Since the end of last May, Brazilian companies have been discussing a new legal framework for mental health in the corporate environment. The update to Regulatory Standard No. 1 (NR-1), whose mandatory implementation has been postponed to 2026, requires organizations to identify and mitigate psychosocial risks such as stress, moral harassment, and emotional overload. In this context, managers and Human Resources professionals need to understand more than ever the individual differences and work conditions that can lead to burnout.
Recent studies by Hogan Assessments – one of the world’s largest publishers of psychological tests, focused on personality assessment in the workplace – indicate that certain personality traits can cause some people to experience burnout faster than others.
‘Burnout is not just the result of individual characteristics; it stems from a combination of factors. Toxic environments, excessive demands, and hostile leadership can lead to burnout even in the most resilient professionals,’ warns Roberto Santos, partner-director of Ateliê RH, the company that distributes Hogan assessments in Brazil.
Higher susceptibility to stress
Hogan’s research, based on responses to the company’s psychological tests – comprising a database of thousands of responses worldwide, including in Brazil – shows that while anyone can experience chronic stress, two traits are associated with a higher risk of burnout: low scores on the Adjustment and Ambition scales – measures used to evaluate an individual’s personality traits.
‘The Adjustment trait refers to emotional stability and resilience to daily pressures. People with low scores in this scale are more sensitive to stress and less resilient, making them prone to exhaustion during prolonged periods of tension. They tend to be highly self-critical, feel easily overwhelmed, worried, and insecure under pressure, and struggle to ‘turn off’ negative emotions after work,’ explains Santos.
Meanwhile, professionals with low scores in Ambition reveal profiles of those who dedicate themselves to work without aspiring to leadership positions. Typically, they dislike competition and may feel overwhelmed when required to take on additional responsibilities or commit to ambitious goals.
Hogan Assessments’ research also identified 11 behaviors from the so-called ‘dark side’ of personality or ‘career derailers’ – behaviors that can derail a professional career. Two of these traits are particularly indicative of a higher predisposition to the condition: high scores on the Temperamental and Cautious scales.
According to the study, professionals with high scores on the Temperamental scale are often passionate and energetic about their work but emotionally volatile – prone to rapid shifts from enthusiasm to frustration. The same fervor that drives them can lead to burnout, as they tend to struggle with managing negative emotions due to easy frustration, leading to prolonged stress.
‘On the other hand, individuals with high Cautious scores tend to avoid risks due to fear of failure. Although prudent, they hesitate in decision-making under high-pressure environments, freezing at the possibility of making mistakes, which increases feelings of overload and exhaustion,’ warns the executive.
How to identify risks in the corporate daily life
In daily practice, professionals with low emotional stability (Adjustment) often react intensely to setbacks. Minor changes, conflicts, or additional demands can trigger disproportionate levels of stress or irritation. These individuals display frequent mood swings, pessimism, and difficulty concentrating. When combined with low Ambition, they tend to avoid challenges or major responsibilities, staying in their comfort zones.
‘In the short term, this may serve as a protective mechanism. However, in high-demand roles, it results in task accumulation, postponing critical decisions, and a sense of inadequacy in the face of growing demands, leading to burnout,’ explains Santos.
Professionals with Temperamental and Cautious traits show clear risk indicators in daily life. A manager with high Temperament traits starts projects enthusiastically but quickly loses motivation when facing obstacles, becoming emotionally unpredictable. This instability creates insecurity within the team.
Meanwhile, an excessively Cautious professional shows reluctance in making tough decisions or innovating, overanalyzing minimal risks. In fast-paced environments, this hesitation can lead to missed deadlines and opportunities, increasing pressure on themselves and colleagues. Their constant need for validation amplifies stress and may affect the organizational climate.
Burnout as a systemic phenomenon
Burnout is not just an individual problem but an organizational and cultural one. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it as an ‘occupational phenomenon,’ resulting from poorly managed chronic workplace stress.
Burnout arises when there is a persistent mismatch between job demands and an individual’s capacity to meet them. While personality factors play a role, context is decisive: in a healthy culture with sustainable management, even predisposed individuals can avoid burnout; toxic environments, however, harm even the most resilient professionals.
Gallup research shows that the main causes of burnout are linked to the environment and management practices: unfair treatment, excessive workloads, lack of clarity, absence of leadership support, and unrealistic deadlines. The dominant conclusion of this research is clear: ‘people leave bosses, not companies.’
A McKinsey analysis also indicates that hostile workplaces with abusive leadership or excessive demands drastically increase burnout rates. Employees in toxic environments are far more likely to resign due to burnout. Chronic demands that exceed available resources, such as reduced teams after layoffs without equivalent adjustments in targets, cause overload, excessive hours, and heightened stress. All these factors lie within the organization’s sphere of responsibility.
Mitigation strategies
Addressing burnout requires an integrated approach. ‘Understanding who we are affects how we respond to pressures, but it’s the culture and structure around us that define the line between healthy challenge and overload,’ emphasizes Roberto Santos.
For HR professionals, proactively mapping and managing behavioral vulnerabilities in teams and leaders from hiring is as strategic as managing productivity, budgets, or innovation.
‘The message is clear: investing in assessments that identify these behavioral vulnerabilities is not just a best practice but an essential strategy for fostering healthy and productive environments, especially in light of NR-1’s new requirements,’ concludes the expert.
