Workplace burnout does not always look like someone dramatically quitting at 4:59 p.m. Sometimes it looks like a man answering emails, showing up for meetings, doing his job and quietly running on fumes. He may complain about being tired, snap at people over small things, stop caring about work he once enjoyed, or spend Sunday night mentally rehearsing Monday morning.
That matters because burnout can become strangely easy to hide, especially for men who have learned to treat admitting stress as a personal failure. A recent study of 451 employed men in British Columbia found that about 53% said they keep their feelings to themselves, while roughly 45% preferred not to talk about their problems. The study also found frequent occupational burnout among participants.
