Burnout Revisited: Six Cultural Factors to Consider

Earlier this year, I argued that leaders need to understand faculty burnout on multiple levels and be willing to take actions that support the faculty writ large, not just individuals already coping with burnout personally. Doing so means both recognizing and going beyond the basic definitions and looking more deeply into the features of institutions and higher ed itself. We know that the World Health Organization defined burnout as a syndrome caused by chronic workplace stress that cannot be sufficiently managed and that is characterized by three specific dimensions: “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion," "increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job," and "reduced professional efficacy.”