Burnout is not inevitable 

Periods of stress at work are widely acceptable and can be useful for individual motivation. However, persistent, chronic, long-term stress only serves to harm an employee’s health and wellbeing, leading ultimately to ‘burnout’. Burnout is commonly defined as a “work-related mental health impairment comprising three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment”. 

Factors enhancing the risk of burnout include workload and time pressure; role conflict and role ambiguity, and lack of: social support, feedback, autonomy and/or participation in decision-making. Health consequences can include chronic stress, depression, musculoskeletal pain, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. 

But this is not inevitable. A March 2023 study published in CMAJ Open looking at staff in hospitals across the UK found that health workers who felt more supported in the workplace showed improvements in symptoms of depression, anxiety and mental wellbeing over time. 

Senior author Dr Ajay Gupta said the study “shows that the feeling of being supported significantly protects them against developing mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety... 

“We have furthermore demonstrated what constitutes effective workplace support – simple things such as increased visibility of senior leaders and approachability can do wonders, aside from other measures”.

Mental health charity Mind has found that 60 per cent of employees feel more motivated if their employer actively supports wellbeing. Mind’s recommendations include maintaining two-way communication streams with regular one-to-ones, encouraging staff to normalise focusing on their mental health – for example by taking full breaks, promoting positive working relationships and considering how the physical work environment can affect wellbeing. 

Taking responsibility 

Everyone has a responsibility for fostering wellbeing at work, including pharmacist employees, managers and owners. The resources listed on the left may assist you. It may feel strange to challenge the status quo, but you must set boundaries with employers around your work, create a good work-life balance, exercise and eat well. 

We must start somewhere. Employers and policymakers alike should commit to monitoring for signs of stress and burnout and promote wellbeing in pharmacy workplaces. As the role of pharmacy changes, we cannot ignore physical and mental workloads and their impact upon the wellbeing of our professional assets.