Digital burnout. It’s a term dominating cultural conversations in workplaces and homes worldwide.
Workers’ stress is at an all-time high, according to analytics firm Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report. You don’t have to look far to see that educators are no exception almost 60% of teachers are considering making an early exit from the profession, according to researchers at La Trobe University.
Our digital habits, according to Dr Kristy Goodwin, one of Australia’s leading digital wellbeing experts:
“Our digital behaviours and habits are fuelling burnout, as they’re adding micro-stressors to our days, and they’re also displacing some of the biological buffers that once helped us to manage stress”.
DR KRISTY GOODWIN
Now officially recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a medical diagnosis, “burnout” is included in the International Classification of Diseases as “a syndrome conceptualised resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
In other words, it indicates a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion caused by chronic and excessive stress. Some key predictors of burnout include an unsustainable workload and the feeling that one doesn’t have control over one’s life and work.
Dr Kristy Goodwin defines digital burnout as “a more specific type of burnout caused by prolonged or excessive use of digital devices. We’re using digital technologies in ways that are incongruent with our biological blueprint.”
It manifests as feelings of fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity from prolonged or inappropriate use of workplace digital technologies.
We must treat the cause, not the symptom, to effectively address digital burnout. So, what’s behind the rise of digital burnout in schools?
An article by the Australian Educational Researcher addresses digital burnout among Australian teachers, which is driven by heavy workloads, constant connectivity, and blurred work-life boundaries. Prolonged screen time contributes to stress and fatigue, impacting job satisfaction and personal health. Tackling this issue requires reducing administrative tasks, supporting digital well-being, and fostering a healthier work environment.
Many school leaders are now looking to implement new software and devices to increase efficiency and facilitate learning. However, the rollout of tech can sometimes be too swift. Teachers receive little or no time to familiarise themselves and get to the level of proficiency required to integrate the technology effectively into their workday—both in and out of the classroom.
There’s a dual responsibility for managing burnout: school leaders have to ensure manageable workloads (and effective use of ICTs to support teaching and administration), and employees have to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to beat burnout.
One of the solutions to digital burnout can be found in technology.
Surprised?
As Dr Kristy Goodwin explains, technology itself is not the cause of digital burnout. Technology can empower or enslave us—it’s the intent with which we use it that makes the difference.
The right school software solutions, used in the proper ways, can help improve workflows and create efficiencies that reduce teachers’ administrative work and give them more time and support to do what they love—teaching students.
Take a look at some of the ways the leading teaching and learning management system, SEQTA, can help improve school well-being:
To learn more about SEQTA, please get in touch and book a demo today.
Our portfolio of class leading EdTech solutions can help your school today — please contact us to learn more.
Digital burnout. It’s a term dominating cultural conversations in workplaces and homes worldwide.
Workers’ stress is at an all-time high, according to analytics firm Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report. You don’t have to look far to see that educators are no exception almost 60% of teachers are considering making an early exit from the profession, according to researchers at La Trobe University.
Our digital habits, according to Dr Kristy Goodwin, one of Australia’s leading digital wellbeing experts:
“Our digital behaviours and habits are fuelling burnout, as they’re adding micro-stressors to our days, and they’re also displacing some of the biological buffers that once helped us to manage stress”.
DR KRISTY GOODWIN
Now officially recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a medical diagnosis, “burnout” is included in the International Classification of Diseases as “a syndrome conceptualised resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
In other words, it indicates a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion caused by chronic and excessive stress. Some key predictors of burnout include an unsustainable workload and the feeling that one doesn’t have control over one's life and work.
Dr Kristy Goodwin defines digital burnout as “a more specific type of burnout caused by prolonged or excessive use of digital devices. We’re using digital technologies in ways that are incongruent with our biological blueprint.”
It manifests as feelings of fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity from prolonged or inappropriate use of workplace digital technologies.
We must treat the cause, not the symptom, to effectively address digital burnout. So, what’s behind the rise of digital burnout in schools?
An article by the Australian Educational Researcher addresses digital burnout among Australian teachers, which is driven by heavy workloads, constant connectivity, and blurred work-life boundaries. Prolonged screen time contributes to stress and fatigue, impacting job satisfaction and personal health. Tackling this issue requires reducing administrative tasks, supporting digital well-being, and fostering a healthier work environment.
Many school leaders are now looking to implement new software and devices to increase efficiency and facilitate learning. However, the rollout of tech can sometimes be too swift. Teachers receive little or no time to familiarise themselves and get to the level of proficiency required to integrate the technology effectively into their workday—both in and out of the classroom.
There’s a dual responsibility for managing burnout: school leaders have to ensure manageable workloads (and effective use of ICTs to support teaching and administration), and employees have to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to beat burnout.
One of the solutions to digital burnout can be found in technology.
Surprised?
As Dr Kristy Goodwin explains, technology itself is not the cause of digital burnout. Technology can empower or enslave us—it’s the intent with which we use it that makes the difference.
The right school software solutions, used in the proper ways, can help improve workflows and create efficiencies that reduce teachers' administrative work and give them more time and support to do what they love—teaching students.
Take a look at some of the ways the leading teaching and learning management system, SEQTA, can help improve school well-being:
To learn more about SEQTA, please get in touch and book a demo today.
