The French Fry Theory is the idea that you always have room to eat one more fry. It is easy to say yes to one more thing at work or to delegate something more to a team member.

In a world that moves fast and in workplaces that expect a lot from us, we can sometimes forget to slow down and pause. How much is a serving of French fries? How much work is beyond my capacity? What is nice to have vs. absolutely necessary?

As we get closer to the end of the year, pause, and list out the things you and your team are working on. What is reasonable? What can you eliminate?

A poll of 20,000 people in 11 countries found that almost 50% of employees and 53% of managers said they were burned out at work. (Source: Microsoft)

I had a pay negotiation coaching client last year that received a very big offer from a large tech firm. She is now leaving because of a bad manager and a workload that is ridiculous. She stayed in touch with a former manager and was offered a VP level role. Her pay increased by more than $30K.

Employees resign and say yes to other opportunities when they lose hope that their current work situation will improve. Promises aren’t enough. Action that leads to better is necessary.

And burning out your people in the effort to meet company goals is cruel.

Many employees are doing their self-assessment for their annual performance review now. Managers will then provide their feedback.

Don’t forget to look at workloads to ensure that you aren’t causing burnout in your team members. Are you suffering from it too?

“The greatest wealth is health.” --the Roman poet, Virgil

#burnout #retention #humanresources #leadership #pay #performance #health #wealth #compensation