Business Dictionary

Employee Burnout

What is Employee Burnout?

Employee burnout is physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by chronic, unmanaged stress. It is characterized by extreme fatigue, cynicism and negativity, and feelings of decreased professional ability. Employee burnout is when you feel exhausted all the time, dislike your job, have reduced motivation and creativity, and start to feel less capable in your role.

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What Causes Employee Burnout?

Burnout is not caused by regular stress. All jobs come with some stress that will wax and wane through normal cycles. Burnout is a result of unrealistic deadlines and uneven workload distribution. It happens when the expectations for what someone is supposed to achieve are beyond what they are capable of. 

Specifically, burnout is caused by:

  • Unrealistic job and goal expectations
  • Unclear job and goal expectations (poor communication)
  • No control over workload
  • Unrealistic time expectations
  • Long hours
  • High-pressure environments
  • Inefficient processes and workflows
  • Little to no recognition of effort and achievement

Learn More

If you’d like to go even deeper and answer the question ‘How Can A Leader Prevent Employee Burnout?’ then click on this link.

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