Employee Burnout Survey Questions: 40 Questions to Identify and Prevent Burnout

Burnout is no longer an edge case. According to Eagle Hill Consulting's 2025 Workforce Burnout Survey, 55% of the US workforce is currently experiencing burnout — and 61% of workers are languishing in their roles. Among employees who report frequent burnout, 34% intend to look for a new job within 12 months.

The problem: most organisations don't measure burnout until it shows up in turnover. By then, it's too late. The employees who were most burned out have already left, and you have no data to prevent the cycle from repeating.

Employee surveys are the earliest available signal. Here are 40 validated questions to measure burnout, organised by the dimensions that predict it most reliably.

What employee burnout actually is — and why vague questions miss it

The clinical definition of burnout, from Maslach and Leiter's research, has three components: exhaustion (depleted energy), cynicism (emotional detachment from work), and reduced efficacy (a sense that work no longer makes a difference). Asking "Are you burned out?" conflates all three and catches only employees who are already at a crisis point.

Good burnout measurement asks about each dimension separately, using behavioural and frequency-based language rather than self-assessment labels.

Exhaustion and energy questions (10 questions)

All questions use a frequency scale: Never / Rarely / Sometimes / Often / Always — unless noted otherwise.

1. "I feel emotionally drained at the end of my workday."
2. "I wake up feeling tired even after a full night's sleep."
3. "In the past two weeks, how often have you felt completely exhausted by your workload?" (Never / Occasionally / About half the time / Most of the time / Always)
4. "I have enough energy left at the end of the day for activities outside of work." (1–5 agreement — reverse scored)
5. "My current pace of work is sustainable in the long term." (1–5 agreement — reverse scored)
6. "I feel overwhelmed by the volume of work I'm expected to complete."
7. "I can disconnect from work during evenings and weekends." (reverse scored)
8. "I have had at least one day off in the past two weeks where I didn't think about work." (Yes / No)
9. "My workload has increased significantly in the past three months." (1–5 agreement)
10. "I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to complete my responsibilities." (1–5 agreement)

Cynicism and detachment questions (10 questions)

11. "I feel enthusiastic about my work." (1–5 agreement — reverse scored)
12. "I have become less interested in my work than I used to be."
13. "I doubt whether my work actually matters."
14. "I feel a sense of purpose in what I do each day." (reverse scored)
15. "I find it hard to care about the outcome of my work."
16. "I feel emotionally detached from the results of my team's work."
17. "I look forward to going to work." (reverse scored)
18. "I have become more cynical about my organisation's ability to improve things."
19. "I feel like I'm just going through the motions at work."
20. "My work feels meaningful to me." (reverse scored)

Efficacy and recognition questions (10 questions)

21. "I feel that I am making a meaningful contribution through my work." (reverse scored)
22. "I accomplish what I set out to do each day." (reverse scored)
23. "My efforts go unnoticed by my manager or the organisation."
24. "I receive recognition when I do good work." (reverse scored)
25. "I feel equipped with the tools and resources to do my job well." (reverse scored)
26. "I often feel like my efforts don't make a difference."
27. "I have the authority I need to do my job effectively." (reverse scored)
28. "I feel ineffective in my role."
29. "My skills are being used well in my current role." (reverse scored)
30. "I believe the organisation values the work I do." (reverse scored)

Work environment and organisational drivers (10 questions)

These questions measure the structural causes of burnout, not just the symptoms.

31. "I have too many competing priorities that make it hard to focus."
32. "My manager helps remove obstacles that slow me down." (reverse scored)
33. "Role expectations are unclear, which makes my job harder."
34. "I feel pressured to always be available, even outside of work hours."
35. "My team is adequately resourced for the work we're expected to do." (reverse scored)
36. "The organisation does enough to support employee wellbeing." (reverse scored)
37. "I feel comfortable talking to my manager about stress or workload concerns." (reverse scored)
38. "I have received meaningful support from HR or my employer when I've needed it." (reverse scored)
39. "In the past six months, the pace of change at this organisation has felt unmanageable."
40. "Overall, how concerned are you about your own risk of burnout in the next 3 months?" (Not at all / Slightly / Moderately / Very / Extremely concerned)

How to use these questions without burning out your employees with surveys

Don't run all 40 questions at once. That's a 20-minute survey — which is itself a contributor to employee stress. Instead:

• Monthly pulse (5 questions): Q3, Q5, Q11, Q24, Q40 — the shortest set that tracks all three burnout dimensions plus a risk self-assessment.
• Quarterly deep-dive (15–20 questions): 3–4 from each category, rotating which questions you use each quarter so you build a fuller picture over time.
• Annual wellbeing survey (all 40): Run the full set once a year as your baseline, then track the key indicators monthly.

What to do when burnout scores are high

High exhaustion scores with low cynicism: the employee cares but is overwhelmed. Focus on workload relief, prioritisation conversations, and PTO.

High cynicism scores with low efficacy: the employee has lost faith. This usually requires a meaningful conversation about role purpose, recognition, and career trajectory — not just a day off.

High across all three dimensions: this is a burnout crisis. It requires immediate intervention at the manager level and a conversation about sustainable expectations — not a wellness app subscription.

The gender gap matters too: research shows 46% of women report burnout compared to 37% of men. Segment your burnout scores by gender, department, and tenure to understand where support is most needed.

TruePulse includes a wellbeing and burnout survey template with validated questions, trend tracking across monthly survey waves, and department-level breakdowns so you can see which teams are approaching crisis before the exits start. Start free — no credit card required.