Feeling exhausted? | This is the shocking truth about burnout

Only now is the professional sector starting to appreciate the weight and depth of burnout in the workplace.

What was once simply considered part and parcel of holding down a good job, is now truly understood to be an illness with potentially devastating repercussions. Earlier this year, the World Heath Organisation (WHO) reclassified its definition of burnout and deemed it an ‘occupational phenomenon’ stating: “Burnout is a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

“It is characterised by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job and 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.”

For the first time, the ramifications of the illness were not only unequivocally identified, but also laid firmly at the door of the corporate world. Whilst this may be seen as a major move forward for employees suffering from burnout, the shocking truth is that the issue is still very much growing.