Maintaining the balance: The state of workplace burnout

By Koketso Mamabolo

One of the key findings from the State of Workplace Burnout Report 2025 is an encouraging one: Burnout is decreasing for the first time in five years, while overall wellbeing increased by a staggering 25%. How does one recognise the signs of burnout? And how can you deal with it? How can we stay on the upward trajectory?

What is burnout?

In the World Health Organisation’s 2019 International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), burnout was defined as, “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

They identify three dimensions:

Exhaustion or lack of energy
Feeling mentally disconnected from your role
A decrease in efficiency/productivity

The State of Workplace Burnout Report suggests that the decrease, albeit a slight one at 3%, is likely due to organisations continuing the support efforts started during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There seems to be a strong correlation between burnout and a lack of support from the organisation one finds themselves in. Organisations with people-first policies tend to have an edge in the jobs market but the move away from hybrid and work-from-home setups risks reversing the gains as work-life balance once again becomes difficult to manage as a result of inflexible office hours, long commutes and more traditional work weeks.

“When organisations retreat from investing in their people and solely focus on increasing productivity, it sends a clear message to the workforce that people come second,” reads the report. “This erodes trust, engagement, and, ultimately, performance. It is a strategic mistake to scale back, rather than double down on prioritising wellbeing as the foundation for long-term sustainable performance.”

What causes burnout?

There are five main indicators: An overwhelming workload, little to no organisational support, values not aligning, being treated unfairly and ‘toxic’ behaviour from leaders.

The first, an unmanageable workload, is perhaps the aspect people think of most. This can happen for many reasons including understaffing, inconsiderate leaders and deadline pressure. Massive piles of work can make even the most high-performing people go from being engaged to feeling hopeless, something which can happen over time or all of a sudden.

Signs that you’re doing too much

While burnout has both a physical and mental impact (which are intertwined in many ways), there are a few obvious signs that you’re working too hard and not resting enough. The physical signs include:

Insomnia
Muscle pain
Weight gain
Frequent illness
Headaches
Stomach aches

The mental and behavioural signs can be less obvious with those around you, such as colleagues and family. These can take different forms, including a pessimistic and cynical outlook, feelings of isolation, self-doubt, a lack of motivation and satisfaction, poor performance, procrastination, emotional outbursts, irritability and using coping mechanisms such as food, drugs and alcohol.

How to recover from burnout

Recovering from burnout can take anywhere from weeks to years, depending on the severity, but recognising that you have it is an important first step. Seeing a therapist can help with mental and behavioural problems. A therapist can point you towards healthy coping mechanisms and afford you the opportunity to clear your mind and identify underlying issues that may be contributing to feelings of isolation, self-doubt etc.

It’s also important to sit and gauge your priorities, seeing what you can add or subtract from your daily routine to allow you more breathing room. It’s easy to get trapped in an endless cycle of deadlines with too much energy spent on the urgent and unimportant tasks. If you’re a leader in your organisation, consider delegating some tasks (keeping in mind the workload others may have). If you’re a member of a team, check to see if any of your teammates can help you complete the tasks that are taking the most out of you.

Finding a work-life balance is also key. Working overtime, taking work home with you and working on the weekend doesn’t give you time to detach and focus on your own personal life. You need to ‘protect your peace’ by setting boundaries. ‘Me time’ has never been more important.