#burnout

Since January, on all of my calls, it's really obvious people are burned out and complaining that there's so much work and not enough people. I am wondering if management just wants everyone to resign to be able to reduce headcount. And then what? It's people in the bottom doing most things. I've been on calls where people were just dependent on this one singular person doing all the stuff. What if he goes? At this point I am doubtful that this is even part of their decision-making process.

I gave my two week notice Monday morning, and I just want to share this message if it helps even one person. We all have different circumstances which I understand so this won’t be for everybody.

I feel relieved. Not scared. Not panicked. No regret.

I actually felt this huge emotional release after i hit send, like when you’ve been holding something in for way too long and finally let it go. If that sounds soft- idc.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was taking back control of my life instead of just reacting to it.

If you’re unhappy, burned out, or feel stuck, don’t ignore that voice forever. Fear keeps a lot of us frozen, but sometimes the scariest step is also the most freeing one.

Just wanted to put that out there for anyone who needs to hear it.

I have been severely overwhelmed at work the last 2 years. Drowning in legal issues and compliance stuff and roughly 2 x the workload of next coworker...I got an inconsistently meets this year after pushing back on workload and other things...I don't think they would fire me as who would deal with it but anyone else having that issue? How can I continue to do it and not get paid enough or have any trust with management?

I've attended a few Leadership update calls since Dan announced results and I've heard the phrase 'find another gear' or similar used a few times now.

Do any of you have another gear to go upto? I don't know about y'all but since VSP & the last round of RIFs, I've been in top gear constantly covering my work and that of several others, and have nothing more left to give, I'm burnt out.

I guess they expect me to give up even more of my own personal time to help Dan get his payout. It ain't happening!

I've been with SAP for many years and I still trust most of the management but today's call really breaks my trust in it.

Why is management blaming shareholders for the stock price going down? Why can't they take accountability because they set the strategy?

Why is management blaming employees saying we aren't doing as well as we can? We're consistently overperforming even with less resources than before, employees are burnt out and they're setting higher and higher targets for each year. Why can't they allow more budget for areas that need investments?

Why is management trying for share buybacks and layoffs at the same time? They both need a lot of cash flow and the share price rise is modest at best. We're losing budget that can be put to better use instead. Buybacks seem completely unnecessary and layoffs make us lose good employees who can support other initiatives.

Why does management keep talking about Palantir in every fr3aking call? I am tired of comparisons between Palantir and SAP as they are very different companies with a vastly different customer base. I don't understand CK's obsession with Peter Thiel. Our business models are different and we should focus on ours instead of trying to be more like Palantir.

Why isn't management looking into customer feedback around AI? I herd several times that customers aren't understanding AI enough or that they are not using it correctly or that they aren't finding the right tool or whatever new excuse. Microsoft already showed that Copilot generated revenue in the short term because it was forced to be a part of every Microsoft product. But they didn't get the adoption they expected and customers aren't willing to pay more for AI if it doesn't generate additional value for them. SAP needs to work on AI but the focus should be on generating value for customer not on AI adoption of SAP products. So far, Joule has been a failure.

I am tired, boss.

I want less layoffs. I want our management to be more accountable. How do we move on from here? CK and DA are only doubling down on this messaging and SAP's been going downhill.

Now I can't even properly relax on a Saturday due to Monday-related anxiety. What they're doing is destroying us, and they couldn't care less.

I ignored the signs for too long and now my health is paying the price. I wish I had listened to my gut and started job hunting the moment I felt the constant pressure. This job isn't worth your wellbeing.

I spent most of my career going all in, staying late, fixing things no one asked me to fix. Lately I’m realizing the extra effort rarely changes outcomes or benefits me all that much, it just burns me out faster. I’m trying to do what’s required, not everything possible, and reminding myself work doesn’t deserve all my energy. In other words, I'm trying to give back exactly as much as I'm getting.

Those of us who lost half our teams and weren’t absorbed into other groups are about to live a nightmare. They might reduce our workload because they know we physically can’t do it anymore, but I highly doubt it. Get ready to go from overworked to “family, what is that?”

Veteran employee here. Never in my 20+ years here have I felt so stressed, so anxiety filled, so burnt out, and so diminished. Leaders at the top continue to use smoke in mirrors with what seems like government classified secrecy, while all the leaders below them walk the halls with their heads down looking at every employee like their now a disease of the company. It used to exist only in pockets where bad leadership existed. Now even the best of us are walking targets for some unknown reason.
I disagreed that we had a morale issue a year ago in the first Townhall. This year, even those on their first day feel it.
When this all blows over in a few years, like it always does, the best will have survived and those who chose to throw out basic humanity will be the ones hanging their head. This has gone far enough!

Stop wasting your breath

Quick translation: No you won't get more people; yes you will get blamed for ELT decisions; we don't care about your burnout.

Does anyone else feel like the entire fiber and small cell business is in survival mode

Understaffed
Budgetary issues
Expected OT

This whole operation is running on one wheel it feels

I'm so tired of ki-ling myself at work when it feels like no one even notices. I could do the bare minimum and get the same thankless result. It's frustrating to realize that going above and beyond here doesn't get you anything but more work. How's that okay?

https://www.wellandtribune.ca/news/canada/immigration-layoffs-and-processing-times/article_040f8364-e289-5fa6-b97a-5acd49194812.html

The federal Immigration Department is experiencing significant job cuts. These cuts have led to a rise in application backlogs and processing times. Over one year, backlogged applications exceeding service standards increased by 12.7 percent. The Canada Employment and Immigration Union reports increased workloads and employee burnout. The department attributes longer processing times to growing demand for Canada.

I am in my forties and have tried all the usual advice, eating better, walking outside, staying active. None of it touches the exhaustion that comes from constant overwork. At some point it stops feeling personal and starts feeling like the job is designed to drain people no matter how careful they are.

I used to be the calm one, and this job’s slowly beaten that out of me. The pressure never lets up, and it shows in how short I’ve become and how checked out I feel. I hate that work’s turning me into someone I don’t recognize, but there's not much I can do about it.

I know quitting without something lined up would blow back on me, but staying in this work environment is wearing me down piece by piece. The manager who replaced one of the best bosses I ever had, before he was cut, is wildly incompetent and masks it by yelling at everyone over everything. I’m beyond tired of it.

It's crystal clear that advancement here is based on networking, not merit. If you're not part of the right circles, trying harder will only result in burnout. Trust me, been there, done that. My tactic now is to be as quiet and consistent as possible. I complete my tasks on time but avoid any projects that would make me stand out. It's a defensive play to ensure I don't become a target while I figure out my next move.

How clueless management is. Smh...Developers are leaving left and right. There is no pushback, just approving work constantly. New hires have zero training. Everyone is burnt out. What happened to comp days when your job forces you to work all weekend? Some managers ok with it, some managers not? And whats with the Meaningless calls 8-5 non stop every day? Who can stop this? Who can make change because its miserable to work like this.

The non-stop layoff drama has led to my complete emotional detachment. I don't want to lose my job, but I also can't bring myself to feel the stress I used to. It's not normal, but it's a strange kind of relief.

After more than 13 years with the company, I can honestly say morale has never been lower. People are exhausted. The general feeling is just complete defeat and a desire to get out.

I'm so done with this cr-p. I was given three people's work with impossible deadlines. Before, I might have tried to make it work, but I'm not ki-ling myself over it anymore. From this point on, it'll be done when it's done. They can hire help or let me go, I don't care.

I know I should be glad to have a job, but I'm so burnt out and miserable. The people who got the package might have gotten the better deal. It's rough staying here.

The pressure and job insecurity are literally making me unwell. I'm dealing with anxiety and health issues because of it. I hate that I need to stay here despite how awful it is.

we'll all go nuts before it's over. That's months of sustained anxiety on top of the regular stress and bloated workload. I'm already exhausted. Within a month, I'll probably be wishing they'd lay me off, job and bills be damned, just so I'm no longer dealing with all this. Sometimes I wonder how we all manage to survive and stay relatively healthy.

I keep waiting for the constant stress here to ease up, but it never does. How did we all accept that a job should make us feel this unwell? It feels like a standard part of the workday now and it's not right.

listen i'm not killin myself for this paycheck. the bare minimum is where its at. save your real effort for your own life not this job.

Not layoff related but are any other credentialing teams feeling overworked and exhausted? Most of the onboarding teams are about to be pulled from files to train new WRS people without any appreciation or additional pay. Wouldn't be surprised if we see half the company leave within the next few months.

Our clinical appeals dept just received notice our metrics are increasing again for the nurses. So over this place and the horrendous management!

Over my time at Fiserv I have noticed one very prominent theme. A select few (often with lackluster work ethic) are rewarded with bonuses, raises, extra privileges, while at the same time the ones actually getting the work done are designated as “work horses” who will get the job done and be told “you are lucky to have this position, with some luck you may see a promotion in a few year!”. They wonder why half the company has silently revolted and the stock is where it is. I have seen people on my team leave for high paying roles and when asked why HR is shocked to find out that they left due to being overworked and under paid. Don’t even get me started on the retention bonuses. My advice to young professionals is this: DO NOT under any circumstances accept being a work horse and yes man. This company does not respect hard work. Ask for more money and ask early, put the pressure on them. Make sure you are applying elsewhere to get counter offers, the market is tough but it can be done.

After they let people go, it's always the same story. Management brings in new, cheaper folks, but they're basically in training for a solid year before they can pull real weight - if they ever do. So who picks up the slack? The people who are already stretched thin. Calling them new hires is generous when they add to your workload instead of lightening it.

This entire 5 day RTO mandate isn't going to go well at all, and no, it's not JUST about having to go in the office. It's about how this is clearly a blanket solution to solve 1 particular problem within the company. A "solution" which will undo decade(s) of progress seemingly overnight.

Before COVID, we thrived on our 2-3 days in-person. That flexibility is why many of us joined and stayed. During COVID, we continued to thrive on remote work. And again, that flexibility is why many of us stayed. In return, many of us (without additional compensation mind you) gave back to the company by being available virtually 24/7. Fast forward to this day in 2026 and that mutual contract is broken. What does that mean?

Mandating 5 days in the office while continuing to expect 24/7 availability from most employees isn't sustainable. It's a recipe for burnout and resentment. Furthermore, claiming we've always been in-person and have been suffering due to our current arrangements completely contradicts the recent earnings report for 2025.

Look, this isn't another post by someone yelling into the void. This is a post from someone who cares. Believe it or not many of us do, which is why the following needs to be said:

This decision will hurt the company. In more ways than just one. It will damage morale, push out amazing talent, and ki-l the very culture that made this place what it is today. Locals are upset, news channels are reporting, employees feel disrespected, the list goes on.

I actually like the work I do, but the conditions are wearing me down fast. We're constantly short-staffed, people leave every month, people get laid off all the time, and the pay just doesn't make up for the stress. It's making me seriously question if I should stick with this entire field. Does it ever get better, or is this just how it is everywhere?

It’ll be hard as pressure will be applied under the guise of “meet the goal or else” but just put in 8 hours per day…..ONLY. Let the days of 50-60 hours per week be a thing in the past. Those of you who did work like that last year, what did you get out of it? No increase in comps, possible layoff and if you survive more work to pick up the slack.

Don’t do it out of anger or spite. Just let the layoff set the pace going forward. Clock in, work, go home. 8 hours only, no more, no less.

If you grind hard, you get let go.
If you do just enough to keep from getting fired, you still may be let go but its not quite as bitter as putting in tons of extra hours and then getting the axe.

Barely two months after laying off 350 employees, including many locally, CarMax has just cut hundreds more jobs. The Goochland-based used car giant announced today another mass layoff of 230 workers at its corporate offices.

https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/carmax-layoffs-jan-14-2026

It's sad I'm forced to do this while fully employed, but with nonexistent job security, it is what it is.

Lately it feels like my brain just isn't firing the way it used to, which is far from ideal in the time of layoffs. I'm slower, more tired, and small things keep slipping through the cracks. I have made some changes and seen a doctor, but progress is uneven. I feel like I'm signing my layoffs notice myself.