But Toma stresses that stress itself isn\u2019t inherently bad.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is simply a reality of life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis experience of a stress response is absolutely embedded in our biology \u2026 we need a measure of stress in our lives in order to experience positive emotions such as achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toma says there is a place for stress in everyone\u2019s life, but problems arise when it\u2019s ongoing or not managed correctly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have an individual that is exposed to workplace stressors, such as continuous high workload, lack of support from their manager, lack of role clarity, or bullying or harassment, then irrespective of anyone\u2019s mindset, that chronic exposure is going to have a negative impact,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
One of those negative impacts can be burnout. The most recent study<\/a> from Massey University found more than one in two workers (57 percent) reported suffering from severe burnout.<\/p>\n Dougal Sutherland, principal psychologist at Umbrella wellbeing, says on one hand, it\u2019s good people are talking about it.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the other hand, it\u2019s not so great that there are increasing levels of people reporting feeling burnt out at work,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Sutherland blames the tight economic situation, coupled with job insecurity and the drive for productivity.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are often working harder and putting in more effort if an organisation that they\u2019re working for is in trouble \u2026 people are often working extra hours to try and show that they are valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n Sutherland also says hustle culture has contributed to the rise.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re always available, we\u2019re always on, we\u2019re trying to juggle multiple things, your side hustle, your main hustle. If you\u2019re a parent, you\u2019ve got kids, you\u2019re involved in their activities, you\u2019re trying to be a good partner and a great child to your parents.\u201d<\/p>\n Sutherland says the introduction of technology has increased an expectation of employees to always be available beyond their rostered hours.<\/p>\n \u201cI can remember, back in the late nineties, you received correspondence by mail and you had two mail runs a day and you opened your envelope, you read your letter, you typed up a response and sent it back and that took a couple of days at least, sometimes a week.<\/p>\n \u201c[Now] there\u2019s this pressure that we\u2019ve always got to respond immediately \u2026 if somebody hasn\u2019t responded to an email within 24 hours you start wondering if they\u2019re there or if they\u2019re just ignoring you,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n But Sutherland does see the tide changing with the younger generation entering the workforce with a different mindset.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople say, \u2018Do you know what, there is more to my life than work and I\u2019m going to do my job and I\u2019m going to do it well but when I\u2019ve worked my hours I\u2019m actually not going to work the discretionary 15 hours a week that might have been expected in the past because that\u2019s not doable, that\u2019s not realistic, and it\u2019s just not great for my wellbeing\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Check out how to listen to and follow\u00a0The Detail\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0or following us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/detail-footer.jpg.png\")
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