Rustout is the hidden twin of burnout, hitting lecturers, academics and teachers, when work is busy but meaning and challenge are missing. In this episode, host Paul speaks with Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons (DCU) about her new research, along with Dr David Smith (RGU), into rustout, its impact on teacher educators and universities and what leaders can do to tackle it.

The study of 154 participants showed nearly two thirds reported moderate to high burnout. But the findings also revealed something more: “underbeing” corrodes confidence and identity, administration crowds out meaning and the “safe pair of hands” can often get trapped in low-value work.

What you’ll learn

• The difference between burnout and rustout

• Why underuse of strengths damages motivation, wellbeing and belonging

• The admin trap, workload pressure and how it drains meaning for teacher educators

• Signs of rustout that go beyond “quiet quitting”

• Rustout has patterns over time, especially around the seven to nine year mark

• Immediate practical steps to avoid or reduce rustout - job crafting and protecting time for teaching, research and innovation

• What leaders in education and universities can change right now to avoid rustout and support wellbeing and growth

Read more

• Sabrina and David's open-access article (Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Nature Portfolio): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-05543-y

• Sabrina and David's piece in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/feeling-unstimulated-and-apathetic-at-work-you-might-be-experiencing-rustout-260837

Find out more:

• Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons (DCU profile): https://www.dcu.ie/researchsupport/research-profile?person_id=14582

• Dr David Smith (RGU impact page): https://www.rgu.ac.uk/rgview/impactful-research/7834-learning-about-the-fascinating-and-scary-world-of-incels

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and why rustout matters

00:53 Burnout vs rustout

03:31 Optimal stress and genuine challenge

11:51 The admin trap

15:21 Underuse, identity and agency

18:39 Rustout or quiet quitting

19:04 Patterns over time in academic roles

27:42 What leaders can change now

30:31 Healthier systems and incentives

34:42 Job crafting and strengths

36:10 Spotting rustout early

37:36 Wrap up and next steps

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