Employee Burnout: A Workplace Safety Hazard?

Employee burnout is now an officially diagnosable condition and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which recently updated its definition, employee burnout is not a medical condition, instead, the WHO calls burnout an ‘occupational phenomenon.’

Here’s how the organization is defining it:

Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

1. feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
2. increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
3. reduced professional efficacy.

Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.

The WHO’s definition likely comes as no surprise to the multitude of employees who have experienced a sense of feeling “burnt out” at some point in their careers. But what does this mean for employers? Are you now liable for employee burnout in the workplace? Can burnout be considered a safety hazard? Here’s what you should know about employee burnout and its safety implications.

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