The business cost of employee burnout, on one console.
For a 1,000-person company, the bill is around $5.04 million a year.
BurnoutCost is an independent research console for HR leaders, CHROs, and CFOs. It quantifies presenteeism, turnover, productivity loss, and healthcare uplift using the February 2025 American Journal of Preventive Medicine study, Gallup workforce data, WHO occupational health figures, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory framework.
Not a wellness pitch. Not a clinical tool. A business-case engine.
Headline finding
AJPM 2025
Hourly worker
$3,999
per year, per person
Salaried individual contributor
$4,257
per year, per person
Manager
$10,824
per year, per person
Executive
$20,683
per year, per person
Source: Cost of Burnout to U.S. Employers, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 13 Feb 2025. Figures are estimates; replication will vary by employer.
55% of US workers
Report current burnout (Eagle Hill 2025)
89% presenteeism share
Of total burnout cost (AJPM 2025)
2.6x turnover risk
Burned-out employees vs baseline (Gallup)
$322B global cost
Estimated annual exposure (WHO)
Console / Calculator
Estimate your organisation's exposure
Adjust headcount, salary band, industry baseline, and observed burnout rate. The console recalculates live and surfaces the AJPM 89% presenteeism split.
Total annual exposure
$6,119,327
Sum of presenteeism, absenteeism, turnover and healthcare uplift
Per affected employee
$61,193
AJPM 2025 reference range: $4K hourly to $20.7K executive
02 / Hidden cost split (AJPM 2025)
91%comes from presenteeism
Showing up under-performing, not calling in sick. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Feb 2025) found 89% of burnout cost is invisible on attendance reports. Most HR dashboards miss it.
91%
9%
03 / Cost components
USD / year
Turnover & replacement
$4,631,250
76% of total
Gallup: 2.6x leave probability, 125% replacement cost
Productivity reduction
$1,235,000
20% of total
Gallup: 13% effective output deficit
Healthcare uplift
$161,000
3% of total
WHO: 23% higher utilisation
Absenteeism
$92,077
2% of total
Gallup: 63% more sick days
04 / Maslach Burnout Inventory dimensions
Heuristic, 0-100
Emotional and physical depletion. The leading indicator.
Depersonalisation and disengagement. Rises with chronic exposure.
Reduced sense of accomplishment. The most expensive dimension to recover.
Modelled from observed burnout rate using the Maslach & Leiter three-dimension framework. For a clinical assessment, use the licensed MBI instrument with your EAP.
05 / Next step
Translate $6.12M into a CFO-ready brief
We help mid-market HR teams quantify burnout exposure, identify the top three drivers, and present a 90-day mitigation plan. Free initial teardown.
06 / Methodology
How we calculate
Every figure on this page is sourced. The console is built to be defensible in a CFO conversation. Where a published range exists, we use the midpoint and document it.
- Absenteeism
- affected employees x 4 baseline sick days x 0.63 uplift x (salary / 260)
- Turnover
- affected x min(0.39, 2.6 x 0.15) x salary x 1.25 replacement multiplier
- Productivity loss
- affected x salary x 0.13 effective output deficit
- Healthcare uplift
- affected x $7,000 baseline x 0.23 utilisation premium
- Presenteeism share
- 89% of total cost (industry baseline)
- Maslach scores
- exhaustion 1.4x rate; cynicism 1.15x; efficacy deficit 0.95x (heuristic)
Gallup Employee Burnout 2020
Gallup; SHRM 2023
Gallup; AJPM 2025
WHO 2019; KFF Employer Health Benefits
AJPM 2025; overrideable per industry
Maslach & Leiter MBI dimensions
Console figures are estimates. Replication will vary based on benefits structure, geography, and seniority mix. Use them as a starting point for a structured business case, not as a forecast.
07 / Continue the analysis
Next reading on the console
Hidden costs
The 89% presenteeism finding
Why most burnout damage happens before anyone calls in sick.
Open page →
Sector data
Burnout rates by industry
Eight-sector breakdown with cost-per-100-employees benchmarks.
Open page →
CFO framework
Build the board deck
Three-scenario cost case structured for finance and audit committees.
Open page →
Citations
2026 statistics roundup
40+ data points from AJPM, Gallup, WHO, Modern Health, Eagle Hill.
Open page →
08 / FAQ
Common questions
How much does employee burnout cost a company?
How much does employee burnout cost a company?
Research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (February 2025) estimated burnout costs at roughly $3,999 per hourly worker, $4,257 per salaried individual contributor, $10,824 per manager, and $20,683 per executive each year. For a 1,000-person company, that totals about $5.04 million annually. Around 89% of the cost is attributable to presenteeism (under-performing while at work), not absenteeism.
What share of burnout cost is hidden?
What share of burnout cost is hidden?
The AJPM 2025 study found that about 89% of total burnout cost is presenteeism, the cost of burned-out employees showing up but operating well below their normal output. Only about 11% is visible as absenteeism. This is why burnout exposure rarely shows up in HR reporting that focuses on sick-day metrics.
How does burnout affect employee turnover?
How does burnout affect employee turnover?
Gallup data indicates burned-out employees are 2.6 times more likely to actively job search. With replacement costs estimated at 50 to 200 percent of annual salary, turnover is typically the largest line in the burnout cost ledger. McKinsey research suggests high performers tend to leave first, compounding the impact.
What sources does this calculator use?
What sources does this calculator use?
The calculator combines per-employee cost figures from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (February 2025), Gallup's burnout business outcomes research, World Health Organisation occupational health data, and Maslach and Leiter's three-dimension burnout framework. All figures are estimates intended for HR business-case modelling, not clinical use.
Is burnout a clinical diagnosis?
Is burnout a clinical diagnosis?
The World Health Organisation classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. This site analyses the business cost of employee burnout, not its clinical management. If you or a colleague are in distress, please contact a mental-health professional or your country's crisis line.