Japan has learned to take burnout seriously. Companies, schools, hospitals and other organizations increasingly recognize the dangers of excessive workloads, long hours, chronic stress and deteriorating mental health.

But another workplace problem receives far less attention: “rustout,” the distress that can arise when people’s abilities are persistently underused. The term is not a medical diagnosis. It describes familiar problems such as boredom, disengagement, underload and a loss of meaning when people have too little challenge, autonomy or opportunity to contribute.

If Japanese organizations are serious about preventing burnout, they should also ask whether some employees are rusting out.

At first glance, burnout and rustout appear to be opposites. Burnout suggests too much work; rustout, too little. But people can be overworked and underused at the same time.

Consider Japanese teachers. According to the OECD’s 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey, full-time lower-secondary teachers in Japan reported working 55.1 hours a week, the highest figure among participating education systems. Yet they spent only 17.8 hours teaching, while nearly two-thirds identified excessive administrative work as a major source of stress.

These teachers are not short of work. They are extraordinarily busy. But a veteran teacher may spend hours on paperwork, meetings and administrative requirements while having too little time for the work that gives teaching its deepest value: helping a struggling student, trying a new lesson, mentoring a younger colleague or speaking with parents.

That is the paradox. Burnout says, “I cannot keep doing this much.” Rustout says, “I cannot keep doing work that uses so little of me.” Some workers may be saying both.

The same issue can emerge later in a career. As Japan seeks to........

© The Japan Times