More Than Stress

Introduction

Hyun Jin Lee, an employee in the IT industry, begins work at 9:30am and finishes most of the time at 10pm, sometimes pushing until midnight. On some days, she must attend a mandatory team dinner after an exhausting day at work. Her day at work consists of replying to at least 200 messages in a day, followed up by constant meetings, collaborative work and finishing up individual tasks. Sometimes, she even works from home to catch up with unfinished work. As a result, she stated that he feels completely drained, feels like she has no energy and there’s no time for personal life after work (Zaza, 2025). Her experience reflects the characteristics of a job burnout, which Maslach & Leiter (2016) defined as “a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job.”

Recent research has shown that in a survey of 1500 Canadian professionals, 47% said that they reported having a burnout and 31% indicated that they felt more burnout than the year before. In 2024 alone, 42% of workers reported having a burnout and in 2023, a reported percentage of 33%. (Robert Half Canada, 2025).

This paper demonstrates that while some might view burnout as an individual weakness, job burnout usually develops from various factors, starting from a personal level to social surroundings. Once developed it can profoundly impact our life. The sociological discipline of this paper argues that it is often a combination of social and organizational pressures that lead to burnout. Subjects like gender differences, socioeconomic status, and organizational structures are some of the factors that can contribute to the increasing rate of burnout. This will be argued using studies using surveys and questionnaires. Meanwhile, from a psychological perspective, the study examines how psychological consequences of burnout and how mental health issues, work demand and life satisfaction influence the individual’s risk of burnout. Psychological aspects such as mental disorders, depression, and anxiety are some of the contributors and consequences indicated through evidence such as longitudinal study, systematic reviews and a longitudinal weekly diary design.

From research from the three disciplines: sociology, psychology, and political science, this paper explores some of the causes of burnout, such as having previous mood disorders, high job demands and unfairness at work. This study also finds that some of the consequences of a job burnout include emotional exhaustion, insomnia and depressive symptoms. This paper will conclude with recommendations to businesses, the Minister of Labor and the Chamber of Commerce. Labor regulations should be put into place including the four-day work week policy and the right for workers to disconnect.

Sociological Factors

Burnout has become an important issue affecting many people in the workplace across many different types of occupations. From a sociological perspective, job burnout is not only the result of personal shortcomings, but a combination of organizational structures, social interactions, and organizational justice. Researchers study how working conditions, gender differences, workplace interactions, and organizational structures affect employees’ well-being, which can lead to stress and emotional exhaustion. Based on three studies that study different causes of a burnout, we will be able to understand some of these factors. Lindahl et al. (2010) used data from a cross-sectional study from Sweden to examine working conditions, job demand, gender differences and how social support can play a significant role. Leiter et al. (2001) uses survey data to examine how abusive interactions in the workplace can contribute to a burnout. While studies from Lindahl et al. (2010) and Leiter et al. (2001) examine burnout from a personal perspective, for example, personal experiences, study from Tsounis (2025) examines whether organizational justice plays a role in the development of a burnout. By using quantitative survey data, this final article argues that organizational structures, policies and fairness also influence the risk of burnout. More specifically, Tsounis (2025) argues that organizational justice can improve job performance and happiness and reduce the risk of burnout.

Lindahl et al. (2010) examined the differences in burnout in male and female and whether socioeconomic status or life situations affect burnout. The authors’ study took place in Sweden and used data from the MONICA (Monitoring of Trends and Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease) project and burnout was measured using the Shirom Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ) (Lindahl et al., 2010, p. 2). The method used was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1000 working adults, aged 25-64. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of burnout in the general population and determine whether socioeconomic status has a correlation to burnout. The results show that 12.9% of the population reported having a burnout, with 21.5% of women reported having higher SMBQ scores (p. 4) exceeding 4, with men showing a lower rate of 11.6%, a significantly higher proportion than men. (A SMBQ score exceeding 4 is classified as having a burnout). The questionnaire also looked at the socioeconomic status and the working conditions of the population. Both genders reported that high demands in job and having low control leads to higher scores of SMBQ. In men, SMBQ mean value of 3.42 and in women, a SMBQ mean value of 3.37 in this case (p. 3). Additionally, Lindahl et al. (2010) mentioned that marital status, having children or smoking did not show any relation to SMBQ in both men and women. However, a good economic situation, high level of physical activity, and having a high level of social integration was found to be related to a low SMBQ score in both genders. Having a low social integration means having fewer than 3 friends and having a high social integration means having 3 more friends according to the AVSI Instrument. However, more women have reported having low social integration than men, with women found at 23.7% and men at 14.2%. In addition, having a higher level of education has also been reported having a low SMBQ score in women (p. 4). This demonstrates that job burnout is linked to social surroundings and that women have higher levels of burnout than men. This finding highlight that the risk of burnout is not evenly distributed, but different across gender lines. It also demonstrates that both genders are exposed to burnout differently with both being exposed to different environments. It was concluded that having good social support like family and friends will reduce the risk of having a burnout.

To examine how social relationships and workplace abuse can contribute to the development of a burnout, Leiter et al. (2001) conducted two studies. Subjects such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, and verbal abuse provide evidence that the social environment, particularly a toxic work environment, is an important risk factor of burnout. The study did by Leiter et al. (2001) will reinforce this argument, because it also studies support from the organization. The methodology used in the study is a quantitative study using surveys to collect data. The first survey was conducted in two different hospitals located in central Canada (in a tertiary care hospital (n=3052) and in a psychiatric hospital located in eastern Canada (n=383)). The participants included nurses and non-nurses, both male and female. The results show that 64% of the participants who are females are more likely to experience abuse in the workplace (Leiter et al., 2001, p. 555). The measure used is called the Maslach Burnout Inventory- General Survey (MGI-GS). The Maslach Burnout Inventory is a 16-item measure, measured on a 7-point scale ranging from 0-6, “never” to “daily” (p. 554). Study two was conducted in 4 different hospitals in Ireland (n=892) and participants also included nurses and non-nurses, both male and female. The study was conducted on different types of abuse and their sense of belonging in the community. It was found that a reduced sense of community can also lead to a burnout. The results show that 81% of females in the participants indicated they felt more at risk of verbal abuse. In other words, individuals who experienced abuse in the workplace or had the fear of workplace abuse felt less connected to their co-workers, which can lead to more chances of having a burnout. It was also found that female felt more at risk for sexual harassment than men (p. 558). Though, the results show that females are at higher risks of abuse, it was shown that there are no gender differences in physical abuse. In other words, men are also victims of workplace abuse. Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) is also the measure used to identify the form of abuse and the sense of belonging. Therefore, employees who have experienced more abusive interactions are more prone to higher levels of burnout. Leiter et al. (2001) mentioned that staff who are prone to abuse are more likely to withdraw from work, use more sick days to recover, and reduce the quality of their work. They concluded that programs should be put in place to train staff for them to be able to learn how to deal and prevent abuse or establish clear policies that would allow them to report abuse more easily. These findings confirm that there is a relationship between the social environment and job burnout. It also provides insights to questions such as “Are certain groups more exposed to mistreatment and certain types of abuse than others?” Furthermore, it also confirms that a positive work environment does affect a person’s work quality and a better work environment also contributes to the organization. By creating a positive work environment, organizations can help reduce burnout, allowing employees to perform at their best, and as a result, their work productivity also increases.

Organizational justice is how employees view fairness within their organization. (Tsounis, 2025, p. 3) Topic of fairness of work is a key element when it comes to organizational structure and the interactions at work, an important aspect of burnout. When employees perceive trust and fairness in the workplace, it creates a positive environment at work, and it will also affect their job performance. To explore this connection, Tsounis (2025) examined the relationship between organizational justice and how it influences job performance and happiness using two psychological states: work engagement and burnout. Some of the variables being measured include organizational justice, work engagement, burnout, job performance and happiness (p. 10-11), though we will focus more on burnout, performance, and happiness. He did a study on 216 participants from 62 different organizations located in Greece. All participants received an envelope of the questionnaire, and the envelope was sent back with all answers being anonymous and confidential. It was based using the Job-Demands-Resources theory (p. 3). Through the Job-Demands-Resources theory, the author views organizational justice as a job resource that can be used both to motivate employees and protect them from stress about work (p. 5). The study used a quantitative cross-sectional design, and data were analyzed using multilevel analyses with MLwiN software (p. 3). Organizational justice was measured using the 4 items from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II (COPSOQ II) with a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), work engagement was measured using the 9-item version of the Utrecht Work Engagement scale (UWES) with items ranked from 0 (never) to 6 (always). Burnout was measured using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, which assesses two dimensions: exhaustion and disengagement, with items ranked from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree). Job performance was measured using the 3-item from the Questionnaire on the Experience and Evaluation of work on a 5-point scale: 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Happiness was measured with a single item developed for the purpose of the study which assesses overall happiness on a 4-point scale from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much) (p. 10-11). According to the results, it has been shown that organizational justice has a positive correlation to work engagement, job performance, and happiness, though negatively with burnout (p. 13) For example, for their first hypothesis where they were testing the relationship between organizational justice and job performance, it has been reported that organizational justice is positively and indirectly related to job performance. With a reported finding of (estimate= .375, SE= .052, t=7.21, p < .001) (p. 13). SE stands for standard error and t for t-value with both results being statistically significant. Though the article could have been more explicit about what the estimate stands for, the t-value allows us to see if the result is statistically different between the first group and the second group. Nonetheless, explanations about the t-value are still lacking, and they should be more specific about what constitutes the first and the second group. In our case, the result is statistically significant. This means that when employees perceive fairness at work, they have stronger motivation and commitment toward their work. Furthermore, organizational justice relates positively and indirectly to job performance via lower burnout. In other words, there is a negative relationship between organizational justice and burnout, this means that when employees perceive fairness, there is less chance that they will experience a burnout and vice versa. A reported finding of (estimate= -.237, SE=.062, t= -3.82, p<.001) with the result being statistically significant. If we were to interpret this result, this means that when the scale for organizational justice goes down, the scale for job performance burnout increases. Lastly, organizational justice is linked positively and indirectly with happiness and lower burnout. A reported finding of (estimate= -.403, SE= .097, t= -4.15, p < .001) shows that organizational justice is significantly linked to burnout (p. 14). This means that when the scale for organizational justice goes up, happiness also goes up and burnout decreases. In conclusion, having organizational justice, defined as the employee perception of fairness, can improve employees’ psychological well-being and the author suggests that fairness at work plays an important role in discouraging burnout. This study shows that burnout is not solely based on individual factors, but also on organizational structures and one’s social surroundings. Tsounis (2025) suggests that being in a positive environment can have a huge influence on a person’s well-being and their performance. Recommendations such as training programs, lectures, short discussions, role-play activities to help employees recognize what is perceived as fairness, and case study analyses are some of the suggestions being mentioned.

In conclusion, the three studies demonstrate that social and organizational structures contribute to the development of a burnout. Social interactions, having a low socioeconomic status as well as poor working conditions have been shown in the study of Lindahl et al. (2010) to be linked with a higher risk of burnout. Similarly, Leiter at al. (2001) shows that a toxic work environment, for example, going through abuse in the workplace, can increase the risk of having a burnout. Lastly, through the study of Tsounis et al. (2025), it has been shown that when employees perceive fairness at work, productivity increases and they’re more likely to engage in work. This indicates that preventing burnout is not simply an individual responsibility; it is also a collective one.

Psychological Factors

Burnout consists of three main parts: exhaustion, cynicism or depersonalization and inefficacy (Maslach & Leiter, 2016, p. 103). Exhaustion is usually described as feeling tired and drained. Cynicism involves developing a negative attitude toward the workplace and to your colleagues often with feelings of irritability or even loss of interest. Lastly, inefficacy is when the individual feels less productive, unable to cope or has a low morale (p. 103). Put together, these three components of burnout allow researchers to understand how job burnout can impact employees’ emotions and well-being. In contrast, the psychological state of engagement consists also of three components: vigor, dedication and absorption (p. 104). These components are also used to measure employees’ resilience against burnout. It has been found that burnout usually happens when job demands are too high, when there is a lack of control, and when there is a mismatch between the person and the job (p. 105).

Research on job burnout from a psychological discipline focuses on identifying the causes such as psychological and occupational factors as well as identifying the psychological consequences and profound impact that affect employees’ well-being and their ability to cope with work. Research by Rössler et al. (2015) focuses on the predictors of burnout by using longitudinal data, more specifically interviews, to determine that some factors that can contribute to the development of burnout are, for instance, mood disorders and psychiatric symptoms. On the other hand, by using a systematic review of existing studies, Salvagioni et al. (2017) examine the physical, psychological, and occupational consequences of a burnout. For example, some of the consequences mentioned include use of antidepressants, depression, insomnia, being absent from work, etc. Lastly, Bakker et al. (2023) examines how a burnout can affect how employees handle job demands on a day-to-day basis. Employees who have a burnout are more likely to experience exhaustion, have a harder time coping with work, make mistakes, develop self-undermining behaviors, etc., because they have less energy to manage heavy workloads.

To fully understand the development of burnout and know who is most likely to develop one, it is necessary to examine the psychological factors that may predict its outcome. Research by Rössler et al. (2015) explores these predictors by investigating factors associated with the development of burnout over time, focusing on personality traits, mental health factors, and psychological well-being of an individual. This study is relevant as it shows which type of people are more likely to develop a burnout. To examine this, the author investigates personality traits and psychiatric symptoms in a sample of a population located in Zurich, Switzerland in a span of 30 years. The method used for this study is a longitudinal study across 7 interviews with the first sample interviewed in 1979, aged 19-20 and the final sample of 316 participants, aged 49-50. (Rössler et al., 2015, p. 20). The interviews were measured using the Structured Psychopathological Interview and Rating of the Social Consequences of Psychological Disturbances for Epidemiology (SPIKE), which could be used to diagnose mood, anxiety, substance use, etc. (p. 20-21). Psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, hostility, etc. were measured using the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90-R). (p. 21) It has been found that individuals with psychiatric symptoms has a higher chance of developing a burnout, with emotional exhaustion having the strongest relationship with obsessive-compulsive symptom, with a reported β =0.561, 95% CI [0.429, 0.692] and depression, with a result of β =0.501, 95% CI [0.386, 0.615] (p. 21). β stands for standardized regression coefficients, which tells you how strong the relationship is between the independent and the dependent variable and CI stands for confidence intervals, which allows you to estimate where the effect is. These results show that burnout is not caused only by our social surroundings, but also on a personal level, such as mental health conditions and psychological factors. In other words, individuals with mood disorders were significantly more likely to experience burnout than those without such disorders. Rössler et al. (2015) concluded that we can work towards early detection of mental disorders and focus on providing psychological support to help reduce the chance of having a burnout. Likewise, it provides evidence that creating programs or improving mental health programs can help a person’s well-being, and job burnout is not just a problem of social organizational structures, but a combination of individual and social factors combined.

Salvagioni et al. (2017) reviews the physical, psychological, and occupational consequences associated with job burnout. This study allows an insight into the psychological effects of a job burnout on a person and how it affects their performance at work. To examine these factors, the author did a systematic review of prospective studies following the Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Salvagioni et al., 2017, p. 1). 993 articles were identified, though only 36 were used, more specifically 10 were used for identifying psychological factors. (p. 4). The 36 articles were chosen using three criteria: studies that contain new cases, have a good response rate, and have minimal control of age and health problems (p. 3). Level of burnout in the studies used was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM) (p. 4). The review found that job burnout can cause sleep disturbances, insomnia, and depressive symptoms (p. 14). For example, in a study involving 1356 employees, it was reported that they developed insomnia (odds ratio (OR) 1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.45 to 2.58, p < .05) with controllable variables of depressive symptoms, body mass index, age and gender. This means that employees with burnout had 93% higher odds of developing insomnia and p < .05 shows that the result is statistically significant. It was also found in another study with a sample of 2936 participants that job burnout was also linked to increased use of antidepressants, especially in men with an increase of 5.17% each year and 0.96% for women according to the Danish national prescription registry. (p. 15-16). These factors can affect job performance. The author also argues that burnout can trigger absenteeism (absence from work) and presenteeism (coming to work while being sick), leading to a loss in productivity (p. 22) For example, in a study that consists of a sample of 824 participants, it has been found that there is an increase of 21% in sickness absence days and the result was statistically significant (RR =1.21 95% CI 1.11 to 1.32 p < 0.01). RR stands for risk ratio, which allows you to see how likely something happens to one group compared to another group (p. 17-18). Salvagioni et al. (2017) concluded that burnout can cause psychological consequences, such as anxiety and depression, lower job satisfaction, etc., as well as work-related problems, such as absenteeism and presenteeism. Developing programs, early detection, or having social support can help reduce it.

While research shows that a job burnout can have multiple kinds of consequences on a person, it can definitely affect a person’s ability to function at work on a day-to-day basis. From this perspective, Bakker et al. (2023) investigated how chronic burnout influences employees' ability to cope with weekly job demands, demonstrating that burnout undermines effective functioning even on a week-to-week basis and how those employees deal with their work. Bakker et al. (2023) examined how chronic burnout affects employees and their ability to cope with weekly job demands by using two theories: the job demands-resources theory (JD-R) and the conservation of resource theory (COR) (Bakker et al., 2023, p. 390). In other words, they are trying to determine whether employees with chronic burnout are less likely to manage work demands and whether fluctuating work demands can increase weekly burnout symptoms, which can lead to dysfunctional behaviors. While job demands-resources theory focuses on the balance between job demand and job resource, conservation of resource theory is a stress theory that can be used to explain why when people loses personal resources that they have protected faster than expected, they become more stress and it affects how they cope with work demands (p. 392-393). They hypothesized that people with higher chronic levels of burnout have more difficulties in handling work demands and that those with chronic burnout respond to job demands with dysfunctional coping and self-undermining behaviors (p. 390-391). They did the study on 84 participants working in different organizations, located in the Netherlands (Bakker et al., 2023, p. 396). All participants received an online link to complete the survey via email. They completed a general survey assessing the level of chronic burnout and they also responded to a weekly survey that they would answer every Friday for 5 weeks, assessing week-level job demands, week-level burnout, week-level dysfunctional coping and week-level self-undermining (p. 396-397). The methodology used for the study is a longitudinal weekly diary design and data were analyzed using a multi-analysis with MLwiN (p. 398). Level of chronic burnout is measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) with 2 of the subscales (exhaustion and cynicism) being measured on 4 and 5 items scale, ranked between 0 (never) to 6 (everyday). Week-level job demands are measured with 6 items. Week-level burnout was measured with the adjusted version of Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). Week-level dysfunctional coping was measured with the avoidance and passive coping subscales of the Utrecht Coping List using 15 items. Week-level self-undermining was measured using a six-item scale (p. 397). According to the results, it has been found that weekly job demands and chronic burnout have a positive correlation to weekly burnout. This means that employees with higher levels of chronic burnout have higher burnout symptoms when weekly job demands increased, with a reported finding of (estimate=.16, SE=.07, t=2.29, p < .05) (p. 400). This shows that the result is statistically significant, and it’s unlikely that it’s occurred by chance. It has also demonstrated that weekly job demands and chronic burn-out have an indirect positive relationship with dysfunctional coping through weekly burnout, as well as an indirect relationship with self-undermining behaviors. A reported finding of (estimate=.28, SE=.04, t=7.00, p < .001) and (estimate = .34, SE = .05, t = 6.80, p < .001) (p. 401). This means that as burnout job demands and burnout increases, so do dysfunctional coping strategies and self-undermining behaviors. Dysfunctional coping and self-undermining behaviors could include communicating less with their colleagues, withdrawing from interpersonal relationships, making mistakes, etc. (p. 393-395) The t-value and the p-value tells us that the result is statistically significant. Similarly to the article on organizational justice, the author does not explicitly explain what the estimate nor does the t-value stand for. In conclusion, these findings show us that when employees have high job demands and chronic burnout, they are more likely to become burned out on a weekly basis. It then leads them to ineffective coping strategies and engages in behaviors that do not benefit their performance and well-being, which in the long term can reinforce burnout. Bakker et al. (2023) suggested that designing intervention according to the level of burnout, having support from colleagues, HR managers, reducing job demands and increasing resources, regularly monitoring burnout and maladaptive coping behaviors, and providing targeted interventions can help to reduce stress.

When put together, the research shows that psychological factors are also an important risk factor in the development of burnout. A person having mood disorders are more likely to develop a burnout than a person without one. For its consequences, burnout can lead to increased use of antidepressants, cause sleep disturbances and having chronic burnout can affect employees’ ability to handle daily job demands as their exhaustion level is higher than an average person.

Political Science

Political science is the study of policies and regulations that can be implemented and the effects it could have on society. Job burnout from a political science perspective focuses on how institutions or organizations can work together with the government with the hope of resolving the problem. This section will analyze labor policy and workplace regulation and argue how governments and employers can work together to play their part in protecting their workers’ well-being. There are three articles in this section, which I will use to argue that although the government can help to reduce the risk of a burnout in the workplace, they can’t fully intervene. Policies such as the four-day work week and the right to disconnect received positive support from the employees, however there are still concerns present, for example, increased workload, financial loss towards the business or even during peak seasons. First, Weissbrodt (2018) argues that labor inspectors inspect psychosocial risks in the workplace using a mixed-method research design based on data collected from 273 inspection visits and discusses some constraints, such as lack of time and resources, lack of experts in the field, financial constraints, as well as employer’s attitude, of labor inspectors that prevent them from having full intervention. Likewise, I will argue that a shorter workweek could prevent burnout by improving work-life balance (while improving productivity), using Jain et al. (2025) interviews with employees on the four-day workweek, but implementation would not be simple nor necessarily entirely beneficial. Finally, relying on Livori (2025)’s analysis of existing policies, such as France, Italy and Spain, I will argue that the government should legislate a right to disconnect, a law where employees have the right to be completely off work, such as not replying to messages and emails once they clock out. However, this author too cautious that legislation would not be enough: successful implementation would require collaboration from employers, employees, and the government.

Weissbrodt (2018) argues that mental health concerns, very important factors in burnout, are underreported in workplace inspections and that inspectors have limited options in dealing with them. By examining workplace inspections, we will get to understand how the prevention of psychosocial risk can help to reduce burnout. The study was conducted as part of the Swiss inspection campaign on psychosocial risk (RPS) and it was organized by the State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) (Weissbrodt, 2018, p. 5). The method used in the study is a mixed-method research design, including both qualitative and quantitative data (p. 5). Online questionnaires completed by 70 inspectors from 21 of Switzerland’s 29 cantonal and municipal labor inspectorates, more specifically through 273 workplace inspections (275 in total, but 2 were dropped due to missing data), measured their perspective on company representatives, their inspection style and measures related to recommendations (p. 8). All answers were rated on a scale from 0 to 100 (Weissbrodt, 2018, 5). Other methods of study such as interviews, observations, workshop discussions were also used (p. 13) to get opinions from these inspectors. According to the results, it has been shown that psychosocial risks were present in 96% of the inspections, however only 50.8% were demanded measures (p. 8). This shows that mental health concerns in workplaces are very present, however only about half of them were reported. Instead of using a more direct approach, inspectors generally choose an advisory approach by providing information, recommendations, and guidance to employers (p. 16). It is more focused on giving recommendations rather than more legal procedures, such as demanding video surveillance as there are constraints present. In addition, inspectors also added that there are several barriers that prevent them from fully intervening. Barriers included lack of time and resources, lack of psychosocial risk experts in the market, employer’s attitude, economic situation, etc. (p. 10). Weissbrodt (2018) concludes that labor inspections have an important role in preventing psychosocial risks associated with job burnout, however their intervention can be limited, more focused on giving advice to organizations and employers rather than to enforce legal practice. He suggested that labor inspection can focus on risk factors related to the organization of work, employers can include risk assessment that includes psychosocial risk, strengthen the training of labor inspectors, etc. These suggestions reveal that to tackle psychosocial risk, one of the consequences of a burnout, it is important that both parties, the business and the government, need to come together to tackle the problem. While government intervention can help, there are still limitations involved.

A workplace policy that can have the possibility to reduce burnout is having shorter workdays. Jain et al. (2025) investigated employees’ opinions on changing workdays from five to four. A four-day work week (4DWW) is defined as “working pattern where organizations offer some or all their staff the ability to work four days while still being paid a full-time salary” (Jain et al., 2015, p.1). In other words, instead of working 5 days per week, employees are working 4 while getting paid the same amount of salary. To examine this, the author did a study where they interviewed 14 participants who are all working in different professions in the UK to learn about their opinions on the benefits, challenges and the feasibility of the 4DWW policy. The method used for the study is a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews to determine what the employees’ opinions on this transition are. By using a qualitative design, researchers can get information on employees’ opinions on working fewer hours, which could allow them for more rest days, recovery time and catch up on personal life. Ages of the participants range from 23-60 years old (p. 4). All participation was voluntary and they first approached the participants through community groups and LinkedIn connections, then followed up with emails explaining the purpose of the study and interviews lasted from 30 to 45 minutes through Microsoft Teams (p. 3). Data were measured using Bruan and Clark’s six stage thematic analyses to determine overlapping themes (employees, organization and wider systems factors) (p. 3-7). According to the results, it was found that the participants supported the idea of a 4DWW, with some saying it can improve employees’ well-being, having a healthier work-life balance, having better physical and mental health, as well as having more time to spend with their families (p. 5). All these variables are closely linked to reducing burnout. Another important finding is that they believed implementing a 4DWW will attract potential employees as it will make the companies more appealing, as it allows the company to have a healthy environment image (p. 6). In addition, the author mentioned that in a previous study, it was found that in a 4DWW trial run in the UK, 39% of employees reported having lower stress and 71% reported lower levels of burnout (p. 8). This finding supported the argument that having fewer workdays does reduce stress and reduce burnout. However, there are some concerns present, such as financial cost of the company, increased workload, peak season, etc., and that this transition can only be possible with government interventions, such as providing incentives (p. 7-8) This means that even though employees get fewer days of work, their level of burnout would not decrease if they would have to do the same amount of work for a smaller amount of time.

Jain et al. (2025) concluded that implementing a 4DWW can improve better work-life balance, more family interactions, having more flexibility, etc. They suggested that this cannot be done within the organization alone, it needs support from the government, such as incentives and legislative framework. For example, companies in Japan such as Microsoft, Panasonic or Mizuho Bank have already implemented the 4DWW with the support from the government (p. 10). This is relevant, because it discusses one possible labor regulation approach and it argues that improving labor conditions needs government intervention and policies are needed to protect employees. Some of these recommendations could be addressed to legislators, for example, people working in the Ministry of Labor, where they could revise working conditions, working hours, or even come up with new labor policies to better protect employees.

In another study involving a different workplace policy, Livori (2025) reviews one of Australia’s labor regulations: the “right to disconnect”, which has been recognized under the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes No 2) Act 24 (Cth). It’s useful for my paper as it looks at some of the psychological concerns of employees as well as emphasizing that change needs to take place both from the organization and from the government. The right to disconnect can allow employees to “refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from an employer outside of the employees’ working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable.” (Livori, 2025, p. 34). The goal of the law was to protect employees, reduce stress, burnout, feeling of overwhelm, reduce unpaid work, provide clarity between working hours and personal life and boost productivity (p. 35). Through this policy, the author tries to determine whether the law has successfully addressed the concern of constantly being connected to work with the help of technology, such as replying to emails outside of working hours, texts, messages, etc. which can eventually lead to stress and burnout (p. 33-34). Other countries such as France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and many other countries have also similarly implemented laws that supported the “right to disconnect” (p. 34).

To examine the effectiveness of the law, the author used policy analysis of existing policies to evaluate the outcome. The author did not use any quantitative dataset but rather relied on legal analyses as well as academic journals. His review of existing studies shows that constant connection to work can lead to stress, increased anxiety, depression, lower life satisfaction, and a general decrease in the health and well-being of employees, (p. 35-36), which are known as some of the psychological effects of a burnout. In addition, it has also been found that through the right to disconnect, it has been reported that 58% of employers said that the right to disconnect has a positive effect on employees’ engagement and productivity (p. 44).

Livori (2025) suggested that the best way to implement the law is through the soft approach. The soft approach requires negotiation between the employer and the employee, and he encourages them to develop their own workplace policy so that both can come to an agreement (p. 59-60). While there’s no conclusive answer whether the law is considered effective or not, the author believed that this is one possible solution to help protect employees against burnout, as he mentioned that constant connection to work can lead to increased stress. Livori (2025) concluded that while the government can intervene to help protect workers’ health and well-being, there is a limit to how much enforcement can be done. Cooperation needs to take place between employers and employees, emphasizing that there also needs a change in the way organizations run their business. While government intervention can help, it would be even more effective if people in the organization can step in and work towards the protection of their own employees. HR managers or even higher up positions, such as senior leaders can revise their workplace policies to promote a healthier working environment and protect their employees’ well-being. This is significant as it argues that being constantly connected to work can lead to stress, overwork, mental health problems, concerns about work-life balance, concerns about unpaid work, etc. and that change needs to take place also from the organization itself and not just from the government.

In conclusion, these three studies demonstrate how government and workplace policies can come together to improve employees’ well-being. While some articles did not explicitly mention whether the labor policies were effective or not, businesses and the government have their own role to play. It would not work if only one side decides to participate while the other one does nothing at all. Weissbrodt (2018) highlights the limitations of labor inspectors and how far they can intervene in the workplace as well as the difficulties they face when reporting psychosocial risks. Jain et al. (2025) demonstrates how changes in working days, more specifically, the four-day workweek, can improve employees’ work-life balance, allowing for more personal time. Finally, Livori (2025) emphasizes the need for regulations that protect employees’ personal time through the right to disconnect, but also emphasizes the need for collaboration between employers and employees to come up with a workplace policy. Nor would a one-size-fits-all right to disconnect be likely to be successful. These findings show that governments and organizations can and must play an important role in creating a healthier workplace. Only Jain et al. seem to suggest that the government could legislate the issue on its own, but the other two articles caution that government and organizational leadership would need to collaborate with workers, which shows the limits of legislation alone.

Recommendations

All these studies combined shows that in reducing the chance of developing a job burnout, it requires more than just an individual effort. Moreover, past experiences and life circumstances affect the risk of developing this kind of professional exhaustion. While having good social support, such as having family and friends and surrounding oneself in positive environments can help with life satisfaction, good advice for anyone, there are also other recommendations directed to organizations and the government. Businesses should implement programs, such as mental health programs where employees can get easy access to help as well as programs where employees can easily report to when they need help. Programs that help employees learn what are some of the coping strategies or learn about awareness may help reduce the risk of developing a chronic burnout, as early detection is always best. Managers can also receive training about mental health to know what is best for their workers, but also for themselves. They should also foster a healthy work environment, encourage positive social relationships between employees and at the same time, monitor workload demands to reduce stress.

As a concrete action, a letter could be sent to the government, for example, to the Minister of Labor and to the Chamber of Commerce, outlining this research and inviting them to collaborate to ensure the well-being of workers. The Minister of Labor can take part in overseeing employment standards, for example, strengthening workplace mental health inspections, legislating the four-day work week policy or the right to disconnect policy will also help reduce the risk of burnout. Providing training or resources to businesses might also help solve the problem. The Chamber of Commerce can also give advice to businesses, such as organizing workshops or seminars with the goal of educating employees on burnout prevention. With the combination of personal effort, better policies and access to mental health programs, it is not impossible to reduce the risk of job burnout.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the development of a job burnout is a result of multiple factors. Based on the studies examined and through the three disciplines, we can conclude that there are several sociological and psychological factors that contribute to the development of a job burnout as well as some labor regulations that could possibly reduce its risk. Sociological factors, such as gender differences, workplace abuse, working conditions and fairness at work are all some of the factors included. The studies, which used methods such as cross-sectional study, surveys and quantitative data, demonstrates that burnout is influenced by both personal and organizational experiences.

Psychologically, it demonstrates that burnout is shaped by both personal vulnerability and workplace pressure. Through the study of Rössler et al. (2015), it has been shown that individuals with existing mood disorders are more likely to develop job burnout, such as having existing depression and anxiety. Salvagioni et al. (2017) emphasizes the physical, psychological and occupational consequences of having a job burnout: sleep disturbances, sickness from work, having a lower job satisfaction, etc., showing that having a job burnout can negatively affect a person's life. Bakker et al. (2023) reveals that individuals with job burnout have a harder time to manage weekly job demands. As job demands increase, so does the risk of burnout. Overall, burnout is a serious mental health problem that requires intervention from governments and organizations.

Lastly, there needs to be some sort of intervention to help resolve the problem. Through the political science discipline, the study of Weissbrodt (2018)’s shows that labor inspectors have some limitations when it comes to addressing the risk of psychosocial risk in the workplace, such as lack of resources, employer’s attitudes or even a lack of experts in the market. Similarly, Livori (2025) also examines the right to disconnect, where employees have the right to completely disconnect from work, hoping that having clear boundaries between work and personal life can help improve work-life balance. This reveals that burnout and work-related stress needs cooperation from both organizations, employees and policy legislators and that governments and organizations need to make better policies or plans to protect workers’ well-being. Exploring labor regulations is the main focus in the study of Jain et al. (2025) where they were looking at a four-day work week policy. Their findings suggest that workers react to this positively, however it depends how organizations decide to implement them, particularly with concerns such as workload or wages.

Effective prevention needs governments and organizations to co-create healthier working conditions through better regulations, improved workplace structures, policies and implementing mental health programs that promote balance between work and personal responsibilities which can help to prevent work-related stress which eventually can develop into a job burnout, for example, by implementing the four-day work week policy, workers will have more time to spend time with their friends and family, have more time for their own personal lives and eventually meet new people.

Burnout is a serious condition, but it is well researched and it is preventable. With coordinated effort to make for healthier and more productive workplaces, it can and should be significantly reduced.

References

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