Nursing burnout is a major concern in health care environments. It is caused by sustained stress and excessive workload and manifests as physical, mental and emotional fatigue. While everyone is susceptible, nurses are especially vulnerable to burnout due to factors that heighten stress, such as working in high-pressure settings, managing heavy caseloads, enduring long shifts and dealing with emotionally taxing situations.
In studies classifying burnout symptoms, nurse burnout was as high as 40% and nurse burnout in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era has been reported as high as 68%.
Recognize the Symptoms
When nurses experience burnout, they may show a range of symptoms. Emotional exhaustion can leave them feeling drained and depleted, leading to a lack of motivation and energy. They may develop negative or cynical attitudes toward patients, coworkers and the organization itself. They might also experience a diminished sense of personal accomplishment, a feeling of being ineffective and unrecognized, which can contribute to a decline in job satisfaction. Chronic stress from burnout can also lead to an array of physical symptoms such as headaches, gastrointestinal issues and sleep disturbances like insomnia.
To address nursing burnout, leaders need to be well-informed about the common signs so they can recognize whether a member of their team is experiencing it; they should watch for indicators such as a decline in a nurse’s performance. Is one of your top-performing nurses making more
delays in their documentation? Is their productivity or overall performance decreasing? Do they seem less confident, experience increased self-doubt or show a lack of motivation?
McLean and Company highlight other signs that leaders should monitor in their nursing staff, including changes in social behavior. For example, employees might become more socially withdrawn or avoid interactions with others; they may display irritability or speak negatively about their work or colleagues. Signs of increased frustration and anger may emerge, directed at patients, coworkers or leadership. Nurses might frequently call out sick or continuously report feeling unwell or fatigued, or they may express difficulty concentrating or experience brain fog.
Understand the Causes
Leaders must consider various factors that contribute to nursing burnout to better address and reduce its impact on the team. Key factors include a nurse’s workload, as they often face staff shortages, extended hours, irregular shifts, and emotionally, physically and mentally demanding cases, along with work-life imbalance. Role clarity is essential, as lack of understanding about job responsibilities and expectations is a major contributor to burnout.
Nurses also need sufficient resources to perform their tasks effectively. Feeling supported by their managers rather than micromanaged is crucial for their well-being. In addition, both monetary and nonmonetary rewards, along with recognition for a job well done, are important for maintaining motivation. Nurses are more likely to experience burnout if they work in an organization with policies perceived as inequitable, such as toxic work environments, unfair assignments, unequal pay raises or promotions and instances of nurse bullying. Lastly, the emotional demands of the job, such as dealing with patients’ suffering, trauma and death significantly impact a nurse’s emotional health.
Health, Performance & Payroll Impacts
Burnout has significant effects on both employee health and organizational performance, leading to higher turnover rates and absenteeism. Research from Gallup in 2024 indicates employees experiencing burnout are 63% more likely to take a sick day. Burnout also contributes to disengagement, with these employees being half as likely to discuss performance goals with their managers and 2.6 times more likely to leave their current employer. Burnout can also result in decreased performance, with employees expressing 13% less confidence in their work and delivering lower-quality care.
Burnout also negatively impacts employee health, contributing to physical health issues, increased emergency department visits, mental health challenges, complications in personal life and higher mortality rates linked to overwork.
Gallup Analytics research highlighted the significant financial impact of poor employee well-being. It found 75% of medical costs are related to preventable conditions. Additionally, struggling or suffering employees result in a loss of $20 million in potential opportunities for every 10,000 workers. Burnout accounts for an average of 15% to 20% of total payroll costs in voluntary turnover, and globally, employee burnout leads to a staggering $322 million in turnover and lost productivity costs.
Organizations that prioritize employee well-being tend to see improved business outcomes. Gallup Analytics found that employees who report higher levels of well-being are twice as likely to be extremely satisfied with their personal lives, four times more likely to rate their quality of life as excellent and 11 times more likely to express extreme satisfaction with their company. Further research shows that businesses with top-tier employee experience and well-being report 14% higher productivity, 81% lower absenteeism, 64% fewer employee safety incidents, 43% less turnover and a 10% increase in patient satisfaction (Gallup Analytics). These findings suggest engaged employees are more likely to adhere to high patient care standards, leading to better patient satisfaction and safety. Additionally, organizations that address employee health and wellness see employees reporting lower stress levels, as well as reduced anxiety and depression. Employees also feel more empowered to manage their health and eating habits, which can lead to improved cholesterol levels.
How Relief Works
Organization-wide stress relief programs and well-being initiatives can offer temporary relief from stress, but they often fail to address the underlying systemic factors, such as workload, that contribute to burnout. As a result, employees may find themselves caught in an endless cycle of re-experiencing burnout. To break this cycle, organizations should integrate a focus on employee well-being into their daily operations, culture and leadership practices, ensuring that well-being is sustained long-term and becomes a part of the organization’s structure.
To effectively address the persistent issue of nursing burnout, efforts should be focused on the team level. Communication plays a crucial role in enhancing the employee experience and well-being within an organization, as it fosters trust, encourages feedback, clarifies expectations, strengthens relationships and unites the team.
Gathering employee feedback through workplace surveys offers an opportunity to collect valuable data across various areas and concerns. The best practice is to survey all employees about their experiences. However, when resources are limited, McLean and Company recommends organizations prioritize high-turnover teams or areas. Additionally, focus groups can provide a platform for employees to voice their concerns, uncover the root causes of burnout and generate ideas and support for potential solutions.
Addressing Burnout Through Management
Training managers to effectively address nursing burnout is essential for fostering a supportive work environment that promotes staff well-being and enhances patient care. Manager training programs should focus on educating leaders about the signs and symptoms of burnout, and should also equip managers with the tools to conduct regular check-ins with nursing staff to identify early signs of burnout. Additionally, training should emphasize the importance of managers modeling healthy behaviors, such as disconnecting from work emails during vacations, to encourage work-life balance among their teams.
Here are some other things managers should be taught:
1. Display vulnerability.
Training should also teach leaders to display vulnerability, showing employees that it’s acceptable to discuss the challenges contributing to burnout. Managers should be provided with strategies to help nurses manage their workloads, including how to assess nursing assignments for fairness and equity, teach time management and task prioritization, access necessary resources and, if possible, offer flexible scheduling to improve work-life balance. Furthermore, managers should be trained in conflict resolution skills, ensuring they are equipped to address interpersonal conflicts and workplace issues, thereby fostering a healthier and more positive work environment.
2. Emphasize self-care.
Managers actively promote self-care practices within their teams. This could involve organizing potluck lunches, recipe exchanges, exercise clubs during breaks, and encouraging hobbies outside of work to help foster a balanced lifestyle. Training for managers should include stress management techniques that they can share with their teams as well, such as mindfulness exercises and relaxation methods.
3. Educate on company policies & supports.
Managers should be equipped to inform their nursing staff about how to access current policies and processes, and how to raise concerns or challenges they may be facing. They should also be made aware of the available support resources for nurses experiencing burnout, including counseling services, employee assistance programs and peer support groups. Encouraging open communication, active listening, and empathy should be central to managerial training, ensuring that nurses feel heard supported, and valued in their workplace.
The Cycle Can Be Broken
Organizations that actively address burnout can cultivate a supportive and compassionate work culture where nurses feel valued and appreciated. By sustaining these efforts, organizations can create a lasting culture of well-being. Focusing on prevention and establishing norms that prioritize the long-term health and well-being of nurses can lead to a significant reduction in burnout incidents, fostering a healthier and more sustainable work environment for all.
To break this of burnout, organizations should integrate a focus on employee well-being into their daily operations, culture and leadership practices, ensuring that well-being is sustained long-term and becomes a fundamental part of the organization’s structure.