Workplace Friction Raises Burnout Odds by 84%

The State of Workplace Burnout Report found that more than one in three Australian workers are experiencing burnout. Workers in organisations with high levels of system friction face 84 per cent higher odds of burnout. The report drew on responses from 999 Australian survey respondents. Think tank Infinite Potential published it in partnership with Beyond Blue and the University of Technology Sydney Business School.

What the survey measured

The survey adopted the World Health Organization definition of burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” and “not a medical condition”. WHO describes three dimensions: exhaustion, increased mental distance or cynicism toward a job, and reduced professional efficacy. Study author John Chan said all three must be present for burnout. “If you're just simply exhausted, that's not burnout,” he said.

Chan, Infinite Potential’s managing director, said the research set out to find why burnout rates differed between organisations. “We're trying to move this conversation away from the individual,” he said. Anna Stephens, a senior lecturer at the University Technology Sydney Business School and researcher at The Ultimo Institute, helped design and conduct the survey. She said organisational factors can create “unnecessary difficulties in actually completing your work”.

The survey didn’t include participants’ industries. Paula Brough, a professor of organisational psychology and director of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing in the Business School at Griffith University, urged caution because of the sample size. The reported burnout levels were a little higher than she expected, she said, while adding there was “nothing new” in linking environmental factors with burnout. Brough said burnout is typically higher in public-facing and high-risk jobs, including bus driving, customer service and emergency services.

The systems behind workplace strain

Stephens pointed to poorly designed online systems, lengthy bureaucratic processes, unclear instructions and expectations, and pointless meetings as examples of workplace friction. Chan called the cognitive load involved friction. The survey linked that friction with 84 per cent higher odds of experiencing burnout in Australia.

Job security also marked a sharp divide. Burnout affected 68 per cent of Australians who didn’t feel secure in their jobs, compared with 20 per cent of those who felt very secure. Chan said insecurity could come from restructures, global politics or uncertainty about AI.

Researchers also identified fragmentation: switching between activities during the workday without much control, including moving among meetings, tasks and software. Stephens called it “constant interruption or multiple competing priorities” that divide attention. Workplace strain can involve major pressures, along with frequent minor stresses, workplace hassles and red tape, Brough said. Those daily hassles are a key predictor of occupational stress, she said, though not necessarily burnout.

Long hours, insufficient resources or support, and little control over work are established workload factors. Workers may have little say over their shifts, colleagues or hospital ward, Brough said. “You can have a high workload, but if you also have high levels of support and control, it doesn't necessarily equate to levels of stress or burnout,” she said.

Workers and employers

Amlan Sharma, a 38-year-old occupational therapist, said exhaustion, reduced purpose and confidence, and achieving less at a job he loved became normal in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic. He began noticing similar experiences among some of his patients. “That's where I started to realise: ‘Hang on, I might be burnt out,’” he said.

Rigid schedules, limited autonomy, high job demands, excessive workload, time pressure and constant interruptions disillusioned Sharma. He is a father and cares for a family member. Despite the financial challenges, he moved to self-employment and cut his hours. He said the change helped his recovery. “Over time I started to realise that actually I'm not the problem,” he said.

Chan said organisations and employers should examine the processes and systems people work within. “The leaders and organisation have the responsibility to create the right type of environment, but then people also need to speak up when something isn't right or they need certain support,” he said. Stephens recommended monitoring workload, communicating often with managers and avoiding the normalisation of workplace friction and fragmentation where possible. She said those pressures drain cognitive and emotional resources, leaving workers with less energy for work and other important parts of life. Brough said workers and employers “have a joint responsibility to look after your mental health.”