I would like to set boundaries. Like working 4 days a week, 10 out of 12 month a year. But most employers have a different idea of how much I should work.

For an employer to find an employee that aligns with their values (at least 8-5, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year) is easy.

For an employee to find an employer that aligns with values like above is a very diffuclt thing to do. It will take years of hard work, interviews, trials, etc. etc.

Without a doubt it will change your life for the better and will likely have as big an impact as other "big rocks" in your life (house, partner, kids).

That means it's very worthwhile putting in the effort.

Yeah and then there are people on H1B who has to work the same job 7 years or they're deported in 60 days.

Absolutely, it sucks, but that is the system they've decided to use, for what is likely a long-long term net gain compared to not coming in.

They should spend years 6 and 7 looking for better prospects, and move to greener pastures as soon as they possibly can.

I personally immigrated to a new country and was locked in for 4 years at a job that demanded more and more of my time and life energy. Leaving was one of the most long-term positive things I've ever done, and the 4 years was worth it.

Again, it's going to take years, and be hard work. And it's going to be worth it.

Exactly! I'm currently going through this process. I'm just pointing out that "quit your job" is not always an option. Regardless of how burnt out I am, I'm still gonna show up to work tomorrow and do as much as I fucking can to do valuable things for the company. No I know this is a shitty way to waste away my life and 20s but I honestly don't know any better way to live.

This is a very findable arrangement at most Fortune 500 companies.

You’re technically working 5 days , but really just work 4. With 7 weeks vacation [combine corporate holidays with 5 weeks personal PTO or those unlimited pto places] and a couple weeks of just turning in prior work it’s not hard.

An employee may over-commit and fail to maintain a clear delineation between work and private life regardless of their employer's demands. There is a lifestyle issue at play here.

If it's that simple why is burnout so topical now at month 17 of covid19?

I think it's actually: your boundaries needed to significantly change during the pandemic, and you didn't recognize that in time.

If covid19 had been eradicated in 6-9 months and we were globally back to normal, would burnout still be as much of a problem? I suspect it would not be.

Yes, we were forced into an unnatural, unexpected situation of remote work and social isolation. Remote work used to be a treat, something you did when you needed repairs done around the house. Now it's a Zoom-powered dystopian nightmare.

Unfortunately companies know that it's vastly cheaper to frame the narrative around blaming personal responsibility and the employee for "not being tough enough / being unskilled at negotiating / bad at managing their free time" than to change a toxic work culture that demands increasingly more out of fewer and fewer staff.

Exactly. I’ve been told to “toughen up” when being constantly undermined and 8 colleagues quit out of frustration. The “manager” who told me that also eventually quit out of burnout. Go figure.

I'm glad you figured it out out for them, then.

Very astute comment