Burnout isn’t a personal failure. It’s a signal that the conditions around you may not be sustainable—especially for people on the front line and leaders who are constantly carrying others.
This self-check is designed to give you a snapshot of how work is impacting you across seven areas: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, values alignment, and restoration. It’s a starting point for reflection and conversation, not a diagnosis.
If your results feel confronting, that makes sense. They’re not telling you you’re “broken”—they’re telling you that something about the way you’re working, leading, or being led might need to change.
Support Options After Your Burnout Self-Check
Practical next steps if your results raised concerns about burnout.
A quick safety note
If you’re feeling:
overwhelmed most of the time,
unable to cope with daily life, or
like you might hurt yourself or others,
This tool isn’t enough on its own.
Please reach out to:
a doctor or mental health professional,
a local crisis line or community mental health service, or
Emergency services in your region if you feel at immediate risk.
You don’t have to wait until it’s “bad enough” to ask for help.
What your colours and scores tell you
Your profile uses four zones:
Healthy – Strong protective factors. Things here are generally working for you.
Watch – Mild strain. Small adjustments could prevent bigger issues later.
At-risk – Stressors may be stacking up in ways that are hard to sustain.
Critical – This area likely needs attention and support as a priority.
Most people have a mix: a few areas that protect them, and a few that are pulling them toward burnout. That’s normal.
Your “Good place to start” focus area is simply the lowest-scoring category. It doesn’t mean everything else doesn’t matter—it’s just a practical first step.
Small steps you can take right now
You don’t have to overhaul your whole life this week. Start small.
In the next 24–48 hours:
Tell one trusted person: “I did a burnout self-check, and it showed I’m struggling in [your focus area]. Can I share a bit about that?”
Give yourself permission to name what’s hard without minimizing it with “but other people have it worse.”
If your body is giving you strong signals (sleep disruption, constant tension, headaches, gut issues), make a note and consider booking time with a health professional.
Over the next couple of weeks:
Notice when your difficult moments show up—time of day, tasks, specific contexts or people.
Ask: “What would make my work feel 10% more sustainable?” instead of “How do I fix everything?”
If you’re a leader, ask yourself: “What might my team’s scores look like if they did this check-in?” and “How am I contributing to both the load and the support?”
Action for change by sub-domain
These are general ideas. Not all will fit your job or reality, but you may find one or two that you can experiment with. Click on the link in each heading to learn more about that topic from our Burnout 101 series.
Block one small, non-negotiable “focus block” in your week and protect it.
Make a short list of tasks that truly require you vs. tasks that could be delegated, delayed, or done “good enough.”
If you can, ask your manager: “What can come off my plate if we want me to do this really well?”
Control (Autonomy)
Look for one area where you can choose how you do the work, even if you can’t change what or how much.
Where possible, propose small experiments: “Can we try [approach] for two weeks and see if it helps?”
If you’re leading others, ask: “Where am I over-specifying process instead of clarifying outcomes?”
Reward & Recognition
Notice where you’re doing invisible labour—emotional support, mentoring, glue work.
Practice asking for feedback on specific contributions: “Was that presentation helpful? Anything you’d change?”
If you lead people, build in regular “thank you for this specific thing” moments tied to impact.
Identify one person at work who feels safe enough to be a little more honest with. Start there.
Suggest a small ritual that builds connection: a 5-minute check-in at the start of team meetings, or “wins of the week.”
If you feel completely isolated, see if a peer support group, ERG, or union/association space exists in your organization or sector.
Write down where things feel “off” or inconsistent—schedules, expectations, opportunities, consequences.
If it’s safe, bring one clear example into a conversation with your manager or HR: what happened, how it landed, and what would feel fairer.
If it isn’t safe, consider external supports (union rep, trusted mentor, professional network).
Ask yourself: “When do I feel most proud of what I’m doing?” and “When do I feel like I’m betraying myself a bit?”
See if you can increase the time spent on tasks that connect to your values, even slightly.
If you’re a leader, share more openly about the “why” behind decisions so people can see the bigger picture.
Restoration
Protect one small restoration habit as if it were a meeting with someone important: a walk, stretching, a decent lunch, 10 phone-free minutes.
Pay attention to your “inputs” (sleep, food, screens, substances). Tiny tweaks often compound over time.
If you consistently wake up exhausted, make a note of this to discuss with a health professional.
Talking about your results
It can be hard to talk about burnout without sounding dramatic or disloyal. Here’s a simple frame you can adapt.
With a manager or leader
“I’ve been noticing some signs of burnout, and I used a burnout self-check that highlighted [focus area] as a key pressure point.
I don’t expect you to fix everything, but I’d like to explore small changes that could make my workload more sustainable so I can keep doing good work. Could we look at what’s on my plate and see what’s most important, what can wait, or what might be done differently?”
With a doctor / mental health professional
“I’ve been experiencing [brief list of symptoms], and a burnout self-check showed that I’m really struggling in [focus area(s)]. I’d like help understanding what might be going on and what my options are.”
Jennifer’s Burnout Workbook offers guidance for these types of difficult conversations → The Burnout Prevention Workbook
If you’re a leader
If you’re leading people and you’re burned out yourself, you’re not alone.
Many leaders are carrying:
their own workload,
the emotional load of their team, and
pressure from above to “do more with less.”
You can’t remove every barrier, but you can:
Model boundaries and realistic expectations.
Normalize conversations about workload and restoration.
Advocate upward when demands are consistently out of line with resources.
If you’re interested in using this tool with your team, or building a broader burnout prevention strategy, Jennifer works with organizations through keynotes, leadership development, and advisory work.
Learn more about working with Jennifer → Burnout Workshops and Burnout Keynote Speaking
A final reminder
You’re not weak for feeling the way you do. Burnout is often a rational response to sustained pressure, misaligned expectations, or a lack of support.
This self-check is one lens, on one day. You’re allowed to take what’s useful, leave what isn’t, and reach out for help as you figure out what comes next.