Burnout occurs when there is an imbalance between the demands of a job and the resourcing to do that job. In 2022, we measured burnout in the People Matter Employee survey (PMES) across the public sector for the first time. We also measured burnout in the 2023 survey.
Key survey results in 2023
- 39% of respondents felt burned out at work.
- 27% of respondents had a neutral response.
- 34% of respondents indicated they did not feel burned out at work.
- 47% of frontline respondents were experiencing burnout.
The 2023 reports for the sector and agencies are available on the 2023 People Matter Employee Survey page.
What is burnout?
Use this factsheet to understand how burnout is defined, how it is measured in the PMES and why you should value wellbeing in the workplace.
Burnout leads to a decline in an individual’s overall wellbeing and significantly impacts their performance, job satisfaction, and overall quality of life. Research conducted by Gallup found that burnt out employees are:
- 63% more likely to take sick days.
- 2.6 times as likely to be actively job searching.
- Half as likely to discuss how to approach performance goals with their manager.
- 23% more likely to visit a hospital’s emergency department.
- 13% less confident about their performance.
On an organisational level, burnout can result in:
- decreased productivity
- increased absenteeism
- higher turnover rates
- reduced employee engagement.
Burnout in the NSW public sector
To help you understand and address burnout rates and risks, we have undertaken extensive research to develop the Understanding burnout in the NSW public sector report.
The report will help increase your understanding of what is driving burnout in the sector and provide you with guidance on how to effectively address and mitigate the risk of burnout in your agency.
The 3 universal key drivers of burnout for the public sector are:
- Time to do my job well.
- Support to do my job well.
- Access to effective resources in the organisation to support employee wellbeing.
Our report will help your agency address rates of burnout and include key actions you can take like investing in people managers, promoting workplace cultures that values wellbeing, and offering adequate employee assistance programs.
Understanding burnout in the NSW public sector report
Understanding burnout in the NSW public sector report
Resources for addressing burnout in the NSW public sector
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Addressing burnout using key drivers
This factsheet provides actionable strategies to effectively reduce the risk of burnout.
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Template for comparing PMES results for key drivers of burnout
Record your PMES results below and use these insights to create an action plan.
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Template for addressing drivers of burnout
Suggested actions agencies and people managers can take to address burnout.