Burnout: The truth about overwork and what we can do about it | DW Documentary

Why do we work, and why are we working more than ever? Overwork is damaging our lives and the planet. This film takes a look at the past and also asks how we can change the future of work.

Why do we feel pressure to be busy, and where did this pressure come from? Some answers lie with the influences of the church, monarchies, 15th-16th Century colonialism and the effect of industrialization on modern-day consumerism and work ethics. Faced with the widespread problem of burnout, many modern companies respond with "mindfulness" in the workplace. Unions and the fight for labor justice are being replaced by therapies and office yoga. And yet, people who are unemployed are worse off than those with jobs — why?

Predictions that digitalization would make people’s work easier and that machines and artificial intelligence would replace us as workers don’t seem to add up. After all, the priority of automation is not to give people more freedom, but to make production more efficient and therefore increase profits.

So how can we free ourselves from the vicious cycle of overwork and consumerism, and learn to relax again?

#documentary #dwdocumentary #burnout
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