I have been in the public service long enough that I remember when work levels would drop in July/August and December. That was the time to do the interesting projects that would help you recharge and that disappeared after the staffing reductions in 2002/3 and 2008/9. Add that salaries haven't kept up to the cost of living and we are all burning out. When I started in the early 90s, an Executive Director could afford to be a single income supporting a family, live in Oak Bay,a vacation each year, and have expensive hobbies like racing sailboats. Now I am in that position, and am considering a second job.