"I'm not burned out. I'm designed-out."

That's what a top operator told her CPO at 10:47 PM on a Tuesday. And Dr. Brad Shuck can't stop thinking about it.

In this episode of Office Therapy, Brad unpacks why the burnout conversation is missing the point in 2026. Drawing on new Berkeley research showing AI intensifies work instead of reducing it, and Gallup's April 2026 finding that manager engagement has collapsed to 22%, Brad makes the case that what leaders are calling a people problem is actually a design problem.

You'll hear:

• Why "task expansion" is the hidden cost of your AI rollout
• The brutal math behind today's average manager carrying 12 direct reports
• Why compassion without systems burns out your best leaders
• Three moves to fix it: the Compassion Load Index, an emotional routing table, and Strategic Slowness

If your highest performers are quietly becoming your highest flight risks, this one's for you.