In this solo episode of The Gen Mess with Tess, host Tess Brigham addresses a question she hears from HR leaders, managers, and employees alike: Why does work feel so heavy right now, even when things look better on paper?

Drawing from her background as a therapist and her work with organizations, Tess explains the challenges HR leaders are facing in 2026: burnout is no longer just about workload or flexibility, but about chronic psychological strain shaped by generational experiences, unclear expectations, and emotional role overload.

She breaks down how burnout shows up differently for Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen X, how remote and hybrid work have changed trust, communication, and boundaries, and why managers and HR leaders are often carrying emotional responsibilities they were never trained for.

This episode reframes burnout as a human, nervous-system issue - not a performance failure - and offers business leaders a clearer way to think about empathy, accountability, psychological safety, and sustainable workplace culture.

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