More than half of all Australian workers have taken sick leave due to mental exhaustion, with widespread burnout across the population taking its toll, according to new research.

A report from People2people Recruitment found that 53 per cent of workers have taken time off because of mental exhaustion, while 30 per cent have taken leave specifically due to burnout within the past year.

“Burnout isn’t something that’s happening to a small group of workers anymore; it’s becoming a mainstream workplace issue,” people2people Recruitment Head of HR Solutions Suhini Wijayasinghe said.

“When more than half of workers have needed time off because they were mentally exhausted, it tells us this is no longer an individual resilience issue. It’s a workplace issue.”

Poor work-life balance

The research found many Australian workers are under increasing pressure from long working hours, difficulty disconnecting from work and unhealthy workplace cultures.

Half of respondents said they log on outside their paid hours at least once a week to catch up on work, while and one in five reported doing so every night.

Nearly one third said they work up to 10 hours of overtime every week.

When asked about the main causes of poor workplace wellbeing, almost half of respondents pointed to workplace culture.

Other key factors included unrealistic key performance indicators (KPIs), staff shortages and a lack of flexibility.

“Employees are telling us very clearly that burnout isn’t just about workload,” Wijayasinghe said.

“It’s about workplace environments that create constant pressure, unrealistic expectations and little opportunity for recovery.

“Culture has a bigger impact on wellbeing than many organisations realise.”

Working long unpaid hours and the inability to disconnect will take its toll over the long term, Wijayasinghe said.

“The boundaries between work and personal life continue to blur,” she said.

“Technology has made it easier than ever to stay connected, but it has also created an expectation of constant availability – many employees feel like the workday never really ends.

“When employees are consistently working additional hours, answering emails at night and spending weekends catching up, eventually that starts to take a toll.

“People can sustain that pace for short periods, but when it becomes the norm rather than the exception, burnout becomes inevitable.”

Preventing burnout

The report recommends employers address burnout by setting realistic workloads and performance expectations, encouraging staff to take annual and mental health leave, monitoring overtime and modelling healthy work habits.

It also highlights flexible work arrangements as an important tool for supporting employee wellbeing.

Workers, meanwhile, are encouraged to set clear boundaries around working hours, take regular breaks throughout the day, and use annual leave before they hit the point of exhaustion.

“The most effective way to tackle burnout is prevention,” Wijayasinghe said.

“Employees shouldn’t have to reach the point of exhaustion before action is taken.

“Organisations that prioritise healthy workloads, supportive leadership and realistic expectations will be the ones that retain and engage their people long term.”

The findings come amid broader concerns about workplace mental health in Australia.

Earlier this year it was revealed the number of Australian workers making workplace mental health insurance claims had jumped by almost 20 per cent in the last 12 months.