Last week, shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its definition of burnout, news organizations erroneously called it a “disease.” Experts quickly corrected them, calling burnout a “syndrome.” That might be helpful for researchers—but for leaders, that’s a distinction without a difference. Whichever language you use, the burnout epidemic is a clear and growing threat. The American Psychiatric Association found that 61 percent of employees say they suffer from workplace stress, and it estimates the associated health care costs at $190 billion annually. Add related costs like turnover and low productivity, and the World Economic Forum estimates burnout’s global price tag at $322 billion. That’s like eliminating the combined profits of Apple, Alphabet and the other 10 most profitable American companies. Burnout is a global profit vampire.
The burnout epidemic is a clear and growing threat.
To summarize WHO’s 75 carefully crafted words, chronic workplace stress is the culprit. Burnout’s telltale symptoms are:
1) Low energy or exhaustion
2) Disengagement or negative/cynical feelings about the job
3) Reduced workplace efficacy
The new definition should trouble anyone managing a workplace today, because WHO emphasizes this an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. We can’t cure burnout with doctors. It’s up to leaders like us to treat burnout when it appears and more importantly, prevent it in the first place.
Our research finds that resilience skills reduce burnout, especially in work conditions characterized by high demand and low control. Familiar examples of high-demand, low control jobs include working on tight deadlines with a micromanaging boss or needing deep concentration in a loud, distracting workplace.
If you’re thinking, “I can’t get rid of workplace stress,” you’re right. The pace of change is brutal and isn’t slowing down. But that’s just one piece of the picture because burnout is amplified by the inability to manage stress. The solution isn’t in preventing stress; the solution is to build mental and emotional resilience skills into our work habits to deal with inevitable stressors.