Our team's burnout

The team was working long hours, and the workload was increasing. The team's productivity was slipping, and the developers were exhausted and worn out.

• Team's workload was increasing due to rapid growth.
• The team was feeling the stress of the heavy workload.
• The team's productivity was decreasing.

Team's fear and guilt

The team was afraid to take vacation because they felt their workload would increase even more. The developers felt guilty leaving their work behind for their teammates.

• Team members were afraid of the backlog of work when they returned from vacation.
• Team members felt guilty leaving their work for their teammates.
• The team was hesitant to take time off due to fear and guilt.

Management's role in team's burnout

The article's author acknowledges their role as a manager in the team's burnout. They didn't see the signs and didn't take action to fix the situation until it was almost too late.

• Management didn't recognize the signs of team burnout.
• Management didn't take action to address the team's burnout.
• Management had a responsibility to prevent team burnout.

Hiring a new developer

The author realized that hiring a new developer was necessary to alleviate the team's workload. They hired two developers on test contracts and eventually hired one full-time. This helped to distribute the workload and reduce stress.

• Hiring was seen as a solution to the team's workload.
• Hiring helped distribute the work and reduce pressure on the team.
• Hiring was a necessary investment in the team's well-being.

Making not working work

The team had to learn to prioritize and manage their workload more effectively. They had to identify and re-prioritize tasks, ensuring that only mission-critical tasks were focused on.

• The team re-evaluated their priorities and workload.
• The team focused on essential tasks and moved less important tasks to a later date.
• The team learned to manage their time and work more effectively.

Leading by example

The author emphasizes the importance of setting a good example for their team. They took a week off to recharge and also enforced a company-wide vacation period.

• The author led by example by taking a vacation.
• The author enforced a company-wide vacation period to encourage rest.
• The author demonstrated the importance of taking time off to recharge.

Results and moving forward

The team saw positive results after implementing these changes. Their velocity increased, and the employees took more time off to recharge.

• The team's velocity increased by 38%.
• Employees took more time off to recharge.
• The team's overall productivity and happiness improved.

Preventing burnout in the future

The author emphasizes the need to continue to track employee happiness and implement systems to ensure that team members take time off to recharge.

• Management needs to continue monitoring employee happiness.
• Management needs to create systems to ensure time off is taken.
• Management needs to create a sustainable work environment for the team.