Workplace burnout can be a serious problem for individual workers and entire organizations. The good news is there are ways to get ahead of it and methods to rectify it.
What it is: “Workplace” burnout is an occupation-related syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. Burnout can be measured and quantified using validated scientific tools. It involves ongoing emotional exhaustion, psychological distance or negativity, and feelings of inefficacy—all adding up to a state where the job-related stressors are not being effectively managed by the normal rest found in work breaks, weekends, and time off (World Health Organization, 2019).
What it isn’t: This isn’t “burnout” we use in casual conversation. True workplace burnout is specific to one’s job or occupation and is more concerning and detrimental than the daily irritations everyone experiences and most of us manage.
There are three dimensions to workplace burnout:
- Feelings of energy depletion or emotional exhaustion
- Increased mental distance from one’s work and negative or cynical feelings toward one’s work
- Reduced sense of efficacy at work
Mindy Shoss, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Central Florida and associate editor of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, says, “There are many potential causes of burnout in today’s workplaces—excessive workloads, low levels of support, having little say or control over workplace matters, lack of recognition or rewards for one’s efforts, and interpersonally toxic and unfair work environments. Add to that the constant hum of uncertainty about a possible recession, and it’s no surprise that burnout is on the rise in many workplaces.”
[Related: A pandemic of burnout: 4 questions for Dan Pelton]
Why workplace burnout matters
Decades of research shows an association between workplace burnout and a host of negative organizational, psychological, and even physical consequences, including:
Organizational
- Absenteeism
- Job dissatisfaction
- Presenteeism
Psychological
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Psychological distress
Physical
- Heart disease
- Headaches
- Musculoskeletal pain
(Salvagioni et al., 2017).
The facts and figures
According to leading scientific research, employees who experience true workplace burnout have a:
- 57% increased risk of workplace absence greater than two weeks due to illness (Borritz et al., 2010)
- 180% increased risk of developing depressive disorders (Ahola et al., 2005)
- 84% increased risk of Type 2 diabetes (Melamed et al., 2006)
- 40% increased risk of hypertension (von Känel et al., 2020)
Additionally, workplace burnout may impair short-term memory, attention, and other cognitive processes essential for daily work activities (Gavelin et al., 2022).
Dennis P. Stolle, JD, PhD, APA’s senior director of applied psychology, points out that burnout has consequences for organizational effectiveness, not just individuals. “When workers are suffering from burnout, their productivity drops, and they may become less innovative and more likely to make errors. If this spreads throughout an organization, it can have a serious negative impact on productivity, service quality, and the bottom-line.”
What you can do
Christina Maslach, PhD, one of the leading experts on workplace burnout, has emphasized that finding solutions to the problem of burnoutopens in new window requires considering the workplace, the worker, and the workplace/worker fit.
“We need to reframe the basic question from who is burning out to why they are burning out. It is not enough to simply focus on the worker who is having a problem—there must be a recognition of the surrounding job conditions that are the sources of the problem. That is why the job-person relationship is so important. Is there a good match between the worker and the workplace environment, which enables the worker to thrive and do well?” Maslach says.
