NOVEMBER 2023Media & Entertainment Business Review8THE GREAT DIVERSITY PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT By Karima Green, Global Director of Inclusion & Impact, CSM Sport & EntertainmentIn July I took a two-week summer holiday, it was the first break I'd had in 2023 and a particularly busy year with plenty of personal and professional changes. As I slumped into my seat ready for the ten-hour flight, I felt the familiar feeling switching off my email, TEAMS and news notifications on my phone, the heavy head, sniffling, scratchy throat, exhaustion, heightened emotions. I was prepared for my usual reaction to the start of a holiday where my body and mind start to slow down, adrenaline reduces and illness creeps in, the burnout symptoms I've been avoiding catch up with me.I recently read a study conducted this year exploring the rise among DEI professionals in burning out due to the challenges in the work. It found that while DEI professionals encounter higher levels of exhaustion than others, we also experience greater professional satisfaction, which I believe is strongly linked to individual purpose and motivation to make the world a better place. This suggests those who work in DEI often tread the line of finding their careers arduous and demanding but also rewarding, gratifying, and fulfilling, a dichotomy I am all too familiar with and one that is hard to walk away from.Burnout is a term we are hearing much more, despite a greater focus on employee wellbeing with businesses investing in mental health support over the last few years, recognising its link to optimum performance. However, the specific support required for certain roles, such as DEI professionals often falls short. I don't necessarily think this is out of design, but naivety to the very specific challenges those in DEI navigate daily such as bias, discrimination, difficult conversations, and frustration, all of which have an impact.DEI work over the last few years has been harder than ever and the DEI role has evolved rapidly. We are advisors, project IN MYOPINION
< Page 7 | Page 9 >