What is burnout?
Burnout is a state of deep physical, emotional and mental exhaustion resulting from chronic, unsuccessfully managed workplace stress. The WHO lists it in ICD-11 (QD85) as a factor influencing health status, not a standalone diagnosis. In practice it often leads to depression or adjustment disorders and long absences.
Warning signs
- Emotional exhaustion – feeling drained and depleted.
- Cynicism & detachment – mentally distancing from work and colleagues.
- Reduced performance – feeling unable to accomplish anything.
Conditions- vs behaviour-based prevention
- Conditions-based prevention targets working conditions – intensity, autonomy, leadership, role clarity. This is the employer's key lever.
- Behaviour-based prevention targets the individual – stress management, resilience, mindfulness. It complements but does not replace the former.
Effective measures for employers
- Set realistic work intensity and deadlines
- Widen autonomy and decision latitude
- Clarify roles and responsibilities
- Foster healthy leadership and a culture of recognition
- Limit availability and secure recovery time
The risk assessment as a prevention tool
Which of these factors actually burden a specific company cannot be guessed – it must be measured. That is exactly what the psychological risk assessment under §5 ArbSchG does: it systematically captures psychological stressors and turns them into the basis for targeted measures. Learn more →
