An employee crisis: Understanding silent burnout

If you’ve felt stressed, exhausted, overloaded and unmotivated in the workplace for several weeks and even months, you may be experiencing burnout. A prolonged exhaustion caused by chronic stress in the workplace or another area of your life, burnout feels as if you cannot keep up no longer function as you normally would.

More than half of employees — and up to 83% of younger workers — reported feeling burned out at work, according to several 2025 studies. However, a specific type of burnout can go unnoticed, hiding in plain sight.

It’s called silent, or quiet, burnout — a gradual mental, physical and emotional state of exhaustion. It builds up over time, typically due to workplace stress.

"People stay quiet about it because they don’t want to admit they’re struggling or are overloaded,” says Sarah Bertolli, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital. “They also often feel like they can’t or shouldn’t speak up.”

The causes of silent burnout

There are key causes of silent burnout in the workplace, according to Dr. Bertolli:

• Excessive workload

• Negative workplace culture

• Lack of communication and support

• Inability to make your own decisions because of micromanagement and excessive oversight

Certain behavioral and physical red flags can indicate someone is experiencing silent burnout.

These can include coming to work late, calling out sick more often, and no longer contributing to discussions or meetings.

“A person can become more detached from work and isolate themselves,” says Dr. Bertolli. “They may also have increased irritability or become cynical and sarcastic. Someone may start to procrastinate or miss deadlines. On the flip side, someone may overcompensate at work to hide how they’re feeling.”

Physical signs of silent burnout can include headaches, chronic pain and feeling sick more often. “They may have more IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) flare-ups, become grumpy or cranky and feel more fatigued,” adds Dr. Bertolli.

How to identify burnout

While it’s difficult to notice if someone is experiencing silent burnout, there are ways to uncover it. Dr. Bertolli says it’s important to break the silence.

“Try to approach the topic,” she says. “Check in with that person, ask if they’re OK, and offer resources, such as therapy, that can help them.”

If symptoms are severe, participating in an intensive outpatient program can be helpful. At Sharp Behavioral Health, clinicians use group therapy and teach coping skills to help improve mood and daily functioning. Bertolli says people may feel unsupported or uncomfortable asking for help, which can cause silent burnout to persist.

“There’s a stigma,” says Dr. Bertolli. “People don’t want to appear weak or unable to do their job when asking for help.”

However, silent burnout has nothing to do with someone’s competency or work ethic. People can also feel disconnected from the meaningfulness of their work, especially in an industry such as health care.

“We see detachment with burnout,” Dr. Bertolli says. “It doesn’t mean that someone’s passion for helping people is gone or that they don’t care.”

Coping mechanisms

Dr. Bertolli says it’s important to reset boundaries and practice self-care to rediscover what makes your work meaningful. She also recommends the following coping skills:

• Spend time in nature.

• Take a break from your digital devices.

• Check in with yourself.

• Take a lunch break and mini-breaks during the workday.

• Let go of the workday when you leave work.

• Advocate for yourself and ask your boss for what you need.

• Cultivate a positive culture in your workplace.

• Connect with coworkers and let them know what you’re going through.

Talk with your doctor if you are experiencing symptoms of silent burnout. Together, you can identify what might provide relief and whether mental health care is appropriate.

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