Do you know burnout when you see it? 3 Feb, 2021 11:08 PM 6 minutes to read Failing to address burnout is costly for both individuals and organisations. Photo / 123RF Harvard Business Review By: Margaret M. Luciano and Joan F. Brett Burnout is a state of emotional, physical or mental exhaustion. Organisations often attempt to gauge burnout with annual wellness surveys, which have several significant limitations. First, these surveys assess only the passive forms of burnout. Second, they capture a snapshot in time and might not be administered when employees are actually facing high burnout. Finally, we've observed that employees experiencing burnout often don't complete them.