HR is supposed to support everyone else.

But who is supporting HR?

In this episode of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman sits down with clinical psychologist and Ultimate Resilience co-founder Dr. Jo Burrell to unpack some deeply concerning data about the mental health of HR professionals — and the workplace systems helping drive it.

Dr. Burrell’s research found extraordinarily high levels of burnout, anxiety and depression among HR professionals, with many reporting that they feel poorly supported despite being the very people organizations turn to when everyone else is struggling.

And that raises a bigger question:

Have we mistaken asking people to cope with broken systems for resilience?

Jess and Jo explore:

• Why HR has become the emotional shock absorber of modern workplaces
• What happens when leaders outsource every difficult people problem to HR
• Why HR professionals are being asked to handle grief, trauma and mental health issues they were never trained to manage
• How the “helper” identity can make it difficult for HR people to say no
• Why resilience cannot compensate for an unhealthy workplace
• The problem with one-off wellness initiatives and “lunch and learn” solutions
• Why organizations need to address the source of stress — not just teach employees to tolerate more of it
• What HR professionals can do to protect their own wellbeing without emotionally shutting down

Because you can be the healthiest, most resilient person in the world — but if your workload is impossible and your workplace is toxic, eventually the environment wins.

And if the people responsible for everyone else’s wellbeing are burning out themselves, that should concern every leader.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of Wired to Work:
https://wiredtowork.buzzsprout.com

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