Recognizing, Preventing, and Recovering from Burnout

Description

This burnout prevention module helps employees and leaders understand burnout as a predictable, occupational syndrome—not a personal failure—and gives them practical tools to catch it early and course‑correct. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, growing negativity or detachment from work, and a sense of reduced effectiveness, all of which quietly erode performance, health, and team culture when left unaddressed. Participants learn how to distinguish normal stress from emerging burnout, and how to interpret their own warning signs before they reach a breaking point.

The session integrates both individual and organizational perspectives, emphasizing that lasting burnout prevention requires changes in habits and in how work is structured. Research shows that programs which combine person‑focused strategies (like mindfulness, cognitive skills, and self‑care) with organizational improvements (such as workload adjustment, clearer expectations, and better support) achieve more durable reductions in burnout and better engagement over time. Participants explore concrete leverage points under their control—attention, boundaries, communication, recovery—as well as ways to influence team norms and conversations with managers.

Through brief self‑assessment, reflection, and planning, participants leave with a personal “Burnout Prevention Playbook” that translates insights into a small set of realistic, trackable commitments for the next 30 days.

Learning Objectives

Define workplace burnout and differentiate it from everyday stress and short‑term overload.
Identify at least three personal early‑warning signs and three workplace contributors to burnout in their role.
Describe how burnout affects health, performance, relationships, and career trajectory.
Apply at least three evidence‑based strategies (individual and interpersonal) to reduce burnout risk and support recovery.
Draft a 30‑day burnout prevention plan that includes specific habits, boundary decisions, and one conversation to improve support or workload.

Module Outline