Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin have helped teams around the world adopt more modern ways of working and on At Work with The Ready they’re sharing the inside scoop with you, too. Whether you’re struggling with a carousel of ineffective meetings, annual strategy sessions that go nowhere, or decision-making churn that never ceases, they’ve seen it all and are here to help. In each episode, they'll break down common workplace challenges and show you the moves—both big and small—to start making real, lasting change. (Formerly “Brave New Work” with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans)
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Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin have helped teams around the world adopt more modern ways of working and on At Work with The Ready they’re sharing the inside scoop with you, too. Whether you’re struggling with a carousel of ineffective meetings, annual strategy sessions that go nowhere, or decision-making churn that never ceases, they’ve seen it all and are here to help. In each episode, they'll break down common workplace challenges and show you the moves—both big and small—to start making real, lasting change. (Formerly “Brave New Work” with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans)
Burnout has become the quiet epidemic of modern work. We tell people to “set better boundaries” or “take more time off,” but the real problem isn’t a lack of self-care—it’s that most organizations are designed to exhaust their people. Fear-based cultures, unclear priorities, and performative busyness have turned overwork into a badge of honor, leaving even the most capable teams running on fumes.
In this episode, Rodney and Sam unpack the systemic roots of burnout and why it thrives inside traditional hierarchies. They explore how teams accidentally reinforce it, how leaders unknowingly reward it, and share real steps to change the system instead of blaming individuals.
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Mentioned references:
"77% of professionals feel burned out"
Prisoner's dilemma
Theory Y
"American teen experiences as much anxiety as 1950s psych patient"
"job market hellscape article"
Herbert Freudenberger and 12 stages of burnout
"4 day workweek better human outcomes"
00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’a silly or inconsequential project to you’ve done just for fun?
03:23 The Pattern: Systemic burnout keeps being met with individual solves, which leads to more burnout
08:21 Team burnout red flag 1: Overhelptfulness
11:10 Team burnout red flag 2: Defeatism
14:04 Team burnout red flag 3: Procrastination
16:44 Team burnout red flag 4: Overwork on busywork
20:41 Team burnout red flag 5: Impatience
23:35 Burnout is tied to short-termism and fear
27:30 Bureaucracy and gaslighting
29:10 Idea 1: Combat busyness with an outcome audit
32:49 Idea 2: Clarify ways of working to cut through bureaucracy
34:29 Idea 3: Design defaults and rules that reduce systemic burnout
36:14 Idea 4: Learn your own burnout symptoms to steer the ship before you reach critical mass
42:00 Idea 5: Enforce work-in-product limits for your team
45:55 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share the show with your colleagues
Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.
At Work with The Ready
Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin have helped teams around the world adopt more modern ways of working and on At Work with The Ready they’re sharing the inside scoop with you, too. Whether you’re struggling with a carousel of ineffective meetings, annual strategy sessions that go nowhere, or decision-making churn that never ceases, they’ve seen it all and are here to help. In each episode, they'll break down common workplace challenges and show you the moves—both big and small—to start making real, lasting change. (Formerly “Brave New Work” with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans)
