HumAngle adopts Nine-Month work year to protect journalistsʼ mental health, reduce burnout

By Abdullah Ajibade

HumAngle, a media platform dedicated to covering Africa’s conflict, humanitarian, and development issues, has introduced an Anti-Burnout Work Policy to protect journalists' mental health, reduce burnout, and sustain the quality of reporting from some of the region’s most difficult environments.

Effective from January 2026, the policy is structured to collapse the work year into nine active months with three mandatory rest months, while maintaining a full 12-month salary for the journalists.

The editorial staff will follow a structured three-cycle work schedule each year:

• Work: January–March | Rest: April
• Work: May–July | Rest: August
• Work: September–November | Rest: December

“Traditional annual leave will be embedded into these rest periods, which are intended to serve as structured breaks for recovery, reflection, and creative renewal. The in-house workweek for journalists will also be shortened to three days—Monday to Wednesday.”

Meanwhile, the development is slightly different for the Support teams and staff of the advocacy arm, HumAngle Foundation. They will be required to work two in-office days per week, with the remaining days remote, and will receive 28 days of paid annual leave.

Half of journalists weigh quitting amid burnout struggles

Over the years, journalists have struggled with burnout, leading many to consider quitting the profession. A Muck Rack report, "State of Work-Life Balance in Journalism," which surveyed over 400 journalists from January 2 to February 17, 2025, reveals that many journalists have considered leaving the profession due to burnout. Even more striking, more than one-third reported a decline in their mental health over the past year, citing an uncertain future, work stress, and financial issues as top causes.
The pressure to be “always on” has been a major contributor to journalist stress, with 83% of journalists working outside normal business hours at least once a week, and nearly half sleeping only five to six hours per night.

While over one-third of journalists receive more than 20 vacation days per year, only 19% take full advantage of that time off. Workload pressures are the primary barrier, with 37% citing it as the main reason for not using vacation days.

Burnout as a direct threat

With the reporters routinely working in and around conflict zones, camps for displaced people, and communities living with violence and trauma, HumAngle says it sees burnout not simply as personal exhaustion but as a direct threat to credible journalism, storytelling, creativity, and accuracy. It confirms that well-rested journalists are better able to think clearly, write powerfully, and engage more sensitively with vulnerable sources and communities.

This policy aims to ensure continuity in coverage while allowing staff to step back regularly, process the emotional weight of their work, and return with renewed focus.

As newsrooms across Africa face limited resources, high risks, and emotional pressure, HumAngle’s Anti-Burnout Work Policy offers a shift in how journalism is practiced. It treats rest as a necessity, challenging the idea that journalists must work without pause to be productive.