap with the physical and mental health issues, including depression, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and headaches. It can even be a predictor of chronic diseases including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, research shows” brings a tone of threatening and fear. In the article it states, “For many, that means targeting burnout, a cocktail of work-related stress, exhaustion, cynicism and negativity that is surging during the pandemic.” This statements is also another quote that brings fear in their tone. This shows that throughout the article they are stating different words that have the ability to scare others, which makes people believe the information they are reading.
LikeLike
Hi Taylor, I agree with what you said that “Ducharme’s information does not seem reliable due to the lack of evidence” (Lyster). I also believe that Ducharme did lack evidence and her sources didn’t seem reliable.
LikeLike
Job burnout is certainly not a new phenomenon, in recent years it has been brought to people’s attention due to employees quitting their jobs. According to Jamie Decharme, author of the article “The ‘Great Resignation’ is Finally Getting Companies to Take Burnout Seriously. Is It Enough?”, companies are starting to pay more attention to burnout due to “staffing shortages […] and [the] slowing [of] the supply chain” (Decharme 1). The information that Decharme presents does not seem reliable because she includes various rhetorical devices and fallacies. For example, Decharme uses lots of metaphors, hyperbole, sarcasm, etc. which allows her writing to seem more exaggerated than it needs to be to catch the reader’s attention. For instance, Decharme says that “So far, 2021 quit levels are about 10% to 15% higher than they were in record-setting 2019, by Klotz’s calculations” which appeals to false authority since she is only relying on Klotz’s calculations when it comes to this topic (Decharme 1). Ducharme also uses sweeping generalization when she says that “[b]osses often can’t see problems that exist under their noises, and they never will if they don’t ask” making it seem as if all bosses don’t see problems that are happening in the workplace. Overall, Decharme makes certain things in her article seem more exaggerated than they are and she provides too many fallacies and rhetorical devices to make her article seem reliable.
LikeLike
hi Jennifer, i can totally agree with your arguments, companies are starting to pay more attention to burnout due to staff shortages. and in some things the information does not seem reliable, I agree with you that the writing contains metaphors, hyperbole, and sarcasm, I think that in a certain way it is not very reliable,
LikeLike
Hi Jennifer, I like how you pointed out eh authors use of rhetorical devices and how that affects the overall reliability of her argument. I agree with you that a lot of generalizations were made and her data could be more specific, as she was only getting it from few select sources.
LikeLike
Hello Jennifer!! I agree with you saying that the information Jamie presents is very reliable because of the rhetorical devices. I also think that she is not very reliable because she has her information all over the place. I agree with your comment about the bosses not knowing what is happening in their own workspace because it makes them seem life fools.
LikeLike
Hello Jennifer!
I agree that the statement “So far, 2021 quit levels are about 10% to 15% higher than they were in record-setting 2019, by Klotz’s calculations” appeals to false authority because they are only relying on those calculations, but also because we don’t know all the details about these calculations. How do we know they are true? In the article it also states, ” 42% of U.S. respondents said they had left a job specifically because of burnout”. How do we know how many people were the 42%, let alone how many people were actually questioned about this? Throughout this article it presents “facts” without reliable information.
LikeLike
Hi Jennifer, I completely agree with your arguments since companies are just paying attention to the employees since they are affecting them and there’s been a high rise in the amount of people quitting. I also agree with you on how the article doesn’t seem reliable since there’s sarcasm and there was only a few sources.
LikeLike
In this article by Jamie Ducharme she talks about “job burnout” which is very much a real thing and not at all new. Jamie discusses how companies are seeing it happen in the new normal we call life. In her article Jaime inserts some researches and studies to prove her point. As a result she inserts some crucial research from an organization that took a survey on over 65,000 employed Americans where more people felt burnt out in 2021 than they did in 2020. For a long time Employers believed that the problem wasn’t work exactly but more the employees and their lifestyles. Jamie also states :”burnout is not a medical diagnosis or a mental health condition—instead, the World Health
Organization classifies it as an “occupational phenomenon.””(Ducharme). With that being said if people do not see this for themselves it could lead to more serious issues like depression, insomnia or other mental health problems affecting performance. Jamie also discusses healthy ways to manage these issues. Some of the information does seem pretty reliable especially coming from organizations as well as some that actually surveyed people but not all like Deloitte which I tried to get more research about but nothing much came out other than the fact they’re for us people. There is also a bit more information she could’ve added.
LikeLike
Hi Shakira, I agree with you when you said “Some of the information does seem pretty reliable especially coming from organizations as well as some that actually surveyed people […] There is also a bit more information she could’ve added” (Ramirez). I believe that if Ducharme did include good information but is she wanted her article to seem more reliable she could have included more reliable sources as well as include more organizational sources.
LikeLike
Job burnout is certainly not a new phenomenon, however, it is something that has not been highlighted as it is in this article. Jamie Ducharme argues that companies began to pay more attention to people who may suffer from stress or exhaustion due to their work, thanks to the statistics of the resignations of people in the year 2021, they began to take into account many different ways that could help the company to prevent a “Great Resignation” from arising and likewise begin to make some changes in the work environment. The information does seem consistent to me, but with a bit of exaggeration in some points, such as where he says “Work stress didn’t magically appear for the first time during the pandemic.” I think that Jamie Ducharme made a bit of sarcasm in the writing, and in that way, he made the article not so formal.
LikeLike
Hi Mitzy, I agree with you when you said “that Jamie Ducharme made a bit of sarcasm in the writing, and in that way, he made the article not so formal” (Sandoval). I believe that if Ducharme wanted to make her article seem more formal and more persuasive Ducharme should have not used as much rhetorical devices and fallacies as they did.
LikeLike
Hello mitzy, i liked how you pointed out that “The information does seem consistent to me, but with a bit of exaggeration in some points[..]”. As I myself didn’t take too much of a notice as to how exaggerated the article really was.
LikeLike
Hello Mitzy!! I agree with you saying that companies are now only noticing their employees suffering from work because of stress and exhaustion. I also agree that there is also some exaggeration in this article. The exaggerated part that stood out to me was when Jamie Ducharme states that “Work stress didn’t magically appear for the first time during the pandemic” (Ducharme 2).
LikeLike
Response: Ducharme believes that companies are taking their workers mental and physical health in mind in attempts to prevent the great work resignation. She backs her claim with statistics and studies done before and after the pandemic. Showing that there was an initial wave of job resignations in 2019 before the pandemic, which would be halted and amplify said wave. The author seems to be reliable through the use of studies done by professionals in the field. For example, “Christina Maslach, a social psychologist who is the U.S.’ preeminent burnout expert and co-creator of the most commonly used tool for assessing worker burnout[…]” (Ducharme 1). As well as using examples from real current tech companies: “For example: tech companies including Bumble, LinkedIn and Hootsuite closed for a week this year to give people a break and combat burnout”(Ducharme 1). Using strong examples like so strengthen her argument through the use of logos.
LikeLike
Hi Matthew, I agree with you and also found that, for the most part, this was a reliable article. I thought the people and organizations were qualified, but I also think that she could have given us more information about the statistics. I like that she gave us a bit of background on who the people she was citing for and why they are reliable.
LikeLike
Burnouts in general are common, but they occur mostly because of work. According to Jamie Ducharme companies are starting to pay attention to burnouts because many are turning their letter of resignations in (Ducharme 1). A lot of the information that she presents seems reliable, but there are some that seem to be questioned. For example in the article she states, Importantly, burnout is not a medical diagnosis or a mental health condition—instead, the World Health Organization classifies it as an “occupational phenomenon” (Ducharme 2). Then she continues to list in the next sentence medical conditions that could happen from burnouts or medical related illnesses that can potentially cause burnouts. Then she shows a bit of sarcasm by stating, “Work stress didn’t magically appear for the first time during the pandemic[…]” (Ducharme 2). Work stress has been around for so long, but now people are just noticing it more because of everything that is going on in this world, especially from the chaos of this pandemic.
LikeLike
Response to Prompt 1. Jamie Ducharme in her article “The ‘Great Resignation’ is Finally Getting Companies to Take Burnout Seriously. Is it Enough?” speaks of the fact that companies have directed their attention to the well-being of their employees mental health in order to avoid mass job resignation. Ducharme discusses the idea that companies have pointed out how much burnout has affected their employee’s mental health and fear the possible occurrence of a “Great Resignation”. She makes sure to justify all of her work with statistics and studies of all the increases and decreases in the job resignation rate caused by burnout. The author also explains that although the care is rather enjoyable, it is quite strange that companies have begun to pay attention to their employee’s well-being until now. Near the end of her article, Jamie Ducharme mentions how “Work Stress didn’t magically appear for the first time during the pandemic…” alluding to her claim in regards to companies’ actions. Despite the fact that her words make up part of what she is attempting to interpret to her readers, Ducharme seems unprofessional and unreliable with the way she exaggerates the situation and refers to it with sarcasm, questioning the article’s reliableness.
LikeLike
Prompt 2:
According to Ducharme, companies are starting to pay more attention to job burnout because it is costing them to lose their employees. According to the article it states, ” […] burnout was as the worker’s problem-something they needed to fix with self-care and yoga and sleep if they were going to make it in the rat race of life” (Ducharme 1). This clearly shows how burnout was soley focused on the worker and not the company itself. For instance, people are actually looking more into depth on this issue like they do with other issues as well. This means that burnout is becoming an even bigger issue globally and is causing companies in need of workers because people are burnt out and tired of it. The information that Ducharme presents can seem reliable, but is also a little skeptical in some cases because there is no statistics or evidence to prove most of her surveys and theories. The article also contains a lot of rhetorical devices and fallacies such as juxtaposition, metaphors, and hyperboles that make an article not a good one. When articles have rhetorical devices, that often means they are bias in their own way. For example, the author states “Actually getting managers to listen too and solve problems might seem like a pipe dream” (Ducharme 4). This clearly demonstrates how the author is using a metaphor and an exaggeration when talking about managers, which is can be seen as putting them down. For example, when you begin to talk down about another person, it clearly shows you don’t care for them, which makes you biased. One last example is ” “They feel burned out often or almost always” (Ducharme 1). This proves how the author used a hasty generalization when referring to the employees. She had no evidence or reason to make a general theory on these employees. With statements like these, it made her argument weaker. For example, when you biased or one sided and it is clear that you are, it makes your statements weaker, which will not draw your audience’s attention. The purpose of this article was to show the employees side of this issue, and to put down the companies and managers that run the businesses in order to prove their point to everyone in the world.
LikeLike
According to Jamie Ducharme “ A record 42.1 million Americans quit a job in 2019, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, but that rate dropped off during the pandemic-addled year of 2020.” Jamie Ducharme talks about the rates of employees that are quitting their job after the pandemic and how they have been having rough times and have been overloading themselves because of the harsh times they spent on the computer. Another point Jamie Ducharme is “ In August alone,more than 4.2 million people handed in their two weeks’ notice, according to federal statistics. So far, 2021 quit levels are about 10% to 15% higher than they were in record-setting 2019, by Klotz’s calculations.” The information that is presented does not seem reliable since there’s no evidence of a professional stating it that is specialized. There’s also no real numbers that indicate the number of people that are being counted in these percentages and they just mention that there’s many people but not an exact number.
LikeLike