The Personal Consequences of Burnout
We used to wear stress like a badge of honour. Pulling an ‘all nighter’ and burning the midnight oil. It’s part of the culture we created in industrialised nations. In Japan they call it ‘Karoshi’ - death by over-work, often through heart attacks, excessive work hours, and stress.
It used to be seen as a strange cultural phenomenon, a quirk of a ‘far away nation’. But as the years have passed, this issue has become increasingly common throughout the world. Now it is no longer a Japanese issue. It’s global.
I’ve had my own personal encounter with near death from overwork - thankfully though, it was not my own.
I met Mark (not his real name) while he was going through a hospital cardiac rehabilitation program. He was a triathlete. He ate quite well. Loved to exercise. Had no heart disease concerns in his family. But he worked himself to the bone in his own business. He was only 42.
And he‘d a heart attack. His 8 year old son had to give him CPR on the cold tiles of his bathroom floor.
12 months later I bumped into Mark. A lot had changed. And not in a good way.
His first heart attack created scarring. This scarring interrupted his heart’s electrical activity. Because of this he had a second heart attack. To regulate his heart beat, the surgeons implanted an implantable cardioverter defribillator, which gives him a jolt of electric shock every time his electrical wiring goes out of whack. He’d joined a waitlist for a heart replacement. I hope he was able to get one.
I believe that the world of work is changing. People are figuring out that burnout is not the price they should pay for success and happiness. That connection, self awareness, health and personal development are worth so much more than extra time at the desk.
I know if Mark could have his time over, he’d slow down of course. He’d learn how to manage his stress, because he used to just ignore it and keep pushing through. He’d also get the skills to manage his work. He’d figure out how to be more productive and efficient in less time. So he could take time to rest and recharge. He’d have the language to assert his boundaries, so he’d know how to say no to clients and how to limit his work calls so he could get out of the door on time and spend time with his family.
Mark would stop and appreciate what he had, instead of constantly pushing for more.
I think we all know a Mark, either at home, or at work. You might even be a Mark yourself. There are no guarantees in life. But one thing you can be sure of is this:
You’ll never regret the time you take to be more connected to yourself, your loved ones, and your wellbeing.
Burnout is not a buzzword and it’s no longer relegated to distant countries or cut-throat law offices. It's a reality in many industries — and the numbers are growing.
About 750 000 people worldwide died from ‘karoshi syndrome’, working more than 55 hours per week, according to a global study by the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation in 2021. In Australia, our standard working week sits at 38 hours, and the average over-time is 6.2 hours (The Australia Institute, 2023). In a global ranking of work-life balance, Australia sits down in the bottom rungs, below 32 other countries, including the U.S.A., Brazil, Estonia, and the U.K. (OECD Better Life Index, 2025).
At work, the proportion of employees who describe themselves as thriving has fallen from 69% in 2011 to just 56% in 2024 (State of the Global Workplace, Gallup, 2025).
Globally, 40% of workers report experiencing stress on a daily basis and Australia ranks second in the world for workplace stress. Nearly 1 in 2 Australian respondents (49%) said they felt stressed the previous day. This number has risen significantly from 33% in 2011.
An alarming point in this is what this all means for leadership. The Gallup report highlights that both manager engagement and life evaluations are in decline.
When managers burn out, it’s not just their own performance that suffers. It impacts their teams, their organisation’s culture, and their ability to make clear, compassionate decisions. It becomes a systems issue, not an individual one.
“Engaged employees are also less likely to report experiencing daily negative emotions, including stress... Manager burnout eventually leads to declining performance, increased absenteeism and increased turnover.”
If you’re thinking this is just a “wellbeing issue,” think again. This issue is business-critical. One that impacts productivity, retention, and long-term sustainability. Burnout is costing people their energy and it’s costing organisations their people.
where to from here?
Absolutely — here’s a revised final section of the article that weaves in structural, cultural, and personal responsibility, while naturally leading into your workshop Balance Before Burnout. It keeps the emotional tone but ends with a compelling and hopeful call to action:
So where do we go from here?
We need to start recognising the combined structural, cultural, and personal factors that contribute to burnout and to understand that it is not a personal failing.
If we work together, we can create environments where people move from active disengagement and burnout, to thriving, engaged, and happy humans. Organisations must take responsibility for designing healthier work environments. Leaders must model boundaries, recovery, and psychological safety. Cultures must stop glorifying exhaustion as a badge of honour. And individuals must take responsibility to recognise the warning signs and activate personalised practices that provide support and replenishment of energy.
Knowing how to rebalance before burning out is not just self-care — it’s self-leadership.
The man I met didn’t have a handbook on what happens when you push your limits for too long. None of us truly have that handbook. But we can learn to look for the warning signs. We can pay attention. We can take steps — small, meaningful ones — to protect our energy, reconnect with what matters, and lead ourselves differently.
It shouldn’t take a heart transplant to remind us that we are not machines.
That’s why I’m running my next workshop: Balance Before Burnout.
Because reclaiming your balance might just be the most radical act of wellbeing — and leadership — you can take.
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