Tag Archives: organizational culture in aid
Why Self-Care is not Enough
I’ve been a strong advocate of self-care over the years, and now that the trend is slowly catching up (even) in the nonprofit sector, I’d like to say why self-care is simply not enough. First a disclaimer: self-care matters. Any nurturing activity … Continue reading
The Workplace Revolution
Lucky me I was in London last week and had the chance to meet writer and activist Liam Barrington-Bush at his book launch. I connected with Liam back in the summer when I heard about his upcoming crowd-funded book Anarchists in the … Continue reading
How to beat burnout in NGOs
Once again we are discussing staff care and how to create better workplaces over at the Humanitarian Professional Group on Linkedin. If you work for an NGO or UN agency you may want to take a peek at the brilliant … Continue reading
Burnout is an organisational issue
Burnout tends to hit idealists. People like you, who want have a meaningful job, while making some kind of contribution to this messed-up planet. Staff within NGOs, UN agencies, small community-based organisations, are at risk of burnout. Here’s a thought: … Continue reading
Good people, bad leaders
Why are good people bad leaders? How to deal with a toxic boss or a toxic work environment? Why change can be a good and meaningful thing? I picked this video especially for my friends in the nonprofit sector who … Continue reading
Posted in Letters to the field
Tagged aid workers' burnout, organizational culture in aid
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Disengaged: burned-out or ‘bored-out’?
Today I want to explore two ways that lead to disengagement at work: burnout and boredom. Burnout as exhaustion and loss of meaning Burnout is a common malaise in the nonprofit sector. Individuals (and organisations) don’t burnout simply because of … Continue reading
Building healthy organisations: resilience and burnout
Resilience I like to think of resilience as the ability to ‘fall seven times and stand up eight’ as a Japanese proverb says. In organisations it also means being mindful of each other and ‘seeing beyond what is’. ‘In resilient cultures, members have figured out … Continue reading
Presenteeism and Burnout
A strange phenomena appears with those who are at risk, or suffer from burnout, it is called ‘presenteeism’. No matter how unwell you feel, or what you are going through in your personal life, you will show up at work. Continue reading
Staff Care: Economic? Legal? Ethical?
Impressions from the People in Aid 2012 HHR Conference June 15, 2012 Following 8 months in Palestine and an intense and very interesting Humanitarian HR Conference in Amsterdam, I’m now back in Oxford. Everything is so quiet here. I understand … Continue reading
Cynicism and burnout
While attending on a photo-shoot in London with a group of amateur photographers, I met a woman in her 30s who had been involved in humanitarian work for a number of years. As we chatted over lunch about the challenges … Continue reading