Chapter News

In the Netherlands, 1.6 million employees experience burnout complaints, representing one in five of the working population, according to TNO’s latest figures*. The sharpest rise is among highly educated professionals in high-responsibility roles. Project managers sit squarely in that group, and yet the structure of the work itself makes burnout one of the easiest things to miss until it is already significant.

 

Psychologist Christina Maslach**, whose research led the World Health Organization to officially recognize burnout as an occupational phenomenon in 2019, identifies three dimensions that tend to develop together quietly. Exhaustion that sleep no longer repairs. A growing distance from work that once felt meaningful; it is like going through the motions without genuine engagement. And a slow erosion of confidence in your own judgment, even when your output remains steady.

 

What makes burnout particularly difficult to catch in project leadership is that all three can be present while performance continues. You are still delivering. The team is still moving. The dashboard still looks fine. But something underneath has been quietly shifting, and by the time most people name it, it has already been present for a while.

 

One way to catch it early is a private check-in you return to regularly and honestly. Ask yourself at the end of a working week: where is my energy sitting right now? Am I finding any meaning in what I am doing, or just completing it? Do I feel effective, or am I going through the motions? Try to look for a pattern, and pay attention when the answers start shifting in the same direction week after week. And if the pattern becomes hard to ignore, talking to a therapist or occupational health professional is always a reasonable next step.

 

Recognizing these signals early is the most honest and practical thing you can do. For yourself, and for the people who rely on you to show up.

 

*Netherlands figures: TNO / CBS Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (NEA), 2024. URL: https://repository.tno.nl/SingleDoc?docId=73262

 

**Maslach, C. & Leiter, M.P. (2022). The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships with Their Jobs. Harvard University Press. URL: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674251014

 

Have you noticed any in yourself? Write to us: editor@pmi-nl.nl

 

Author’s Bio

Sara is a project management professional with experience in institutional and digital transformation projects. She is particularly interested in the intersection of mental health and leadership in complex project environments.

Newsletter Editor’s Note: At PMI Netherlands, we believe that strong project outcomes start with healthy people, and mental health is an essential part of sustainable project management. We invite you to contribute your insights, habits, and personal experiences on maintaining balance in high-pressure environments. Reach out to us at editor@pmi-nl.nl.