- Since COVID-19, concern has grown about burnout in the arts and culture sector.
- the level of burnout in this industry is pretty shocking […] the idea that [burnout] even exists is a running joke […] we’re all overworked and constantly tired.
- Yet it is ironic that cultural organisations whose success is based around people should treat those same people poorly.
What is burnout?
According to both the World Health Organization and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (widely regarded as the “gold standard” measure), burnout has three dimensions:
Recent research identifies three further burnout symptoms:
Burnout is also associated with negative outcomes, such as alcohol abuse, declining health and job withdrawal, which could be presenteeism, absenteeism or quitting. In a nutshell, burnout is a state of physical and/or emotional exhaustion caused by chronic stress on the job.
Read more:
If companies want to stop quiet quitting they need to take burnout seriously
What causes burnout in the arts?
- Prolonged work-related stress is the main cause of burnout.
- Artists and arts workers often experience these stressors due to the boom-bust careers necessitated by the project-based work that characterises this sector.
- Other unique factors also contribute to burnout in Australia’s arts and culture sector.
- Interestingly, hope can buffer burnout so more recent policy developments may bring some relief.
- Performance anxiety and “obsessive passion” can also cause burnout for some artists – particularly in the event of failure.
Individual-centred solutions are not enough
- Reflecting on the wisdom shared in their circle, one participant said that discussions about the stress of arts work:
kept coming back to the idea of caring less.
- Not that you don’t care, but that you need to be able to care less, because caring as much as you do was killing you.
Prioritising self-care is often touted as the solution to burnout, both by and for artists. Indeed, “fixing the person” approaches dominate both academic and industry responses. But as workplace expert Jennifer Moss wrote for the Harvard Business Review, “burnout is about workplaces, not workers”.
What can arts organisations do?
The key to preventing burnout is supporting engagement and wellbeing at work by creating six “positive ‘fits’” between arts workers and their workplaces:
This involves more than just individual job-tweaking. A holistic approach is needed to build workplace cultures that prioritise wellbeing from recruitment to leaving the organisation. Specific steps arts organisations should take straight away are:
- Preventing burnout among arts workers will require long-term, organisation- and sector-wide commitments.
- And, to maximise success, arts leaders – including those in politics and government – should ask themselves how can the arts and culture sector (and individual arts organisations) become a great place to work, and a workplace of choice?
Kate Power has received funding from the Queensland Government, under the Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship program.