It follows the shock resignation of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
“I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice,” Ms. Ardern said during her resignation speech.
Ardern’s honesty regarding burnout at work has sparked conversations amongst offices about the modern expectations of workloads and balancing this with wellbeing.
Seek data released in 2022 shows 67 per cent of employees have felt burn out with almost 40 percent having left a job due to this phenomenon.
Tight labour markets are being blamed for the increase in burnout over recent years as employers struggle to fill roles resulting in employees taking on additional work loads.
Working through the pandemic has also changed the nature of the workforce with employees now more accustomed to working outside set hours, receiving communication outside set hours and working from the comfort of their own home.
Employers do have a role in checking in with employees regularly to ensure their workplace mental health and wellbeing is adequate.
Through this, acceptable workloads can be set or reaffirmed by employees and employers.
As for minimizing burnout, experts recommend setting yourself daily and yearly breaks from your work life to assist with your wellbeing.
Generally, a five minute break multiple times across your work day can go a long way allowing yourself to reset and energize for tasks ahead.
In terms of yearly breaks, holidays between three to six days are recommended across the year to continually refresh and set goals for yourself.