Here’s a number that should stop us in our tracks: according to the latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace report, 67% of Australian workers describe themselves as “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” at work. And a separate survey from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that work-related psychological injury claims have increased by 37% over the past five years.

We’re not just tired. We’re cooked.

Burnout isn’t new, of course. The World Health Organisation officially classified it in 2019. But what’s shifted in the last couple of years is the scale and the stubbornness of it. We’ve tried wellness programs, mental health days, and mindfulness apps. And yet the numbers keep climbing.

So what’s actually going on?

It’s Not a Personal Problem

Let me say this clearly, because I think it matters: burnout is not a personal failing. It is not caused by a lack of resilience, insufficient self-care, or inadequate meditation practice.

Burnout is what happens when the demands placed on a person consistently exceed their resources. It’s a mismatch between what a job asks of someone and what they’re given to cope with it — whether that’s time, autonomy, support, recognition, or fairness.

The research on this is robust. Christina Maslach, the psychologist who developed the most widely used burnout assessment tool, has been saying this for decades: burnout is a problem with the job, not the person.

And yet most organisational responses to burnout focus on the individual. Here’s a meditation app. Here’s a resilience workshop. Here’s a fruit box in the break room.

Meanwhile, the workloads stay the same, the staffing levels stay inadequate, and the expectations keep rising.

What’s Driving the Australian Burnout Epidemic

Several factors are converging to make Australian workplaces particularly ripe for burnout right now:

Cost of living pressure. When your salary doesn’t keep pace with housing, groceries, and energy costs, financial stress bleeds into everything. People work longer hours, take on extra jobs, and skip holidays they can’t afford. The buffer between work and survival thins.

Understaffing and overwork. Across sectors — healthcare, education, hospitality, retail, professional services — the story is the same. Teams are running lean, and individual workloads have expanded to fill the gaps. A 2025 survey by the Australian HR Institute found that 58% of workers reported doing the work of more than one role.

Always-on culture. The blurring of work and personal time, accelerated by remote work, means many Australians are never truly off. Emails at 9pm. Slack messages on weekends. The expectation that you’ll respond “when you get a chance” — which, of course, means now.

Post-pandemic exhaustion. We never really recovered from the sustained stress of 2020-2022. Many people burned through their reserves during lockdowns, rolling disruptions, and the constant adaptation required. We moved on before we recovered.

Poor management. This is an uncomfortable one, but the data is clear: the number one factor in employee wellbeing is their relationship with their direct manager. Gallup’s research consistently shows that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement. Bad management isn’t just annoying — it’s a health hazard.

What Needs to Change

Individual coping strategies have their place. I’m a yoga instructor — I obviously believe in the value of personal practices for managing stress. But I’m also honest enough to say that yoga doesn’t fix a broken workplace.

What actually moves the needle on burnout is structural change:

Realistic workloads. If a team needs five people and has three, no amount of time management training will fix the problem. Organisations need to staff appropriately and accept that infinite growth doesn’t come from squeezing existing workers harder.

Genuine autonomy. People need control over how they do their work. Micromanagement is one of the strongest predictors of burnout. Trust your people.

Boundaries that are modelled from the top. A policy that says “no emails after hours” means nothing if the CEO is sending messages at 11pm. Leaders need to model the behaviour they want to see.

Meaningful recognition. Not pizza parties. Actual acknowledgment of effort, fair compensation, and pathways for growth.

Investment in good management. Promoting someone because they were good at their previous job and then giving them no training in how to manage people is a recipe for disaster. Management is a skill. Invest in it.

The Role of Technology

Technology is both a contributor to and a potential solution for workplace burnout. On one hand, always-on digital tools have obliterated boundaries. On the other, smart use of technology can reduce administrative burden, improve workflows, and surface burnout risks early.

Some organisations are starting to use data analytics to identify teams under strain before it reaches crisis point — tracking metrics like overtime hours, leave patterns, and engagement survey responses. It’s an approach that requires careful implementation and genuine respect for privacy, but when done well, it can help organisations intervene before talented people walk out the door.

What You Can Do Today

If you’re feeling burned out right now, here’s my honest advice:

Name it. Burnout thrives in silence. Tell someone — your partner, a friend, your GP. Naming the experience is the first step toward addressing it.

Assess your resources. What are you missing? Is it time? Support? Recognition? Autonomy? Understanding the gap helps you know what to ask for.

Have the conversation at work. This is hard, and I know it’s not possible in every workplace. But if you have a manager who is even slightly receptive, tell them what you’re experiencing. Bring specifics, not just feelings. “I’m currently managing X projects with Y deadline and I need to discuss priorities” is more actionable than “I’m stressed.”

Protect something. One boundary. One non-negotiable. Maybe it’s no work on Sunday mornings. Maybe it’s a 30-minute walk at lunch. Maybe it’s logging off by 6pm three nights a week. Start small and hold the line.

Get professional support. A mental health care plan through your GP gives you access to subsidised psychology sessions. Use it.

And if you’re in a position of leadership — please hear this: your people are telling you they’re struggling. The surveys confirm it. The resignation rates confirm it. The injury claims confirm it.

The fruit box isn’t going to cut it. It’s time for something braver.

If you’re experiencing burnout or mental health challenges, Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) and Lifeline (13 11 14) offer free, confidential support.