This Working Life

Why businesses need to talk about employee burnout

Organisations need to help staff recognise the signs and put in place mental wellbeing strategies for anyone affected by the condition

If you feel mentally and physically exhausted, begin to dislike your job and start feeling less capable at work, then you are at high risk of burnout. Illustration: Getty

Báirbre Meehan is the owner of Pause, an Irish company delivering measurable mental wellbeing improvements for organisations. She has been in senior leadership for 25 years and is a trained executive coach. www.pause.ie

Most of us have felt overworked and exhausted at some point in our careers, but when those feelings are chronic, we become at high risk of burnout, a condition that is rife in the post-pandemic world.

Burnout is a reaction to prolonged ...