Burnout Nation: Stress, Work, and Mental Health Crisis

Abstract

The global workforce is under the pressure of unprecedented levels of stress and burnout levels, which are approaching the mental health crisis that affects the productivity, personal wellbeing, and the operating of society, as a whole. The rapid economic processes in Pakistan, labour competition, and working relatively long hours have put pressure on both employees and there is the lack of empirical research on work burnout. The research problem which is proposed is research about the incidence of stress and burnout in the workplaces of Pakistan, the causes and effects using a simulated primary data. The research question is the relationship of work load on job demands, organizational support and the mental health outcome (anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbances). The study will also incorporate a mixed-method design since quantitative data collected will be based on surveys and qualitative information will be collected as interviews will be conducted with individuals to explore personal, organizational and socio-cultural factors that may cause burnout. The findings indicate that high workloads, poor work-life balance, and poor organizational support have a strong association with high burnout and poor mental health outcomes. The supportive management, flexible working arrangements and interventions targeting the construction of resilience on the other hand are linked with the positive psychological outcomes. The study finds the mitigation of burnout should be implemented in a holistic manner as the organizational policies, employee well-being schemes, and social consciousness.