Burnout but Not Overworked: The Economic Unabillity of Wanting to Work Less Hours

The reduction of working time has become a salient issue in several countries, where it is being debated as a possible response to increasing work-related stress. This paper examines the relationship between burnout and overwork in the context of working time, with a focus on understanding why burnout does not always result in overwork. Although burnout is an objective phenomenon, representing the physical and psychological strain caused by excessive work, overwork is a subjective concept, reflecting the individual's preference to reduce working hours, which is always tied to a proportional salary decrease. This can result in circumstances where, despite experiencing burnout, individuals are unable or unwilling to reduce their hours due to the financial implications.

This study employs data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), a longitudinal survey that provides detailed information on respondents' work, economic, and health conditions, to investigate the personal, socio-economic, and occupational factors that influence the likelihood of translating burnout into overwork. The findings indicate that a considerable proportion of workers experiencing burnout do not report overwork. This suggests that economic constraints, particularly income level and type of occupation, play a key role in this divergence.

These findings have significant implications for the development of public policy. The use of the overwork indicator alone to assess the necessity of reducing working hours may result in the overlooking of workers who, despite suffering from burnout, are unable to afford working fewer hours due to financial repercussions. The findings of this research suggest that public policy should take into account both objective factors, such as burnout, and the economic realities that prevent workers from expressing a desire to reduce their working hours.