Burnout is Rife. It’s also Preventable.

We need this conversation, now

Our latest podcast episode delves into a topic that could not be more timely: Burnout. Alexis talks to occupational psychologist and burnout researcher Dr John Chan and one of his co-authors on the 2022 Global Workplace Burnout Study, Human Leaders Co-Director Sally Clarke. 

Even if you’re not in burnout right now, it’s affecting you, too. 

More than 38.1% of respondents to the 2022 study are currently in burnout. Which means the chances are you are working with someone who is experiencing the 3 dimensions of burnout – exhaustion, cynicism and reduced professional efficacy – are high.

The rates of burnout are continuing to climb. When Dr Chan commenced this longitudinal research in 2020, around 29% of the participants were experiencing burnout. This number climbed to 34.7% last year. And this year the latest findings that we have from 2022 burnout studies at 38.1%.

During this conversation, we unpack some of the startling findings from the study. We also blow a few myths out of the water. For example, that burnout is caused by personal failure or weakness on the part of the individual. 

As Dr. Chan notes, “Burnout is caused by the organizational structures and the culture in which a person works.”

“In other words,” he goes on, “no matter how good or resilient someone is, when they're put into these really high pressure environments and toxic work cultures, they're going to burn out.”

Solutions to burnout 

Burnout is a very complicated issue, especially when it comes to solutions. As Dr. Chan observes, “There's no silver bullet.”

Sally continues: “It's really important for us to re-evaluate the structures of how we work. But also, we need to treat each other as human beings in the workplace.” 

Speaking to the importance of creating psychological safety in the workplace, Sally notes, “We need to take the time and have the skills to treat each other with dignity and respect. And foster trust, connection and engagement. So that people – irrespective of their location – feel supported by their organization, their leaders and each other.” 

Plus, Dr. Chan shares 3 tips leaders can implement right now to prevent burnout.