Who Really Pays the Price for Burnout?
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Burnout is everywhere. You can feel it in the exhausted colleague who can't switch off, the manager running on empty, the worker who dreads Monday before Sunday is even over. But here's a question we rarely ask out loud: who should actually foot the bill?
I recently spoke with Brigid Delaney from ABC News for an article titled "Workers pay the price for burnout. Should employers cover the cost?" — and the conversation struck a nerve. Because for too long, we've treated burnout as a personal problem. Something to fix with a holiday, a meditation app, or a long weekend. But burnout isn't a personal failing. It's a systemic one.
Workers don't burn out in a vacuum. They burn out inside organisations — under unmanageable workloads, poor leadership, and cultures that quietly reward exhaustion. Yet when the cost comes due — in lost income, medical bills, therapy, and time — it's the individual who pays.
That's a conversation worth having. And it's one I've been having for a while.
On my podcast Deep Thinking with Dr Steven Stolz, I've dedicated two full episodes to unpacking burnout:
Episode #1 — My own deep dive into what burnout really is and why we keep misunderstanding it
Episode #6 — A fascinating conversation with leading psychiatrist Prof. Gordon Parker on the science behind burnout
Whether you're someone who's experienced burnout firsthand, or a leader wanting to do better by your people, I think you'll find both episodes genuinely eye-opening.
👉 Read the ABC News article by Brigid Delaney for ABC’s Long Read:
“Workers pay the price of burnout. Should employers cover the cost?”
The conversation around burnout is changing. It's time workplaces caught up.
Workplace Burnout Prevention: 7 Evidence-Based Strategies from Black Dog Institute Research
In today's high-pressure work environment, burnout isn't just an individual health concern—it's a critical organizational challenge. According to Professor Gordon Parker AO, founder of the Black Dog Institute and Scientia Professor of Psychiatry at UNSW, workplace burnout costs businesses billions annually through lost productivity, increased absenteeism, higher turnover, and diminished innovation.
Understanding the Sydney Burnout Measure: How This Revolutionary Tool Is Changing Burnout Detection
In a world where burnout has reached epidemic proportions, accurate identification remains surprisingly elusive. Traditional burnout measures often miss crucial dimensions of the experience, leading to delayed intervention and prolonged suffering. This gap in assessment tools prompted Professor Gordon Parker AO, founder of the Black Dog Institute and Scientia Professor of Psychiatry at UNSW, to develop a more comprehensive, nuanced approach: the Sydney Burnout Measure (SBM).
Dr. Gordon Parker: Pioneering Researcher and Deep Thinking Podcast Guest
We're thrilled to announce that the renowned psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Gordon Parker is featured as a special guest on the Deep Thinking Podcast. In preparation for this insightful episode, we've compiled a comprehensive profile of Dr. Parker's groundbreaking work and contributions to our understanding of mental health conditions, particularly in the areas of mood disorders and burnout.
Who is Dr. Gordon Parker?
Dr. Gordon Parker AO is an Australian psychiatrist and Scientia Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales. As the founder of the Black Dog Institute, a facility for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mood disorders, he has dedicated his career to advancing our understanding of depression, bipolar disorder, and more recently, burnout.