Workload
Not just how much work there is, but whether it's sustainable. A busy stretch is normal. A permanent sprint is not. The question is whether people have room to do good work and recover.
Role clarity
Do people know what's expected of them, what good looks like, and how their work connects to the bigger picture? Unclear priorities are one of the quietest sources of stress, because effort goes into guessing instead of doing.
Autonomy
How much say do people have over how they do their work? Having room to make your own calls is a big part of feeling trusted and engaged.
Belonging
Do people feel part of the team, able to speak up, and seen when they're stretched? Belonging is often what makes a hard week feel manageable.
Leadership
This one runs through the other four. Managers shape workload, clarity, autonomy, and belonging every week. That is why we spend so much time on practical habits for managers.
Why look at all five
A single engagement number can look healthy while one of these areas is quietly struggling. Looking across all five shows you where a team is thriving and where it needs attention, instead of guessing.
Where the Burnout Score comes from
The Burnout Score draws on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (the long-standing clinical standard for measuring burnout), the World Health Organization's definition of occupational burnout, Gallup's workplace research, and organizational psychology research on these five dimensions. It turns a short diagnostic into a benchmark for your own company, so you can see where you stand and track change over time.
Making it useful
Knowing your Score is the start. We pair it with a 90-day plan that works directly with managers, so the changes are practical and they stick. Many teams begin even smaller, with a half-day or full-day workshop or retreat that gets people talking and shows leadership what is really going on.
Curious how your company would score? Book a free Burnout Risk Score session, a focused conversation to see where your team stands across all five dimensions.
Book a Free Session →Sources: Maslach Burnout Inventory; World Health Organization (occupational burnout definition); Gallup workplace research.