Spencer Carter was signed off work for three months with stress, but his employers encouraged him back early and doubled his responsibilities. His GP warned him that the stress was going to kill him due to astronomically high blood pressure. He took voluntary redundancy to save his life.
Carter had worked as a business operations manager for a global company, dealing with endless data, spreadsheets, and teams across different time zones. He was drinking heavily, his relationship was falling apart, and his behaviour became erratic. He agonised over leaving his well-paid career but eventually decided to change direction.
He turned to his passion for archaeology, moving from a £100,000 salary to a sector where salaries start at £19,000. He found it exciting and brain-challenging, and felt self-empowered. However, in 2017 he experienced a second round of burnout, which he describes as PTSD. Despite this, he has become a specialist in his field and published papers.
Tara Lewis, a former paramedic, also experienced burnout. She was signed off work for six months in 2014. She loved her job but found it increasingly difficult due to soaring callouts and dealing with social issues rather than medical emergencies. She eventually left in 2015.
Clinical psychologist Dr Roberta Babb identifies three main types of burnout: frenetic burnout from overwork, boreout from underchallenge, and worn-out burnout from being ground down. A recent WHO and ILO study found that working at least 55 hours a week is a serious health hazard linked to stroke and heart disease.
