Curing Burnout Contagion

In June 2016, World Psychiatry, the official journal of the World Psychiatric Association, published an online article to help understand the burnout experience:

“Burnout is a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job. The three key dimensions of this response are overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment from the job, and a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment. The significance of this three‐dimensional model is that it clearly places the individual stress experience within a social context and involves the person’s conception of both self and others.” 

Eight years later, a variety of polls and statistics show us that we’ve been fanning the flames of “burnout” at an astonishing rate. The number of employee reviews on Glassdoor mentioning burnout has reached an all-time high, increasing by 44 percent from 2019 to 2024. Reporting from Gallup, the American Psychology Association, the Society for Human Resource Management, Deloitte, the World Health Organization and many more has brought the burnout concept forward as a growing concern. None are more aware than the workers and families directly experiencing the condition.

Call to Action

In business, as in life, every crisis or challenge is an invitation and an opportunity to be part of the solution. Awareness is our first call to action. Studies and statistics expose the need to address burnout in the global marketplace. It’s important to note that though this is an individual-level syndrome, both employers and employees must actively work together to overcome and to prevent the triggers to burnout. There is no productive path forward by using the blame card.

This should be navigated with a commitment to the healthy upside of resolution for both companies and employees. Purposeful care over how we approach business from within our companies is needed.

Intention and Execution

Three intentional touchpoints defend against the burnout contagion: culture, professional development and operational excellence. They cover the span of human connection and operational effectiveness that is within the influence range of a company.

Though the first two overtly capture human connectedness, the operational aspect is equally valuable to foster an environment of care and commitment to the success of each person.

1. Culture. Creating a people-centered culture within your teams has far-reaching value for the organization. When you have a team of people operating with a uniform purpose, centered on your values or some unifying pillar, you cultivate a sense of belonging, and that connection between people builds trust and strong, collaborative teams, as well as skilled individual contributors. It establishes a sense of reliance and responsibility, bringing everyone into the fold, which fosters appreciation for each role.

The emotional lift that comes from closer relationships and encouragement through connection enables a release of relational stress and exhaustion that our workforce is experiencing at an alarming scale. Simply being in a space to communicate and “offload” some of the individual burden and working with a unifying foundation can create a more positive and productive means of executing our best in our roles.

2. Professional development. Employees appreciate companies and leadership that invest in them. Post-2020 and with the entrance of Gen Z, professional development is a primary attractor and factor in retention, winning even over financial compensation. The role of a manager has become increasingly influential in the growth and retention of a company’s most valued asset: its people.

Learning, skilling-up and being rewarded and/or recognized at a rapid pace encourages relational trust and bonding, relieving cynicism and interpersonal stressors. Building knowledge and skills generates confidence and value in the effectiveness of one’s contributions and a genuine sense of accomplishment.

3. Operational excellence. There is a powerful impact from transforming the sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment to experiencing individual value and contribution. In essence, that transformation means knowing and executing on one’s ability to be effective as an individual contributor or team collaborator, as well as recognizing the wins and walking away with a job well done. This establishes security in a person’s role, their growth potential and a strong sense of belonging—it fills the void that leads to disengagement.

When you build in expectations that are clearly communicated, it provides a familiar foundation and clarity in performance measures that project the means to succeed. Being part of a productive environment builds a sense of belonging as people see themselves fitting into the fabric of society in a meaningful way.

Changing the Trajectory

The upward path of burnout is a call to action for all leadership. No job is perfectly free of interpersonal stressors, but we certainly can minimize and limit the prolonged and magnified harm that appears to be permeating the marketplace. Burnout is not an isolated condition. The wake and reach it has in the workplace impacts our businesses as a whole and the employee base we are responsible to protect and prosper.

A simple, focused effort could trigger enthusiasm and energy, trust and engagement, and skilled success among the people we have the privilege to steward. Leaders can bring about positive changes through a focused effort and awareness of pouring into the people they’ve been entrusted to care for, develop and encourage toward success. It’s time to stop fanning the flame of burnout and engage in the opportunity to be part of the solution.