What Does Burnout Mean? Learn 11 Workplace English Words from an Australian Survey

Endless meetings, systems so slow you want to throw your mouse, instructions from your manager that leave you none the wiser… If all you want after work is to collapse on the sofa, and Sunday evenings fill you with dread about Monday, you may be more than just "tired". On 19 October 2026, ABC News reported on an Australian workplace survey: more than one in three of the 999 respondents said they were experiencing burnout (ABC News report). All Australian figures below are as reported by ABC; how they differ from the figures in the report published by the research organisation is explained in the "News fact card" below.

The report also focuses on "system friction" at work: poor systems, cumbersome processes, unclear instructions and meetings without a clear purpose. The researchers found that friction at work is linked to burnout, and that job security is also linked to how many respondents reported burnout. These are associations shown by the survey; they do not mean that any single factor necessarily causes burnout.

This news English article uses an original, rewritten English passage to help you understand the story and learn essential workplace words such as burnout, friction and job security. Whether you are already working, preparing for a working holiday in Australia, or planning to work in an English-speaking environment, this burnout vocabulary will come in handy.

Burnout is an English noun for being worn out by work over a long period. According to the WHO, it is an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, not a medical condition in its own right. It involves exhaustion, mental distance from or negative feelings about one's job, and reduced professional efficacy, so feeling "very tired" alone is not enough to call it burnout (WHO statement).

Common English forms

Three sentences to describe burnout

• I’m feeling burnt out from work. (A common way to say that work has left you exhausted.)
• Too much overtime can lead to burnout. (lead to = cause, result in)
• She took some time off because she was burned out. (take time off = stop working for a while)

Burnt out is more common in British and Australian English, and burned out in American English; both are correct.

• Topic: Workplace Burnout in Australia
• Source: Original ABC News report (Anna Chisholm, 19 October 2026)
• Survey: The State of Workplace Burnout 2026, by the think tank Infinite Potential in partnership with the mental health organisation Beyond Blue and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS); the Australian sample reported by ABC was 999 respondents.
• Original report: The 2026 report published by Infinite Potential is a global edition (1,815 participants in 12 countries), with an overall burnout rate of 36%, and "system friction" was linked to 74% higher odds of burnout. The figures cited by ABC (84% and 68% / 20%) differ from the global edition and appear to be results for the Australian respondents. The Australian edition has to be requested separately and we have not obtained it, so those figures are as reported by ABC.
• Type of study: The report describes it as a cross-sectional study, which shows associations, not cause and effect. Burnout was counted only when all three WHO dimensions were present.
• Suggested level: B1–B2 (our own difficulty suggestion, not an official certified level)
• Learning focus: workplace English, reading the news, talking about work stress

The English passage below is an original teaching text rewritten from the ABC report; it is not ABC's original article.

Try listening once with the player at the top of the article before you read, and see if you can catch three key points: How many respondents were experiencing burnout? What is system friction? How is job security linked to burnout? Then read the English passage below.

According to ABC News, a new survey suggests that burnout is common among its Australian respondents. The State of Workplace Burnout Report, which asked 999 people in Australia about their jobs, found that more than one in three respondents were experiencing burnout. ABC reported that the report was published by the think tank Infinite Potential in partnership with the mental health organisation Beyond Blue and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School.

The researchers looked closely at what they call "system friction." This refers to everyday obstacles that make work harder, such as poorly designed online systems, lengthy processes, unclear instructions and meetings without a clear purpose. ABC reported that workers facing this kind of friction had 84 per cent higher odds of experiencing burnout. This is a difference in odds, not an 84 per cent increase in probability.

Job security was another factor in the survey. ABC reported that 68 per cent of respondents who did not feel secure in their jobs were experiencing burnout, compared with 20 per cent of those who felt very secure. Dr John Chan, the study's author and managing director of Infinite Potential, suggested that restructures, global politics and uncertainty about AI may contribute to job insecurity. These are survey findings that show links, not proof of cause and effect.

Griffith University professor Paula Brough, who did not contribute to the survey, said readers should bear in mind its small sample. She also said the reported burnout levels were a little higher than she would expect and noted that the findings did not include the industries people work in. The researchers argue that employers should examine workplace processes and systems rather than placing all responsibility on individual workers.

In short: ABC News reported on a new survey of 999 people in Australia. More than one in three of them said they were experiencing burnout. The report came from the think tank Infinite Potential, working with the mental health organisation Beyond Blue and UTS Business School.

The researchers paid special attention to "system friction": the small, everyday problems that make work harder, like badly designed online systems, long processes, unclear instructions and meetings with no clear goal. Workers who faced this kind of friction had 84% higher odds of burnout. Remember: higher odds is not the same as an 84% higher chance (probability).

Job security also mattered. Of the people who felt their jobs were not secure, 68% were experiencing burnout; among those who felt very secure, the figure was 20%. The study's author, Dr John Chan of Infinite Potential, said restructures, global politics and uncertainty about AI may make people feel less secure in their jobs. These results show links, not proof of cause and effect.

Professor Paula Brough of Griffith University, who was not part of the survey, said readers should keep in mind that the sample was small. She said the burnout levels were a little higher than she would expect, and noted that the results did not include the industries people work in. The researchers say employers should look at their processes and systems instead of putting all the responsibility on individual workers.

All three can come up when people talk about work pressure, but they don't mean the same thing.

In the ABC report, Professor Brough described stress as the starting point of a continuum, with burnout at the extreme end; the study's author, Chan, also stressed that simply feeling very tired is not the same as burnout (ABC News report, WHO statement).

A note for learners: Feeling stressed or tired does not necessarily mean burnout, and you can't judge it from a single symptom. This article focuses on English usage and is not a medical diagnosis. If physical or emotional difficulties persist, please seek professional help.

The "news-based examples" below summarise or rewrite the report for teaching purposes and are not word-for-word quotes from ABC; the "Try it" sentences are original teaching examples.

1. Among A, X per cent…, compared with Y per cent of B.

• News-based example: Among people who felt insecure about their jobs, 68 per cent reported burnout, compared with 20 per cent of those who felt very secure.
• Structure: Among + group A, number + verb…, compared with + number + of + group B. Use it to compare figures for two groups; it is one of the most common patterns in news reports and presentations. those who… stands in for people mentioned earlier, so you don't repeat the noun.
• Try it: Among students who studied abroad, 70 per cent felt more confident speaking English, compared with 35 per cent of those who studied only in Taiwan. (The figures in this example are made up.)

2. Noun + V-ing phrase (= noun + who/that + verb)

• News-based example: workers facing this kind of friction had 84 per cent higher odds of experiencing burnout.
• Structure: workers facing… = workers who face…. Using a present participle phrase instead of a relative clause makes the sentence shorter; it is a common way news English packs in information.
• Try it: People living in big cities often spend more time commuting. (= People who live in big cities…)

3. Rather than: saying what to do instead of something else

• News-based example: The researchers argue that employers should examine workplace processes and systems rather than placing all responsibility on individual workers.
• Structure: rather than can link nouns, gerunds, infinitives or clauses. Whichever form you choose, keep the two sides parallel; it is not only followed by V-ing. Here you could also use a parallel base verb: Employers should examine workplace processes and systems rather than place all responsibility on individual workers.
• Try it: We should fix the system rather than blame employees. / We should focus on solutions rather than blaming individuals. (Both patterns are correct.)

When you actually raise the issue, add the specific tasks, deadlines and help you'd like from your manager, so it's easier for them to act.

How do you raise your workload with your manager in English?

Situation: your workload is more than you can handle, and you want to agree on priorities.

• Employee: I’m currently handling several urgent projects, and I’m struggling to keep up with the deadlines.
  (Meaning: too many urgent projects at the same time, and the deadlines are hard to meet.)
• Manager: I understand. Which tasks are causing the most pressure?
  (Meaning: the manager asks which tasks are the hardest to manage.)
• Employee: The reporting process takes a lot of time. Could we review my priorities and see if some tasks can be reassigned?
  (Meaning: reporting takes too long; can we look at priorities and hand some tasks to other people?)
• Manager: Sure. Let’s go through your workload together.
  (Meaning: yes, let's look at your tasks together.)

Order to follow: first explain your load (several urgent projects), then point out the bottleneck (the reporting process), and finally use Could we…? to make a specific, polite request.

Situation: at lunchtime, Amy and her co-worker Jason are chatting in the office kitchen.

• Amy: You look exhausted, Jason. Are you OK?
• Jason: Honestly, I think I'm a bit burnt out. I had six meetings yesterday.
• Amy: Six meetings? No wonder you’re exhausted. That sounds like a lot of unnecessary work.
• Jason: And the approval process for our budget takes two weeks.
• Amy: Slow approvals and unclear processes can create what researchers call system friction. I read a survey saying that this kind of friction is linked to higher odds of burnout.
• Jason: That makes sense. With all the uncertainty about the restructure, I'm stressed too.
• Amy: Maybe you should talk to our manager rather than keeping it to yourself.
• Jason: You're right. I'll book a quick chat with her this afternoon.

(In other words)

• Amy: Jason looks very tired, so she asks if he's OK.
• Jason: He admits he feels a little burnt out; he had six meetings the day before.
• Amy: She isn't surprised he's tired, and says a lot of that work sounds unnecessary.
• Jason: He adds that getting their budget approved takes two weeks.
• Amy: She explains that slow approvals and unclear processes are what researchers call system friction, and that a survey linked this friction to higher odds of burnout.
• Jason: He agrees, and says the uncertainty about the restructure is stressing him too.
• Amy: She suggests he talk to their manager instead of keeping it to himself.
• Jason: He agrees and plans to book a quick chat with the manager that afternoon.

After reading the passage and the vocabulary, try the 4 questions below. Choose an answer and confirm it to see the explanation.

When your workload is too heavy, processes get stuck, or you need to talk with an international manager, have you ever known exactly what you wanted to say but not how to say it clearly and appropriately in English? Workplace English is not just about memorising words; what matters most is using it naturally in real situations.

Ambitious Learner | Online one-to-one English lessons: based on your English level, industry and learning goals, we can arrange practice for situations such as everyday workplace communication, meetings and presentations, business emails, job interviews and cross-cultural communication (see the Business English course). Actual lesson arrangements are confirmed during the consultation.

Not sure which course suits your English level? Free workplace English course consultation → Add our official LINE account to talk with a course advisor about the right learning direction for you. "Free" refers to the course consultation only; fees and arrangements for actual lessons are confirmed separately.

Before the consultation, pick the work situation you most want to practise and note down the sentence you most often get stuck on, so the discussion can be more specific.

• To practise meetings, emails and working across cultures, read 6 techniques to communicate more effectively in English.
• If you need to write work emails in English, see How to write purchasing emails in English.
• For more Australian news English, read Australia's wettest El Niño year: news English.

• Survey suggests one-third of us are burnt out (ABC News, Anna Chisholm, 19 October 2026): the figures for 999 respondents, more than one in three, 84% higher odds and 68% vs. 20%, and Paula Brough's comments, are all as reported here.
• The State of Workplace Burnout 2026 (Infinite Potential): the public global edition of the report (1,815 participants, 12 countries; overall burnout rate 36%, system friction linked to 74% higher odds, cross-sectional study). The Australian edition has to be requested separately and was not obtained for this article.
• Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases (World Health Organization, 28 May 2019)
• Burn-out an occupational phenomenon (FAQ) (World Health Organization)

Facts checked on: 20 October 2026. This article is English-learning content and does not provide medical or mental health diagnosis or advice.