Burnout is everywhere but we can design to beat it

The world seems burned out. Everywhere I go, and with almost everyone I speak to, within moments of a conversation beginning I hear: ‘I’m so burned out. I need a break.’ From older generations, the question is often: ‘When did life get so difficult?’

Clinicians can debate the precise definition of ‘burnout’, and some of the people telling me they are burned out may not technically meet the criteria. But when people express it so quickly and so consistently, it feels reasonable to take them seriously.

And perhaps the more important question is: why wouldn’t people feel burned out now?

Less resilience

There is only so much stress any group of humans can absorb, and many people today seem to be operating beyond their limit. Stress alone does not necessarily lead to burnout, but the prolonged mental strain many people have experienced over recent years makes it increasingly difficult to feel energised or resilient.

Maslach and Leiter (2017) describe the three ‘basic dimensions of the burnout experience’: overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment from work, and a sense of ineffectiveness or lack of accomplishment (1).

They also identify six interrelated burnout predictors and risk factors:

‘Workload’ refers to job demands exceeding human limits and creating acute fatigue. However, this does not necessarily lead to burnout if people have opportunities to recover.

‘Control’ includes employees’ perceived ability to influence decisions affecting their work and access the resources needed to perform effectively.

‘Reward’ recognises that insufficient financial, institutional or social recognition increases vulnerability to burnout.

‘Community’ relates to the quality of social interaction at work, including support, conflict management, closeness and the ability to work effectively as a team.

‘Fairness’ concerns whether decisions are perceived as equitable.

Finally, ‘Values’ reflect the ideals and motivations that originally attracted people to their work.

Design as antidote

Workplace design can help counter many of these risk factors, as previous WORKTECH Academy columns have explored.

Design can support people in doing their work effectively. Research continues to demonstrate how lighting, ventilation, acoustics and environmental conditions influence creativity, concentration, analytical reasoning and collaboration.

While environments do not determine workloads or expectations, they can help people perform better within them. Design can also support mental recovery through biophilic elements, art, soundscapes or restorative spaces such as crafting rooms.

Design can provide an appropriate level of control. When people feel a comfortable degree of agency over their environment – for example, having several lighting options rather than none or an overwhelming number – positive cognitive and emotional outcomes often follow, including improved wellbeing and performance.

Design can communicate organisational values nonverbally. Workplaces constantly signal what is rewarded, who is recognised and which behaviours are valued. Design can reinforce messages around fairness, support and organisational identity, though this only works when those values are genuinely reflected in practice.

Design can support community building. Everything from colour palettes and furniture layouts to shared team spaces can influence social interaction. Warm colours, sight lines that support eye contact without forcing it, and spaces designed for collective ownership can all contribute to stronger interpersonal connection and collaboration.

Design can also help counter burnout, but it cannot entirely prevent it. The boss from hell who calls subordinates at 4am to find out why they’re not yet in the office after making impossible demands at 10pm the night before is not overcome with an at-work crafting room. Design is most effective in environments where burnout risk exists but is not structurally guaranteed.  

Allow for common sense

What is striking about many of these interventions is how closely they align with common sense. Provide people with the resources they need to work effectively. Give them opportunities to recover mentally. Help them build relationships. Allow for a reasonable level of control. Ensure organisational values are visible and credible.

So why are these measures not more common?

Partly this is because managers and leaders are often burned out themselves, making it harder to focus on practices they likely already understand.

Many effective interventions also require relatively little additional investment. Colour, for example, significantly influences behaviour and cognition, yet all paint costs roughly the same. Plants are inexpensive, and where real planting is difficult, natural fractal patterns in finishes or materials can produce similar cognitive effects. Fairness, recognition and clear values cost very little.

Providing workplaces where people can genuinely perform well may require more substantial investment. But if effective work sits at the centre of organisational strategy, that investment should be seen as fundamental rather than optional. Distinct work zones, for example, remain one of the simplest and most effective ways to support both concentration and collaboration.

It is time for organisations to take burnout more seriously and to use the tools already available to help counter it. That responsibility belongs to all of us.

(1) Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter.  2017. ‘Understanding Burnout: New Models.’ In The Handbook of Stress and Health: A Guide to Research and Practice, Cary Cooper and James Quick editors, Wiley, pp. 37-56