OCCUPATIONAL BURNOUT PERCEPTION

Occupational burnout is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue among employees worldwide, with its impact on professional effectiveness and individual well-being being widely recognized. Despite the term „occupational burnout” appearing more frequently in public discourse, it is still often confused with fatigue or weariness. The aim of this article is to analyze the perception of occupational burnout by addressing research questions: Q1: What specific symptoms and conditions do individuals report when describing someone who is experiencing professional burnout? Q2: Which dimensions of occupational burnout are reported among individuals who self-identify as experiencing this condition? To answer these questions, the study presented in the article analyzed the perception of occupational burnout among employees in the Polish labor market using online surveys. Respondents answered open-ended questions describing the condition of a person they know who declares themselves to be experiencing occupational burnout. The coded responses were then analyzed for the presence of dimensions of occupational burnout such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and negative self-evaluation of achievements.