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Understand burnout · Lesson 7 of 12

What Causes Burnout: Six Job Mismatches to Check

Learn the six areas where a job can drain you, answer six quick questions, and name the one mismatch that needs to change.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

Burnout is not only about working too many hours. It tends to grow when your job and you are out of step in some lasting way. In this lesson you learn a simple model of six areas, and how to find the one that is draining you most. This is general information, and the questions are not a test or a diagnosis.

Six areas of mismatch

Burnout grows from a lasting mismatch between you and your job in six areas: workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values. The better the match, the more likely you are to feel engaged instead.

Six cards under the heading Six areas: a stack of papers labeled Workload, a steering wheel labeled Control, a star labeled Reward, two people helping each other labeled Community, a balance scale labeled Fairness, and a compass labeled Values.(opens the full-size picture)
Workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values.

How each one hurts

Each area does its damage in a different way:

  • Too much work leaves no time to recover.
  • Little control means you have no say in decisions.
  • Thin recognition makes the work feel unseen.
  • A broken team means you have no support.
  • Unfairness breeds anger and cynicism.
  • A values gap means doing things you think are wrong or pointless.
The same six cards, each with a short note under its name: Workload, No time to recover; Control, No say; Reward, Unseen; Community, No support; Fairness, Anger; Values, Pointless.(opens the full-size picture)
Each area hurts in its own way.

Demands and resources

Here is another way to see it. Demands, such as heavy work and tight time, drain your energy. Missing resources, such as support and a say in your work, drain your engagement. Resources cushion heavy demands, so the same busy stretch feels different when you have both.

In long-term studies, which follow the same people over time, low control and low support had the best evidence for leading to later exhaustion. Hours matter, but they are not the whole story. A long week you shaped yourself, with a team that notices, is not the same as one handed to you.

Two balance scales. The left one tilts with the heavier side down and is labeled Demands drain energy. The right one is level, with papers on the Demands side and a steering wheel on the Resources side, labeled Resources cushion the load. A note reads Best evidence: low control, low support.(opens the full-size picture)
Resources level out the scale. Low control and low support have the best evidence.

Six quick questions

Answer these about the last three months, not just this week:

  1. Could I catch up in any week coming up?
  2. Did I decide how any part of my work was done?
  3. Does anyone who matters know what my work took?
  4. Is there someone here I could take a hard problem to?
  5. Do I understand how the last decision about me was made?
  6. Am I regularly doing things I think are pointless?

Each question matches one of the six areas, in the same order: workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values.

A card titled The last 3 months with the six questions in a numbered list, each with a check mark, and a small drawing for each area down the right side: papers, steering wheel, star, two people, scales and compass.(opens the full-size picture)
One question for each of the six areas.

Read your answers

A no on one question is ordinary. A no that has lasted for months points to a mismatch. Write the worst one as a single sentence: what you have too little of, and what it costs you on a normal day. For example, “Too little say over deadlines, so every day is rushed.” One sentence is something you can take to a manager, a colleague or a doctor. This is not a screening test or a diagnosis. It is a way to see what needs to change.

Six boxes with one marked red under the words No, for months. A notepad titled My worst one reads Too little say over deadlines, so every day is rushed. A card says Write one sentence: what you have too little of, and what it costs you on a normal day. A note reads Not a test or a diagnosis.(opens the full-size picture)
Name the worst no in one sentence.

Who can move it

Different areas sit with different people. Control and community are often closest to your own reach. Workload and reward usually need your manager. Fairness and values often sit with the wider organisation. Sorting your sentence this way keeps your effort where it can land, and it stops a problem in the job from feeling like a personal failure.

Three cards: a person labeled You with Control, community; a person beside a clipboard labeled Your manager with Workload, reward; and an office building labeled The organisation with Fairness, values.(opens the full-size picture)
You, your manager and the organisation each hold different areas.

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this lesson, you'll learn what causes burnout at work, using a simple model of six areas, and how to find the one that's draining you most.

Burnout grows from a lasting mismatch between you and your job in six areas: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. The better the match, the more likely you are to feel engaged instead.

Too much work leaves no time to recover. Little control means no say in decisions. Thin recognition makes the work feel unseen. A broken team means no support. Unfairness breeds anger and cynicism. And a values gap means doing things you think are wrong or pointless.

Another way to see it: demands drain your energy, and missing resources drain your engagement. Resources, like support and a say in your work, cushion heavy demands. In long-term studies, low control and low support had the best evidence for leading to exhaustion.

Here are six quick questions about the last three months, not just this week. Could I catch up in any week coming up? Did I decide how any part of my work was done? Does anyone who matters know what my work took? Is there someone here I could take a hard problem to? Do I understand how the last decision about me was made? And am I regularly doing things I think are pointless?

A no that has lasted for months points to a mismatch. Write the worst one as a single sentence: what you have too little of, and what it costs you on a normal day. This isn't a screening test or a diagnosis. It's a way to see what needs to change.

Different areas sit with different people. Control and community are often closest to your own reach. Workload and reward usually need your manager. Fairness and values often sit with the wider organisation.

So remember: burnout grows from mismatches in six areas. Low control and low support have the strongest evidence. And a no that lasts for months shows you what to change. Before the next lesson, answer the six questions, and write the worst one as a single sentence. Next, you'll learn how recovery starts with real rest.