We’ve discovered burnout’s kryptonite

It’s been 17 years since Arianna Huffington collapsed from exhaustion at her desk, broke her cheekbone and woke in a pool of her own blood. After that, The Huffington Post founder built a new empire aimed, very ambitiously, at ending stress and burnout.

But while one reformed media mogul has made wellness her main mission (and mealticket), how have the rest of us been faring?

The bad news is, in 2024, working Australians are fried.

Surveying more than 1000 professionals across the country, this year’s Employment Hero Wellness at Work Report found that over a three-month period, 66 percent of us felt burnt out – up from 53 percent in 2022.

Today, burnout holds as tightly as ever to its “silent epidemic” status. And while Australian researchers scramble to see this state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion classed as a psychological condition, women, in particular, are feeling the heat.

According to the report, more working women experience burnout than working men. They’re also more likely to be stressed.

The good news is that workplaces are addressing these issues, albeit gradually. The report brought to light a positive increase in employers’ commitment to employee mental health – but we’ve got a way to go.

What can we do to bolster wellness in the workplace? Take Huffington’s lead and make it a priority. Hopefully before getting to breaking point.

Prioritising wellness as an employer

First and foremost, a burned-out boss cannot create a nurturing work environment. To lead by example, employers need to protect their own wellbeing by safeguarding their personal time and investing in their mental and physical health.

When carrying this through to a team, the occasional office yoga class or gym membership discount won’t cut it. Wellness needs to be baked into your company culture, showing up in things like shared values, open-door policies, flexible work options and, if possible, access to confidential counselling.

Employers are required by federal WHS laws to manage the risk of psychosocial hazards, such as poor support and a lack of role clarity, which leaders can identify through open communication. As Sanam Ahmadzadeh Salmani, Legal Counsel at Employment Hero suggests:

“Regular check-ins and anonymous surveys with employees help identify industry-specific stressors… By actively managing psychosocial hazards, employers can cultivate a happier, more productive workforce with reduced conflict and a stronger sense of belonging.”

The option of working remotely – now a legal right of many working Australians – could also be key to combating burnout. Compared to those working onsite or in hybrid arrangements, the Wellness at Work Report found that far more fully-remote employees have a healthy work-life balance.

However, as technology continues to dissolve the boundaries between professional and personal, no matter where you are, it’s increasingly difficult to disconnect.

Prioritising wellness as an employee

Deloitte’s Women @ Work report, which hears from 5000 women in workplaces across 10 countries, found that only 37 percent of women felt able to switch off after work hours. And while strategies such as a strict working schedule and silencing notifications can help safeguard our downtime – our brains don’t always abide by these boundaries.

Psychotherapist and bestselling author Esther Perel says the challenges we’re experiencing are a result of work holding more meaning in our lives.

“When work is the place where you outdo yourself, where you search for self-worth, it becomes unrelenting,” Perel told Avery Trufelman on The Cut podcast. “If work structures your life to that extent, then the inability to meet the demands will translate into burnout.”

With this in mind, the battle against burnout could be waged by pulling focus toward other areas of life, like your relationships. Global psychological studies tell us that social connections are among the most reliable predictors of happiness – and protect us against depression and anxiety.

Research also suggests that having a best friend in the office can increase our productivity, creativity, intuition and job satisfaction. And, as the Wellness at Work Report points out, while our burnout rates are high, promisingly, so are our mateship rates at work.

Human connection – by way of conversations around mental health, open communication and friendships both in and outside of the workplace – could be burnout’s kryptonite. And both workers and employers will do well to make it a priority.