Consultant self-care: how to manage well-being (at work)?

When you’re knee-deep in demanding software development, the lines between coping and crashing can get a bit fuzzy. Just ask Jarno Laine, a consultant and one of the Founding Five of Rakettitiede, who’s faced burnout not once, but twice. So, how can consultants keep their well-being in check? And what does “managing well-being” even mean?

In 2021, Jarno Laine was deep in the code trenches with a client, his technical prowess in high demand. Unfortunately, his quest for perfection fed his inner critic, pushing him to deliver top-notch service at the cost of his own health. “The weeks were long. I was on call from morning till night, and even my holidays started piling up unused. I was exhausted and frustrated, but didn’t even realise it,” Jarno recalls.

Thankfully, his ex-colleague Iida stepped in. “She arranged a telephone appointment with an expert without me even having to ask. I had previously gone to occupational health for insomnia meds, but they were basically just plasters on a bullet wound,” Jarno says. This intervention led to his first-ever sick leave due to burnout. “I ended up trying the Auntie service for the first time, and it offered a surprisingly effective stress management package.”

Things started to improve, but the newfound energy was fragile. A year and a half later, the burnout symptoms resurfaced. “I realised it was time to break the harmful cycle,” Jarno says.

Is managing your well-being about recognising your limits and knowing when to hit the brakes? 

“I’m not sure. I think the first thing we need to ask is why manage well-being at all? Is it just a fancy term for self-reflection? Are ‘organisational skills’ just being rebranded?” Jarno muses.

Talking about mental health at work is no longer the taboo it was a couple of years ago, and even Rakettitiede’s CEO has been actively promoting emotional management. According to Jarno, the post-pandemic era, in particular, has brought about positive changes: “Nowadays, it’s more common to talk openly about things that are bothering us. I, too, found the courage to seek professional help.” 

But what causes IT consultants like Jarno to become stressed in the first place? And how does the Rocket react when the pressure becomes overwhelming?

A balancing act: technology and creativity

Jarno finds the greatest stress comes from intense technical demands coupled with the pressure to deliver exceptional quality. “Clients expect a lot from us, as they should. But I want to do everything even better and faster. The pressure to overachieve is real,” he says.

Balancing technical work with creativity is another challenge. While coding and problem-solving require creative thinking, the scales often tip too far towards the technical. “That’s when I notice myself craving for something tangible, like building a house or fixing a boat. Without it, I get overwhelmed and frustrated,” Jarno says. 

“Frustration leads to questioning the meaning of your work. Does my work even matter if it doesn’t benefit anyone?”

Jarno delves deeper into this. “Maybe ‘frustration’ is a better word for the stress consultants face. Dysfunctional processes, technical debt, high expectations, not achieving your goals – they all lead to frustration and questioning the meaning of your work. Does my work even matter if it doesn’t benefit anyone?”

Support on the mothership

Jarno believes the best way employers can support their employees is by recognising that everyone is different. What works for one person might not work for another. That’s why Rakettitiede’s team does its best to address stressors without forcing everyone into the same mould. Consultants have a say in their assignments and have regular check-ins with a designated caretaker.

Monitoring well-being is crucial. Each consultant has a “caretaker,” a co-worker who acts as a supervisor would. “We’re scattered among different clients and don’t meet each other regularly. The caretaker’s main job is to ask ‘how are you doing?’ and listen carefully,” Jarno explains. He also serves as a caretaker for a few fellow rocket scientists.

Recognising signs of burnout can be tricky, but certain behaviours can be telling. “An increase or drastic decrease in hours worked, or a person becoming withdrawn, are definite red flags,” Jarno says. “When I’m too tired, I get snappy and overwhelmed by things I need to do. The future starts to look foggy and absurd.”

The good news is that rocket scientists are seasoned developers with plenty of mileage in their career mileometer. Seniority often comes with a healthier attitude towards work. “Generally speaking, our team has a balanced view of work. When you’ve been around longer, you’ve seen it all. There’s more to life than work,” Jarno says.

To prevent burnout, Jarno suggests fostering a sense of community. “We need to feel connected and understand each other’s challenges. We are a like-minded bunch who enjoy each other’s company,” he says.

Efforts to bring people together have included traditional company dinners as well as activities like chocolate-making courses, wine festivals and amusement park outings. “These activities give our brains a break and help us ‘defragment’,” Jarno says.

The best thing you can do: know yourself

The silver lining in Jarno’s story is that his periods of burnout ultimately taught him to understand himself better and recognise his own limits. Jarno says this self-awareness is the key to maintaining well-being in today’s work environment.

“If you don’t know yourself, it’s extremely difficult to recognise the signs of exhaustion,” Jarno says. He admits that when things get tough, he tends to shut down. “Next, I exclude everyone else and won’t tell anyone how I feel or where I need help,” he adds.

What would Jarno say to his younger self, just starting out?

“Find someone to talk to. Someone who understands and has been through the same thing. Easier said than done, because I didn’t have anyone like that in my circle during my first burnout,” Jarno reflects. That’s why he appreciates the communication skills training at Rakettitiede. “We learned how to talk about ourselves in a positive way. It’s like learning to sell yourself to a client. One of the hardest things for us Finns is to give ourselves some praise.”

Awareness of and sticking to your boundaries also boosts well-being. Jarno offers a simple test to gauge one’s coping level: “When you shut down your computer, can you stop thinking about work and focus on something completely different?”

Back to the initial question: is well-being at work something that can be managed, Jarno?

“The strangest tip I’ve heard is to try to stay positive in the face of adversity, which basically means that you should just smile even if you feel like jumping off the roof,” Jarno says, rolling his eyes. He dismisses this advice as a fast track to a career change and compares mental capacity to a hybrid car battery: “At 100%, you can handle inefficiencies, nasty people, and pure foolishness. But once the tank is nearly empty, you snap easily, and the to-do list starts to feel overwhelming. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.” Everyone has their own tricks to recharge. Jarno’s recovery methods range from growing strawberries to wine tasting and filmmaking.

He says he often returns to pondering the meaning of life. Could it be that well-being is really about finding meaning?

“Meaningfulness is about making others happy. Even code can make someone happy, but we have to ensure it doesn’t make the coder miserable. Everyone needs to have rejuvenating activities in life that they enjoy,” Jarno concludes.

Interested in joining Rakettitiede? Check out our vacancies!

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