Burnout

The modern ways of life have drastically affected our work-life balance and stressors in life, causing many to experience burnout. We conducted polling of 2,060 working adults in the UK, capturing the public’s perceptions of burnout and the contributing factors in our Burnout Report 2024.

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What is burnout?

‘Burnout’ is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an ‘occupational phenomenon’. While it is not a medical or mental health condition, it has been classified as a syndrome, meaning a collection of symptoms or signs associated with a specific health-related cause. Burnout is a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. It can occur when you experience long-term stress and feel under constant pressure.

 Whilst burnout can be caused by stress it isn’t the same as stress. Stress tends to be short term and whilst it may be having an impact on your sleep, energy and emotions you are still able to engage in the activity that is causing you stress. With burnout, you feel so detached and demotivated that it impacts on your ability to function and you feel hopeless that your situation can change.

Very often burnout is considered in a workplace setting, but burnout can be experienced alongside other life pressures and excessive demands such as responsibilities as a caregiver or parent or living with a chronic illness or condition.

Burnout can occur when you have repeated and prolonged high demands that exceed resources. It’s likely that burnout, whatever the cause, will impact upon the individual’s wellbeing at work and personal life, such as their relationships. Due to the consequences of burnout it’s important to recognise it before it saps energy and motivation.

Since burnout can be a cause for mental ill health and could be a risk factor for developing mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, it should be taken seriously.

Burnout symptoms

Burnout is a gradual process over time. Signs you have burnout could be attributed to stress, depression or anxiety and as such could go unnoticed and unaddressed.

Burnout symptoms can be recognised physically, emotionally and behaviourally. Most people will experience a combination of the symptoms below that includes severe exhaustion, feeling cut off from others, and feeling they have no hope, energy or reason for things to change.

If looking for signs that someone is burnt out, it can often be recognized by someone’s behaviour both at work and home.

They might be less productive, absent from work, excessively tired or appear irritable. Sometimes people can rely on excessive alcohol or drugs and/or their eating habits could change.

Physical symptoms

  • Feeling tired or exhausted most of the time
  • Reoccurring insomnia and sleep disturbances
  • Frequent headaches
  • Muscle or joint pain
  • Gastrointestinal problems, such as feeling sick or loss of appetite
  • Frequent illness due to lowered immunity
  • High blood pressure
  • Issues breathing

Emotional symptoms

  • Feeling helpless, trapped, and/or defeated
  • Self-doubt, feeling a failure or worthless
  • Feeling detached and alone in the world
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Feeling demotivated, having a cynical/negative outlook
  • Lacking sense of satisfaction and achievement
  • Loss of interest and enjoyment
  • Persistent feelings of dread, worry and anxiety

Behavioural symptoms

  • Procrastinating and taking longer to complete things
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Decreased output and productivity
  • Becoming isolated and withdrawing from people, responsibilities etc
  • Reliant on food, drugs or alcohol to cope
  • Irritable and short-tempered, likely to have outbursts and take frustrations out on others
  • Increased tardiness, being late for work and/or higher absenteeism

Why is burnout a concern?

Burnout isn’t something which goes away on its own. If ignored or left untreated it could worsen and lead to chronic physical and mental health conditions such as heart disease or depression.

Addressing the underlying causes of burnout is important otherwise prolonged burnout might lead people to drastic actions that they might otherwise not have considered, such as leaving a job despite the financial repercussions. Burnout can have a negative impact on other areas of your life such as relationships.

As prevalent as it is, burnout is often misunderstood, stigmatised, and costly both to employees’ health and wellbeing, and employers’ productivity.

91% of adults in the UK told us they experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress at some point in the past year.

Gender and age play a role in this prevalence, with women and young people reportedly feeling more prone to extreme stress and pressure at work.

Extreme stress isn’t limited to work, either. Full-time students (95%) and people who are unemployed (95%) tended to experience high or extreme levels of pressure or stress more in the past year than any other working status group.

The Burnout Report

All you need to know about burnout in the UK

Our Burnout Report reveals how we are becoming a burnt-out nation. With 9 in 10 adults in the UK experiencing high or extreme stress in the past year and 1 in 5 needing to take time off work due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress, we must focus on challenging the causes of chronic stress across society and preventing burnout.

Download our report

Burnout at work

The working arena has changed, but it appears the tactics to support colleagues haven’t changed dramatically. Our research found that nearly half of workers (49%) said their employer doesn’t have a plan to spot the signs of chronic stress and prevent burnout in the workplace, while just 29% of people knew what plans their employers had in place.

Meanwhile, a staggering one in four (24%) told us they felt ‘unable to manage stress and pressure in the workplace’, with one in five working adults (20%) needing to take time off work due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress in the past year.

What contributes to burnout?

Our study explores some of the key factors that could significantly contribute towards burnout in the UK, factors which remain prevalent and pertinent today. We’ve highlighted what these are and what you can do to help combat them. Expand each factor from the list below to learn more.

Interestingly, despite the WHO’s definition of burnout being an “occupational phenomenon”, not all of these factors were explicitly work-related, perhaps indicating that the pressures of work, combined with the additional pressures brought about by the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis are having a big impact on our wellbeing.

What can be done about burnout?

Depending on the factors causing a person to become burnt out, the solutions and treatment will differ.

Below are some of the common areas of life that could contribute to burnout and self-care measures to reduce and manage them.

Money worries

We know that money and mental health go hand in hand; 53% of people agreed that financial uncertainty due to the cost-of-living crisis, and money worries in general, could contribute to burnout. Here are some ideas of how you can manage your money and budget:

Working arrangements

Working arrangements also affect peoples’ experiences of burnout and could be a contributing or mitigating factor to burnout, depending on the individual. 30% of those working from a fixed location (i.e., based at the same office/working location) cited this as a contributing factor, compared with 34% of field-based workers, 16% of home workers and just 17% of hybrid or agile workers. Meanwhile, 30% of workers said that being mandated back to working in an office or fixed location said this had caused them stress which may have contributed to burnout.

Here are some recommendations for how to avoid burnout due to your working arrangements:

  • Structure your day: If you work from home, you can think of your workday in the same way as if you were going to the office. Try to have a dedicated workspace, ideally a quiet place away from others and distractions. Try to get up in plenty of time to get ready for work. Make sure you have everything you need there for your working day. Plan your start, break, lunch, and end times. Sticking to an end time can be as important as a start time. We all need to recharge our batteries.
  • Make sure to have a break: No matter your working arrangements, breaks are important to refresh yourself and they can help you be more productive. Taking a five-minute break away from your screen each hour can improve your wellbeing and improve your concentration. Don’t feel that you have to be at your screen all the time to prove you’re working. You can use some of these breaks to incorporate mindfulness techniques into your daily routine, such as meditation or deep breathing exercises.
  • Set boundaries: Clearly define work hours and avoid regularly working beyond them. Turn off work phones and put devices out of sight when not at work. When faced with excessive workload or unrealistic deadlines, ascertain if there is flexibility around delivery times and what further support would be helpful to alleviate pressure and stress. When working from home, if you live with others, it might be difficult to separate home and work life. It’s important to set boundaries about when and where you do and don’t work. You can have a discussion and agree on things together. You could write down your work schedule for the week and put it up in a place where all household members can see it. It is important to have clear home and work time.
  • Stay in contact: Working from home doesn’t mean you should silently concentrate on your work all day. You can still talk to colleagues by audio or video call. It’s good for everyone’s wellbeing and it is good to check in with others. Book in regular contact with your manager and other colleagues.
  • Manage your time: Time management in your job can influence your wellbeing and mental health. If you manage your time well, you can feel relaxed and in control and achieve the goals you want. But if you manage it poorly you can get stressed and be less productive. When you have a lot of things to do at work, it can be hard to decide what to do and when to do it.

Decide what you want to achieve:

  • Assess each task
  • Make a plan
  • Be flexible
  • Think about the four Ds when managing your workload: Ditch (does this task need to be done?), defer (could it be done at a later date?), delegate (could someone else complete it?), and do.

Worries about job security

Approximately 1.4 million people aged 16 and above were unemployed at the end of last year. 40% of people agreed that worries about job security and fear of redundancy could contribute to burnout.

Here are some ideas on how to ease those worries.

  • Talk to your employer: If you are worried about your job security, you can speak to your manager. You can ask them if your job is at risk. And you can ask them to be honest with you. You can ask your manager what the next steps are and when you will know more information.
  • Get advice: It can help you to get expert advice on the situation to know more about what your rights and options are. You can contact ACAS for free confidential advice. You don’t have to give any personal details if you don’t want to.
  • Look for another job: If your job is at risk you could prepare to look for another job by updating your CV. Find out more information on writing a CV
  • Careers advice: You can contact the National Careers Service for careers advice. They provide information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities.
  • Make a plan: If your job is at risk, it might help you to make a plan of the things you can do if you lose your job. Making a plan can help you to:
    • Take control of the situation,
    • Know what your options are, and
    • Reduce stress, by knowing there are practical things you can do if you lose your job.

Isolation

Feeling lonely can have a negative impact on our mental health, which is bound to impact our work. 43% of people agreed that feeling isolated could contribute to burnout.

If you’re worried about isolation, you may find the following support services helpful:

  • Support lines: Talking about how you are feeling can have big benefits. People who care about you like friends and family are usually happy to listen and support you. But you can also call the following lines to talk about how you are feeling: Samaritans, Support Line, C.A.L.M, Silverline (for people over 55) and The Mix (for people under 25). For regional support visit the Hub of Hope.
  • Online forums: You may find it helpful to use an online support forum, such as Clic. On Clic you can access quick chat, discussion forums, information, videos and support contacts.
  • Support groups: Mental health support groups help you connect with others who have mental health issues and their carers. The following organisations provide support groups, so you can see if there’s one in your local area: Rethink Mental Illness, local Minds and Carers Trust (for support groups and services for carers).
  • Investing in relationships: The Mental Health Foundation’s top tips on relationships explains what you can do to create better relationships with yourself and with the people around you. This can help to reduce isolation.

Physical health

Doing things that help us to relax and make us feel happy or calm, such as exercise, eating well and sleep, our mental health. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and they influence each other. 46% of people felt that poor physical health could contribute to burnout. Here are some ways you could improve your physical health.

  • Eat healthy foods and have a balanced diet. Find more information on the NHS website
  • Keep physically active. Exercise can help to reduce stress and anxiety. It can increase the levels of serotonin and endorphins which are your body’s natural ‘happy’ chemicals. Visit the Mental Health UK website for more information.
  • Drink enough water. Visit the NHS website
  • Avoid or reduce drinking alcohol. Visit the Mental Health UK website for more information.
  • Avoid or reduce smoking. Visit the Mental Health UK website for more information.

Sleep

Problems with sleep can affect how you feel physically and mentally, and how you feel can also affect how you sleep. 64% of people felt that poor sleep could contribute to burnout.

Here are some ideas on how to improve your sleep:

  • Diary: Using a diary can help to see if there is a pattern to your sleep. It may also help to see what may be affecting your sleep. You may find using our 7-day sleep tracker helps you to do this.
  • Routine: Having a set routine before bed can help with having a better night’s sleep. You may have to try different things before you find the right routine that helps. It can help to do things that help you relax before going to bed. Find out more information about sleep
  • Relaxing techniques: Finding the right activity that can help you relax can help you with your sleeping. You may need to try different activities before you find the right one that helps you. You can try things such as yoga, meditation, art, listening to soothing music.
  • Speak to your GP: If you are having problems sleeping, going to see your GP could help as they may be able to suggest some options to help you.

Relationships

It’s important for our wellbeing to have good relationships so that we can share our hopes, fears, confidence and happiness and, keep us going when we need extra support. 74% of people felt that problems in relationships could contribute to burnout. Here are some ideas on how to improve your relationships.

  • Your relationship with yourself: Having a healthy relationship with yourself is as important as your relationship with others. To have a healthy relationship with yourself self-care is important. Self-care can be different for everyone. Self-care can include resting, exercising, spending time outside, speaking to others and reflecting on the good parts of your day.
  • Your relationships with others: The Mental Health Foundation’s top tips on relationships explains what you can do to create better relationships with others.
  • Your relationship with your partner: If you have a partner, it’s important to maintain a healthy relationship with them. Ways to do this can be:
    • Give time
    • Be present for each other
    • Listen to each other
    • Share thought and feelings

Caring for others

34% of people agreed that increased caring responsibilities, such as looking after elderly parents, could contribute to burnout.

If you’re worried about looking after someone with a mental health problem, our founding charity partner in England, Rethink Mental Illness has provided advice.

Heemali shares her story of burnout

Heemali reflects on how her physical and mental health began to suffer, as increased targets and workloads in her corporate role took a toll. Through courage, compassion and commitment to her own wellbeing, Heemali’s passion fuelled a new career.

Read Heemali's story

I'm an employer, what can I do about burnout?

As an employer you have a duty of care to protect both the physical and mental health of employees. There are numerous recommendations you could put in place to ensure working practices encourage positive mental health at work, below are some suggestions.

Leadership and managers should provide:

  • a strategy, policy, or plan for employee mental health to prevent chronic stress or burnout
  • regular assessments of workplace stressors and burnout risks
  • their employees with a Wellbeing Plan to identify when and how to support employees
  • regular check in with employees to discuss workload and challenges
  • confidential access to resources such as counselling services or Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP’s)
  • robust policies and procedures to address workplace bullying and harassment
  • training sessions to help employees and managers understand the importance of good mental health
  • acknowledgement of employees’ hard work.

Managers should promote:

  • open communication between employees and management
  • regular breaks and a healthy work-life balance
  • a culture of care and collaboration, encouraging team-building activities and social interactions.

Managers should avoid and discourage:

  • stigmatising language around mental health and mental illness
  • unreasonable workloads and deadlines, review and redistribute tasks if necessary
  • the use of excessive overtime.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,060 adults of which 1,132 were workers. Fieldwork was undertaken between 14th – 15th December 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Workplace Mental Health and Training

Our Workplace Mental Health and Training team works with organisations of various sizes to help them create psychologically safe workplaces that prioritise wellbeing. We can deliver a broad range of support tailored to your workplace; from therapeutic coaching, facilitated group peer support, to virtual or face to face training.

Find out more

Workplace tools and resources

We've developed some helpful resources to help spread awareness and address burnout in the workplace.

Download information on recognizing the signs of burnout, steps towards self-care, and conversation guides to support open discussions between managers and employees about the impact of burnout.

Conversation guide: talking to an employee about burnout

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Conversation guide: talking to your manager about burnout

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Spot the signs of burnout
A4 poster

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Burnout self-care steps
A4 poster

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know whether I am burnt out or stressed, anxious, or depressed?

Some of the signs of burnout are also symptoms of being stressed, anxious or depressed, which can cause confusion due to the overlap. Burnout can increase the risk of developing depression or anxiety disorders. However, there are clear distinctions. Burnout is not a medical condition, whereas depression and anxiety are medically diagnosed.

Prolonged stress can lead to burnout and whilst momentary stress can leave you feeling exhausted, burnout can make you feel empty and hollow. People who are stressed often believe that there are aspects they can change or control, but people who are burnt out are beyond caring whether they can change anything about their situation because they have lost hope, motivation, and are exhausted.

People living with depression often have negative thoughts and feelings about life, whereas burnout trends to be centred on the factors which caused it. Put simply, if someone’s high pressured job has led to burnout, they would typically feel detached and hopeless about work, whereas someone who experienced depression would tend to feel detached and hopeless in general both at work and at home.

What should I do if I think I’m in danger of becoming burnt out?

It’s important that you reach out to people you trust, who can offer support. Talking to your GP would also be worthwhile, as they could provide a fit note, giving you time away from work or refer you to a counsellor. In understanding what has placed you at risk of burning out you could identify factors within your control to change or modify.

Depending on the contributory factors, you could reach out to your manager or HR to look for ways of reducing your workload or accessing support mechanisms your employer offers. If the challenges you face are at home, you could find some respite from caregiving such as asking a family member to take a shift to allow you time back.

What can I do to prevent burnout?

Burnout can sometimes be the result of factors outside of a person’s control, so it’s important to acknowledge that there are steps you could take, but it may not prevent burnout.

Depending on your circumstances, there will be various ways you could potentially prevent burnout. Below are just some examples:

  • Ensuring you carve out time for yourself in a busy schedule, whether it’s taking regular breaks at work or booking some respite care from your responsibilities.
    Setting clear boundaries at work and at home to ensure your time is protected so that you can restore your energies.
  • Building a good relationship with your manager so that you can share with them when you are struggling and support mechanisms can be put in place.
  • Practice meditation or mindfulness to help restore a calmness and perspective against life’s challenges.
  • Find employment that provides meaning and enjoyment so you can feel sense of achievement and fulfilment in some or all that you do at work.
  • Build a support mechanism at work and socially with people you trust, so that you can open up and be supported at times when you need.
  • Enhance your resilience by taking up something you enjoy, offsetting the challenges you might face.
  • Try to eat nutritious foods and keep regular sleeping patterns to support your energy and physical health
  • Exercise and movement is a great way to boost your mood and is beneficial to your wellbeing both physically and mentally.
  • Find ways of understanding and reducing the stressors in your life where possible to ensure you have a sense of agency and control over contributing factors.
  • Reframe the value you place on aspects of your life, such as work, so that you can start nourishing aspects that are important and restorative.

Can time away from the cause of burnout prevent it?

Having time out of a situation that could cause burnout can certainly help you process and reset your thoughts and feelings. For example, if you’re a carer, taking time for yourself and having respite is important to your wellbeing. If working a high-pressured job, having a break from it can help you to restore your energy and motivation.

However, returning to continued high demands may place you at risk again and therefore it’s important to find outlets, structures or support that can continue to prevent you from burning out.

How can you treat burnout?

Everyone’s recovery from burnout will be different depending on the factors that caused burnout and the resources available to them.

Burnout is not regarded as an illness but resolving it usually involves a combination or immediate relief from the factor causing it as well as more long-term measures such as talking therapies, such as counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

It’s important as part of that process to understand the causes of burnout so that solutions can be put in place to prevent further burnout.

How long does it take to recover from burnout?

How long it takes to recover from burnout will differ from person to person, whilst also dependent on whether they are still in the situation that caused them to burn out and if they are receiving support.

It takes time and could be from anywhere between a couple of months to a couple of years.

Does burnout only happen at work?

Whilst burnout is widely referenced as a workplace phenomenon, it can happen in any sphere of your life. Typically, if you are under prolonged stress that you feel unable to control and have insufficient resources to cope you could experience burnout. For example, you might be faced with continual challenges as a student, caregiver, parent or partner.

Burnout is not exclusive to the workplace and wherever it’s experienced, it often spills into other areas of your life.

If my job has caused me to burnout, should I leave it?

This is entirely an individual’s choice and there will be many factors to consider when making the decision. Leaving employment can have wider repercussions, such as financial, so if possible other options should be considered first. Workplaces have a ‘duty of care’ to their employees and should support their health and wellbeing.

Accessing the support systems they have in place — such as reasonable adjustments, special leave, occupational health or Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) — might prevent someone from feeling they have to leave their employment. Strategies could be put in place by the employer which could support them whilst at work and manage their wellbeing.

For more information about the support employees can access at work visit ACAS’ website

Is burnout related to perfectionism?

Perfectionism is a character trait that involves a person having high and exacting standards they hold themselves and others to. These standards can apply to all areas of their lives such as education, workplace, relationships, etc. It can lead a person to have set goals and expectations that may not be achievable or realistic for themselves and others. This approach can often be accompanied by a critical outlook if goals aren’t met, whilst making mistakes can be perceived in an overly negative way.

Perfectionism in and of itself isn’t a negative character trait and can often lead to high achievement. However, research has indicated that having a perfectionist’s approach could lead to burnout due to the exacting and unrelenting standards people may hold themselves to, which could lead to burnout in the long-term.

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