We Deserve a New Bargain (And We're Running Out of Time)
If we don't act now, technology will reshape work without us—and not in our favor.
This is Part 3 of our series on redefining support for burned-out. Read Part 1 and Part 2 first.
We've talked about why coaching is broken and what women actually need for recovery. But there's a bigger question: What kind of future are we building?
AI is already reshaping every workplace. The question isn't whether this will happen—it's who will control how it happens.
The Current Deal is Killing Us
Here's the reality many of us are living:
Teachers grading papers until midnight, buying supplies with their own money, managing classroom sizes that would overwhelm corporate teams
Healthcare workers pulling 12+ hour shifts, dealing with life-or-death decisions while understaffed and under-resourced
Social workers carrying caseloads meant for three people, absorbing trauma daily with minimal support
Contractors piecing together multiple gigs, no benefits, constantly hustling for the next project
Many of us are working 60-70+ hour weeks—Industrial Revolution hours with modern complexity. Every hour is more depleting because the system demands emotional labor, digital connectivity, and performance, not just presence.
We need a new deal.
Where We're Headed Without Action
Path 1 (Current Trajectory): AI increases surveillance, speed, and extraction. Workers become more monitored, more stressed, more replaceable. Burnout becomes the norm.
Path 2 (What We Deserve): AI handles routine tasks so humans can focus on what matters most. Workers gain time, autonomy, and dignity.
We're defaulting to Path 1. We have to fight for Path 2.
Real Examples Starting Now
In Education: AI handles administrative tasks, grading, and lesson plan templates so teachers can focus on actual teaching and student connection
In Healthcare: AI manages documentation, scheduling, and routine monitoring so medical professionals can spend time with patients, not paperwork
In Social Services: AI streamlines case management and reporting so social workers can focus on human connection and advocacy
The Data That Shows It's Possible
Research shows that when workers gained power historically, working hours dropped dramatically—from 60+ hours in the 1870s to 40 hours by the 1940s.
What changed? Labor organizing, regulations, and the understanding that productivity gains should benefit workers, not just owners.
AI represents the biggest productivity gain in human history. Where are those benefits going?
Currently: More surveillance, more speed, more extraction.
The Re-Deal: More time, more autonomy, more dignity.
The Four Pillars of the Re-Deal
The 4 Pillars of the Re-Deal
1. Time Sovereignty
30-hour work weeks with full benefits
Right to disconnect (no emails/calls outside work hours)
AI handles routine tasks; humans handle creativity and connection
2. Bias-Free Systems
Mandatory AI bias audits (like NYC now requires)
Transparent algorithms in hiring and performance management
Human oversight on all AI decisions affecting careers
3. Care Infrastructure
Universal childcare and eldercare
Mental health support as standard workplace benefit
Paid family leave that doesn't penalize careers
4. Economic Security
Living wages for all full-time work
Portable benefits for gig workers
Universal basic services (healthcare, education, housing support)
Why This Matters for Women Leaders
Women are leaving leadership roles at unprecedented rates, with burnout as the top driver according to Deloitte's research.
We're not losing women because they can't lead. We're losing them because the system is unsustainable.
The Re-Deal creates conditions where leadership doesn't require personal sacrifice:
Sustainable pace instead of grinding toward breakdown
Support systems that don't depend on individual heroics
Technology that amplifies human capability instead of replacing it
This Movement is Already Starting
The Re-Deal builds on groundbreaking work already underway:
In the US: AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers are leading the fight for AI transparency and worker protections
In the UK: Trade unions are pioneering AI agreements that put workers first through the Trades Union Congress
Globally: This is part of a worldwide movement because the forces pushing us back to Industrial Age conditions are working globally
How We Get There
Individual Level
Vote with your feet: Choose employers moving toward these principles
Set boundaries: Model sustainable leadership
Advocate: Push for policy changes in your sphere of influence
Organizational Level
Pilot programs: Test 4-day work weeks, AI task automation, bias audits
Policy advocacy: Support legislation around working time limits, AI transparency
Leadership development: Train managers to recognize system problems, not just individual "performance issues"
Societal Level
Regulatory frameworks: Like NYC's AI bias audit requirements, but broader
Tax incentives: For companies that share AI productivity gains with workers
Labor organizing: Update unions for the AI age
The Crossroads Moment
We're at a crossroads. AI will transform work—the question is for whom.
Every day we wait, the current trajectory becomes more entrenched. AI systems are being built right now with existing biases. Workplace surveillance is expanding. The benefits of productivity gains are flowing upward while workers carry heavier loads.
This isn't inevitable. It's a choice being made without us.
What's At Stake
If we don't act now, we're looking at:
More surveillance: AI monitoring every keystroke, bathroom break, facial expression
Deeper bias: Automated systems that perpetuate discrimination at scale
Greater extraction: Technology used to squeeze more from workers, not give them relief
Total burnout: Where exhaustion becomes the expected cost of employment
But it doesn't have to be this way.
The Future We're Building
You don't have to wait for policy change to begin influencing the trajectory:
Leaders: How could your team work smarter, not longer? What AI tools could handle routine tasks while preserving human decision-making?
HR professionals: What would bias-free performance reviews look like? How could you pilot approaches that serve workers?
Policy makers: What regulations could ensure AI serves workers, not just shareholders?
Everyone: What would your industry look like if technology amplified human capability instead of replacing it?
The future isn't something that happens to us. It's something we build, choice by choice, policy by policy, workplace by workplace.
The women holding this world together are collapsing under the weight of it. We can keep accepting that human burnout is the price of progress—or we can demand better.
Time is running out to shape this trajectory. But it's not too late.
We deserve technology that serves our humanity, not extracts from it. And we deserve to fight for it together.
Take Action:
Join existing efforts: Connect with AFL-CIO's AI initiatives or UK's TUC AI work
Policy: Contact representatives about working time limits and AI transparency laws
Workplace: Propose AI task automation pilots that benefit workers, not just profits
Community: Support labor organizing efforts that address AI and working conditions
Personal: Start modeling sustainable leadership practices
