Manager Energy & Workload Audit
A four-dimension check on whether your current role and conditions are sustainable. Measures demands, autonomy, support, and recovery.
Purpose: Manager burnout is one of the most underreported problems in organisations. It builds gradually, shows up as lower-quality decisions, shorter patience, and reduced team development, before it becomes visible. This audit draws on Maslach and Leiter's burnout research and Karasek's demand-control model to assess whether you're working in conditions that are genuinely sustainable. Most managers overestimate their resilience and underestimate their depletion.
Instructions: Rate each statement from 1 (Rarely or never true) to 5 (Almost always true). Be honest with yourself. This tool is only useful if it reflects reality.
1.Workload & Demands
High demand isn't itself a problem; unmanageable demand without the corresponding resources and control is what creates depletion (Karasek, 1979).
My workload is manageable within normal working hours most weeks
Competing priorities are manageable: I'm not constantly firefighting
I can complete meaningful work without chronic interruption
The expectations placed on me from my manager, team, and stakeholders are realistic
My level of responsibility is matched by the level of authority and resource I have
2.Autonomy & Control
The single most protective factor against burnout is having genuine control over how you do your work. Autonomy isn't a perk; it's a health condition.
I have genuine control over how I organise my working day
I can make decisions within my area without excessive approval processes
I have meaningful input into decisions that affect my work and my team
I feel trusted to manage my team without micromanagement from above
I can set the pace and approach of my work when the work allows it
3.Support & Resources
Managers are often the last to ask for help. Social support, adequate resources, and genuine management of managers are all protective against depletion.
I receive genuinely useful support from my own manager
I have access to the people, information, and tools I need to do my job well
I don't have to fight or advocate hard just to get basic resources
When I'm struggling, I have people I can talk to honestly
My development is invested in, not just my performance output
4.Recovery & Sustainability
Recovery isn't weakness; it's what makes sustained performance possible. Without adequate recovery, output quality drops before quantity does.
I regularly have time to step back and think strategically rather than only reacting
My work doesn't routinely intrude into personal time or weekends
I can take leave without guilt or returning to an unmanageable backlog
I protect time for recovery between intensive periods of work
I'm building habits that are sustainable long-term, not running on reserve