Wellbeing | Burnout officially recognised as an illness

Today, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that it will recognise the growing issue of corporate burnout as a medical condition, meaning that as of 2020, it will officially be identified in the International Classification of Diseases.

Burnout, which the WHO identifies specifically as a ‘workplace issue’, is officially described as "a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed", in the WHO’s official definition of the new condition.

It goes on to state: “It is characterised 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.”

What does the new classification mean?