A Forbes Best Business Book

“Vital reading for today’s and tomorrow’s leaders.” —Arianna Huffington

“Burnout seems to be everyone’s problem, and this book has solutions. As trailblazers in burnout research, Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter didn’t just clear the path to study the causes—they’ve also discovered some of the cures.” —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Think Again

“A thoughtful and well researched book about a core issue at the heart of the great resignation.” —Christian Stadler, Forbes

“Provides the path to creating a better world of work where people can flourish rather than get beaten down.” — Marcel Schwantes, Inc.

Burnout is among the most significant on-the-job hazards facing workers today. It is also among the most misunderstood. In particular, we tend to characterize burnout as a personal issue—a problem employees should fix themselves by getting therapy, practicing relaxation techniques, or changing jobs. Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter show why burnout also needs to be managed by the workplace.

Citing a wealth of research data and drawing on illustrative anecdotes, The Burnout Challenge shows how organizations can change to promote sustainable productivity. Maslach and Leiter provide useful tools for identifying the signs of employee burnout and offer practical, evidence-driven guidance for implementing change. The key, they argue, is to begin with less-taxing changes that employees nonetheless find meaningful, seeding the ground for more thorough reforms in the future.

As priorities and policies shift across workplaces, The Burnout Challenge provides pragmatic, creative, and cost-effective solutions to improve employee efficiency, health, and happiness.

"Ultimately, Maslach and Leiter are hopeful. The world seems much more receptive to their research now after the pandemic shredded so many assumptions about the way work happens." - Bloomberg

"Maslach and Leiter’s crucial insight is that characterizing burnout as a personal issue prevents us from finding lasting solutions. A thoughtful and well researched book about a core issue at the heart of the great resignation. If you want to overcome labour shortage issues, this book helps you create a work environment which does not overwhelm people. Sounds simpler than it is." - Forbes

"Maslach and Leiter highlight how the way many people are being expected to work is running them into the ground and that the negative feelings come from six key mismatches…The book then goes on to offer ways to measure and address the problem, providing advice on how to create better matches—redesigning work, for example, using actual design principles, such as balance, unity, and rhythm." - Financial Times

"Provides the path to creating a better world of work where people can flourish rather than get beaten down." - Inc.

"The Burnout Challenge will help managers everywhere better understand burnout…This book serves as a wise canary for workers and managers in any organization." - Current

"The authors use accessible language, many analogies, examples and cases, a compelling narrative style, and helpful bar graphs. This book is well suited to scholars and practitioners interested in change management, burnout, work–life balance, person–job fit, and engagement in the workplace." - Choice

"[Maslach and Leiter] offer a well-grounded examination of the causes of widespread job dissatisfaction and burnout along with proposals for solutions…Thoughtful advice for managers and employers." - Kirkus Reviews

"This book proposes a thoughtful approach to tackling a common and serious workplace problem." - Library Journal

"With the Great Resignation looming large, this timely, practical guide is worth a look for business leaders aiming to foster a healthy workplace." - Publishers Weekly

"Provides a balance of breadth and depth to understand the factors leading to burnout, the signs and stages of those who are on the path to burnout, and opportunities for intervening when burnout is looming…brimming with important insights, interesting distinctions, and practical tools." - School Administrator