For more than 40 years the Public Services People Managers' Association (PPMA) has been the collective voice of public services human resources (HR) and organisation development (OD) and never before has both the challenge and opportunity for the profession been greater.

The past year has been testing on many levels, with leaders working long hours – without necessary breaks – and the question of self-care often being overlooked. Work overload however is only sustainable for so long; a saturated sponge cannot take in more water. For many HR leaders and their teams, this feeling of saturation is becoming overwhelming and exhausting.