Is Burnout The “New Normal” In Business? 5 Steps To Fight Back.

It’s true that across every industry, business leaders, managers, and staff are still struggling. While executive and employee burnout was supposed to improve post-pandemic, it hasn’t. Workers are more stressed than ever and suffering from emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion—and seemingly for good reason.

The post-pandemic period has caused experienced and respected colleagues to downshift, change jobs, or opt out of work altogether. Other colleagues are choosing not to return to the office. All while the corporate burden remains unchanged.

The numbers tell the story: According to a Mercer report, more than 80% of employees are at risk of burnout in 2024, while the American Psychological Association’s 2023 work survey showed 57 percent of workers experience negative impacts due to work-related stress at times associated with burnout. Meanwhile, 50% of working women say that their stress levels are higher than the elevated levels they were a year ago. And even in healthcare, nearly half of physicians experienced burnout in 2024, significantly higher than before the pandemic hit. This is all happening despite the fact we know more about burnout and more companies are providing workplace health and wellness benefits to support their ‘burned out’ employees.

Burnout, it seems, is becoming normalized. That’s a dangerous situation for our workers, our families, and our communities. But if this is the new normal, how do we protect ourselves? Especially if we can’t necessarily depend on our friends, families and colleagues to identify burnout for us.

Assessment Is Key To Identifying Burnout

Unfortunately, the signs of burnout can manifest in many ways and are often overlooked. These include mental, physical, and emotional signs such as lack of interest, energy, or motivation, forgetfulness, hopelessness, poor sleep habits, change in appetite, anxiety, and depression. Introverts may become talkative, or extroverts quiet and withdrawn. Misplaced emotions such as anger, self-doubt, cynicism, or self-criticism crop up, as do impatience, frustration, and irritability. Attention to detail suffers.

Workers who exhibit these and other signs of burnout can take the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) assessment. This tool can help them see if they are indeed burned out or at risk of burnout, which is considered an occupational issue rather than a medical condition. The MBI, authored by Drs. Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter, reviews components of exhaustion, depersonalization and personal achievement to help individuals assess their own situation.

5 Steps To Support Burnout Recovery

If an assessment reveals the potential for burnout, talk to your doctor to confirm the result and rule out other conditions that can have similar symptoms. If burnout remains the diagnosis, consider five potential steps to support overall recovery:

• Re-evaluate goals and values: Think about why you may have burned out and consider questions such as 1) whether your mindset helps or hurts you, 2) whether your priorities align with your values, and 3) what is most important to you and why.
• Disconnect from stressors: This may be as drastic as leaving a specific role or job or as small as taking a mental health day, building breaks into your schedule, conducting personal check-ins, or stepping away from computers and other personal devices throughout the day.
• Focus on micro-practices of health: Identify areas that you can improve with small steps such as sleeping more, eating healthier food, exercising, adding movement or meditation to your daily routine, and doing more things you enjoy. Practice mindfulness and strive to be emotionally present.
• Build and enforce work-life boundaries: Set up clear divisions between your work and personal life—setting an alarm to signal the end of work time can be helpful. Write a to-do list broken down into small, achievable goals to help you get tasks done before pressing stop and moving to the social aspects of life. You don’t need to feel “accessible” for work 24/7. Disconnect, even if it takes effort. When it’s appropriate, say no.
• Explore alternative paths and opportunities: Consider changes big and small that could improve your situation. Maybe you need to leave a relationship that’s no longer serving you or just need to get a night to yourself once a week. The changes don’t necessarily have to be big to make a meaningful difference in your daily life. Once you know the changes required, take the (sometimes difficult) steps to make them a reality. This is vital to the recovery process.

Employer Options To Assist Renewal

In addition to self-assessment, reflection, and taking the above steps, it is important to engage your workplace in a discussion about supporting your recovery. Burnout is a workplace malaise, and employers can play an important role in the recovery journey. Some leadership roles can be temporarily downshifted without necessitating change in title. Team capacity can be increased. Time off or sabbaticals can be offered. Small group or individual coaching can be provided to help workers re-center and restore healthy habits such as sleep, exercise and nutrition. All are foundational for physical and cognitive health and peak performance. For workers with conditions such as depression, access to mental health professionals is essential.

As employees undertake their recovery, they should consider alerting and confiding in trusted friends and family. They may also consider monitoring their stress levels over time with the help of a health care practitioner, journaling about what they are experiencing, and practicing self-compassion.

Recovery from burnout can take months to years, but no one is alone on this journey. In fact, the evidence is in, and it shows millions of others are already travelling the road to renewal. To start your journey, take the MBI assessment today and contact your doctor if you are at risk of burnout. Help is available, and it is proven and effective. No matter what industry you work in.