Quite simply, since the beginning of the pandemic, the workplace has become incredibly intense, forcing many workers to “be close to a nervous breakdown,” in the words of one employee I recently interviewed: Limited sleep. A loss of appetite. Unable to take time off. Increased workloads and strict deadlines. Being told to “do more with less.” Threatened that they are “replaceable.” Limited or no performance feedback. Social distancing. Masking. No face-to-face interaction, other than Zoom calls. Unshakable stress. Tears. Increased consumption of alcohol and drugs. Utter exhaustion. Burnout Since its beginning, the pandemic has devastated workers’ emotions, ...
