Johannesburg – Today, greater than 3.5 billion working adults every spend roughly 90 000 hours – or about 45 years – of their lives at work.
As Corporate Wellness Week (1–5 July) approaches, focus is shifting to the rising tide of office burnout in South Africa.
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) estimates that as many as one in three workers within the nation are affected by burnout, a situation linked to ongoing, unmanaged stress.
Burnout is extra than simply feeling overworked – it’s a state of emotional, bodily and psychological exhaustion introduced on by extended stress.
It can stem from office strain or private stress equivalent to a significant sickness or household issues.
Left unchecked, burnout can result in a number of well being points, together with disrupted sleep patterns, cognitive impairments and a better threat despair.
Nicole Jennings, spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics says burnout doesn’t occur in a single day – it’s the results of stress that builds up over time, usually ignored till it turns into unmanageable.
“It’s usually disguised as productiveness – individuals push tougher, skip breaks, sacrifice sleep – all within the identify of efficiency, till their well being finally begins to unravel.”
Who’s most in danger
While burnout can have an effect on staff throughout the board, these in high-stress environments, equivalent to healthcare and emergency providers, are significantly susceptible.
These professions demand lengthy hours, carry heavy emotional hundreds, and sometimes enable for little time for restoration.
Earlier this 12 months (2025), a world survey involving over 30 000 workers performed by the McKinsey Health Institute, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, revealed that ladies, members of the LGBTQI+ neighborhood, youthful individuals, neurodivergent individuals and people going through monetary challenges, reported considerably worse well being outcomes at work.
In South Africa, these dangers are magnified by robust financial situations, together with excessive unemployment, load-shedding, and poor service supply, that are creating an surroundings the place stress can tip into burnout.
“Many of their 20s and 30s, particularly, entered maturity throughout a time of worldwide uncertainty,” Jennings mentioned.
“They’re juggling monetary pressure, disrupted schooling or profession begins, and social isolation because of the issue forming social connections in immediately’s hyper-digital world – aNews TeamNews Teamll including to the psychological load.”
According to a latest report by the American Psychological Association, youthful adults are considerably extra possible than older generations to really feel overwhelmed, remoted and unable to operate successfully as a consequence of stress.
Financial issues are a significant contributor, with practically 70% of 18–44-year-olds saying they really feel consumed by cash worries.
What will be executed
While know-how has revolutionised the office, it has additionally blurred the boundaries between work and private life.
The fixed connectivity facilitated by smartphones and laptops means many workers discover it difficult to disconnect, resulting in extended publicity to work-related stressors.
This “always-on” tradition contributes considerably to burnout.
Jennings says addressing burnout requires a multifaceted strategy:
- Set boundaries: Establish clear work-life boundaries. Avoid checking work emails or messages exterior of designated work hours.
- Digital detox: Allocate particular instances in the course of the day to unplug from digital units. Engage in actions that don’t contain screens, equivalent to studying or outside walks.
- Seek assist: Open as much as pals, household or professionals about emotions of stress or burnout. Sharing experiences can present aid and steerage.
- Healthy way of life: Maintain a balanced weight loss program, common train routine and satisfactory sleep. These foundational well being practices can bolster resilience towards stress.
- Mindfulness and rest: Incorporate mindfulness practices, equivalent to meditation or deep-breathing workout routines, to handle stress ranges successfully.
Employers additionally play an important function in mitigating burnout.
By fostering a supportive work surroundings, selling common breaks and recognising worker achievements, organisations can assist cut back the danger of burnout amongst their workers.
The enterprise case
The McKinsey analysis additionally confirmed that organisations investing in worker well being usually expertise elevated productiveness, diminished absenteeism, decrease healthcare prices, and improved worker engagement and retention.
Such efforts display that fostering a more healthy workforce can result in substantial financial returns too.
“Burnout could also be invisible at first, however its affect is deeply felt – in our properties, relationships, and workplaces,” says Jennings.
“We have to shift the narrative from glorifying overwork to valuing psychological resilience.
“Corporate Wellness Week isn’t simply one other consciousness day – it’s an opportunity for every of us, whether or not employer or worker, to press pause, take inventory, and work in direction of a more healthy work-life steadiness.
“Let this be the second we decide to lasting change, not only for ourselves, however for the generations coming after us.”
