Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How an Internal Transfer Can Fix Your Burnout
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, I kept thinking about that Gallup number from last year where one in three full-time employees say they experience burnout symptoms at least weekly. And it made me wonder — how many of those people are actually looking for an exit when what they really need is a different role inside the same building? Luna: That's a really good point. Because isn't burnout sometimes more about the role than the company? Lucas: Exactly. And that's the angle I want to dig into today. We've talked a lot about internal transfers as a way to escape a bad boss or speed up a promotion. But there's a quieter, maybe more common reason to make a move: you're just exhausted, and you need a reset that a two-week vacation won't fix. Luna: So how do you know if it's the role or the company? Because I feel like a lot of people assume those are the same thing. Lucas: Right, and that's the crux. If you're burnt out because you're in a client-facing role with constant deadlines and zero control over your calendar, that's role-specific. But if you're burnt out because the whole team is running on a culture of urgency and nobody ever logs off, that's a systemic issue that a transfer might not solve. Luna: So the first step is figuring out which one you're dealing with before you even start looking at open roles. Lucas: Yes. And I want to give listeners a practical litmus test they can use. Ask yourself: when you imagine doing your exact job but for a different team, does the thought bring any relief? If yes, it's probably the environment. If the thought makes you want to run further away, it's likely the work itself. Luna: I like that. It's simple but it gets to the heart of it. So let's say it's the role. What's the play? Lucas: The play is a lateral move that changes your demands. And I found a great example from a hospital system in the Midwest. They were losing nurses at an alarming rate — turnover was pushing thirty percent — and in exit interviews, the top reason wasn't pay, it was burnout from high-acuity units like the ICU and the ER. Luna: And they solved it with internal transfers? Lucas: Part of it, yes. They launched a program where nurses could apply for transfers to lower-acuity departments — things like outpatient care, home health, or even education roles — without losing seniority. Within a year, nurse turnover dropped by eleven percent, and a lot of those people stayed with the system for years longer than they otherwise would have. Luna: That's a nice concrete win. But what about the person who's not in a giant hospital system? How do they approach this? Lucas: Well, the principle is the same. You're looking for a move that reduces the specific stressor. Maybe you're a marketer drowning in campaign deadlines — you could move to a brand strategy role that's more project-based. Maybe you're an engineer on a 24/7 on-call rotation — a transfer to a platform team with a more predictable schedule could be the reset. Luna: But isn't there a risk that you'll just carry the burnout with you? I mean, if you're exhausted because you're overworking, won't that follow you to the next team? Lucas: That's a fair pushback, and it's true for some people. If burnout is a symptom of your own tendency to overcommit, no transfer will fix that. But for a lot of people, the exhaustion is a response to the role design — the number of hours, the amount of emotional labor, the lack of autonomy. Those are all things a different role can change. Luna: So what does a smart burnout-driven transfer actually look like in practice? What's the first step? Lucas: You need to do a 'burnout audit' before you even look at job postings. List out the three things that drain you the most in your current role — be specific. Maybe it's the twice-weekly client calls, or the quarterly forecasting cycle, or the commute to a satellite office. Then, when you're evaluating an internal role, you match it against that list. You want a role that explicitly removes at least one of those top drainers. Luna: That's a great filter. And I'd add — think about what energizes you too. Because a transfer that just removes the bad stuff but doesn't add anything good might not be sustainable either. Lucas: Absolutely. I read a study from the Society for Human Resource Management that said employees who made an internal move within the past year were forty-seven percent more likely to report high engagement than those who stayed put. But that effect was strongest when the move was deliberate — when they'd actually thought about what they needed, not just escaped the first job opening they saw. Luna: So intentionality is key. But let's talk about the awkward part — telling your manager you want to transfer because you're burnt out. That sounds like a hard conversation. Lucas: It is hard, but it's doable. And honestly, sometimes you don't even have to mention burnout directly. You can frame it as a desire for growth or a new challenge. But if you do bring it up, you want to be careful not to blame your manager or the team. You focus on the role, not the people. Luna: I think there's also a fear that you'll be seen as weak or not a team player. How do you handle that? Lucas: You flip the script. You say something like, 'I want to make sure I can keep performing at my best, and I think a change in responsibilities would help me do that.' That's not weak, that's self-aware. And most good managers would rather have you stay in the company than lose you entirely. Luna: So let's say you've done the audit, you've found a role, and you're having the conversation. What's the timeline? How long should you expect? Lucas: It depends a lot on the company. In the hospital example, they had a formal program with a thirty-day window. In other companies, you might need to stay in your current role for another quarter or two. But the key is to start the conversation early, because the longer you wait, the more burnt out you'll get. Luna: And a longer wait might also make you more tempted to just quit and go somewhere else. Which would be a shame if you actually like the company. Lucas: That's exactly the point. And this is something we hear from a lot of listeners who've reached out to us — they love their company's mission and their colleagues, but they're at the end of their rope in their current seat. And the thought of starting over at a new company is exhausting in itself. So an internal move becomes a way to rescue the good parts of your job without throwing everything away. Luna: That kind of resonates with me, because I know someone who was in that exact situation — she worked in corporate communications, and she was just burned out from the crisis-response aspect of it. She transferred to an internal employee communications role, and it was like a weight lifted. She stayed at the company for another five years. Lucas: That's the ideal outcome. And it shows that burnout doesn't have to be a terminal diagnosis for your employment. It can be a signal that your role needs to change, not necessarily your employer. Luna: Yeah, it's like the old saying — sometimes you need a change of scenery, not a change of destination. Lucas: Nice. And before we wrap up, I want to circle back to something you said earlier about being intentional. A lot of people think a lateral move is a step down, but in the burnout case, it's really a step sideways to regain your energy. And that energy is what you need to take the next step up later. Luna: So it's not just about fixing burnout — it's about building a sustainable career. Lucas: Exactly. And you know, this is the kind of conversation that this podcast lives for. And it's also the kind of conversation that wouldn't happen if we were constantly interrupted by ads. That's why we've chosen to keep these episodes ad-free — it's a deliberate decision, and we're able to do it because some listeners support us on buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. If that's something you'd consider, it genuinely helps us keep doing these deep dives without commercial breaks. Luna: Yeah, it's really simple. And we're grateful for anyone who's ever contributed, even if it's just once. It makes a difference. Lucas: It really does. So back to that sustainability piece — I want to leave listeners with a concrete action. If you're feeling burnt out and you're not sure if it's the role or the company, I want you to write down the answer to that question we posed earlier: if you could do your current job but for a different team, does that bring relief? If yes, start a conversation with your manager about internal mobility. If no, maybe it's time to think about a bigger change. But don't let burnout fester — make a move, even if it's a small one. Luna: And remember, a transfer is a negotiation, not a request. You have more leverage than you think, especially if you're a strong performer. Lucas: That's a great note to end on. Until next time, stay curious, and don't forget to listen to your own energy cues.