Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. CEO Bonita Eby of Kitchener, Ontario, was interviewed on CHCH Morning Live. This article is based on that interview.
Click the image to watch the live television interview.
Host: We hear a lot about burnout. What about something called compassion fatigue? Burnout Prevention Strategist and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development, Bonita Eby, joins us now with more.
What is the definition of compassion fatigue?
Host: Let's start out with what compassion fatigue is.
Bonita: Compassion fatigue is the stress resulting from exposure to suffering people. It's caused by vicarious trauma. In other words, it's witnessing or listening to other people's difficult stories or painful experiences. It’s important to note that exposure is cumulative.
Who does compassion fatigue impact?
Host: I can imagine this is something you deal with, specifically within corporate or professional roles. I can also imagine it is something that caregivers get. Are we talking about healthcare workers and social workers?
Bonita: You are completely right. We're seeing it a lot in healthcare workers, anyone from nurses and doctors to intake workers. We also see compassion fatigue and moral injury in emergency response workers, from paramedics to forensics, and we also see it within purpose-driven nonprofits.
How has compassion fatigue emerged in recent years?
Host: Is compassion fatigue new, or is it just something that people are now recognizing based on how they are feeling and acting?
Bonita: Burnout, compassion fatigue and moral injury have existed for a long time, though it's just recently that the public is beginning to understand what it means. Even with burnout pre-pandemic, it wasn’t widely discussed or well understood. Now that we’re in what’s called a post-pandemic world, the word burnout is regularly overused, attributed to too many things. Burnout is an evidence-based, recognized term with a specific meaning.
Similarly, compassion fatigue has become public knowledge. People in helping professions have experienced increased prevalence of compassion fatigue, moral injury, and burnout throughout the pandemic, and these continue post-pandemic.
Host: And because it's happening so much, there's simply no time to stop and just take a breather at work?
What is moral injury & how does it happen?
Bonita: Well, that's just it. One of the main issues is a lack of resources. People in healthcare, emergency response, and nonprofits want to help, but there is an incredible lack of resources to provide the help people need.
This is where moral injury comes in. Helping professionals want to help those they serve, but they are often powerless to do so due to a lack of funding or long waiting lists. They are highly trained professionals, and yet they feel like their hands are tied.
What can we do to prevent & support those experiencing compassion fatigue?
Host: I can imagine what frontline workers are seeing on a day-to-day basis. What's being done to stop the issue that's causing all of this?
Bonita: We're always going to have suffering people. But what we need to do is care for the people caring for the suffering people. It means putting strategies and resources in place.
It’s important for organizations to examine their company culture and the systems and processes they use to provide care. Leaders must create psychologically safe environments for employees to talk about compassion fatigue, burnout, and moral injury and seek support.
A great place for organizations to start is by using the free Burnout Assessment on my website. Leaders and employees can download and use it to evaluate employees' risk of burnout and implement strategies to mitigate burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury. The Burnout Assessment is used globally by organizations to care for their people and culture.
Signs of compassion fatigue
Host: What are some of the signs of compassion fatigue?
Bonita: One of the things we're seeing regularly is the quiet quitting phenomenon. When people are experiencing compassion fatigue, they become fatigued. They're exhausted, not just physical exhaustion but also mental and emotional exhaustion.
When highly skilled professionals desire to help others but are physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, they often begin to self-protect. They put up a metaphorical wall between themselves and those they serve because they simply can’t give of themselves as much as they have in the past.
Sometimes, as their capacity decreases, they have less tolerance for others. Even kind, loving people begin snapping at others, almost like their personalities have changed. Suddenly they are acting poorly, not caring, or causing conflict within their team.
Host: And we need those people, and we need them to be highly functioning.
Bonita: That's right, and they want to be. I've never met someone in one of the helping professions who doesn't want to be highly functioning. They're giving it their all. They're in their profession because they want to make a difference in this world.
FAQ: Compassion Fatigue and Moral Injury
What is compassion fatigue?
Compassion fatigue is the stress that builds up when employees are exposed to other people’s suffering over time. This can happen when staff hear painful stories, support people in crisis, or work in high-pressure care roles.
It is common in healthcare, emergency response, social services, nonprofits, and other purpose-driven workplaces.
What is moral injury?
Moral injury can happen when employees know what care or support is needed, but they cannot provide it because of barriers outside their control.
These barriers may include staff shortages, lack of funding, long waitlists, heavy caseloads, or policies that limit what workers can do. Over time, this can leave employees feeling helpless, guilty, frustrated, or emotionally worn down.
Who is most at risk of compassion fatigue and moral injury?
Employees in helping, care-based, or high-responsibility roles are often at higher risk. This includes healthcare workers, emergency responders, social service workers, nonprofit teams, public sector employees, HR professionals, and leaders who support distressed staff.
Corporate teams can also be affected, especially when employees are managing ongoing stress, conflict, crisis response, or emotionally demanding client work.
How can leaders recognize compassion fatigue in the workplace?
Common signs include emotional exhaustion, reduced patience, withdrawal, lower engagement, irritability, conflict, and a sense that employees are “shutting down.”
Some people may still show up and do the work, but they may have less emotional capacity than before. This can affect team culture, service quality, retention, and overall workplace health.
Why should organizations address compassion fatigue instead of leaving it to employees to manage alone?
Compassion fatigue is not only an individual wellness issue. It is also an organizational risk.
When employees are exposed to ongoing stress without enough support, it can affect morale, performance, teamwork, sick time, turnover, and psychological safety. Leaders need to consider organizational culture, systems, workload, and available supports, not just tell employees to practice self-care.
What can organizations do to prevent compassion fatigue and moral injury?
Organizations can start by building psychologically safe workplaces where employees can talk about burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury without fear or shame.
Leaders can also review workloads, staffing levels, communication practices, recovery time, manager training, and support systems. Workshops, assessments, and consulting can help leaders identify risks and create a practical prevention plan.
How can a workshop help our leadership team or staff?
A workshop can help employees and leaders understand the signs of compassion fatigue and moral injury, talk about them safely, and learn practical ways to reduce risk.
For leaders, a workshop can also support better decision-making around culture, workload, boundaries, communication, and employee support. This helps move the organization from reacting to burnout toward preventing it.
When should an organization bring in outside support?
Outside support can help when burnout, compassion fatigue, turnover, low morale, conflict, or emotional exhaustion are becoming more visible.
Our consultants and workshop facilitators can provide leaders with a clear framework, support honest conversations, and help teams develop practical strategies. This can be especially helpful when internal teams are already stretched or unsure where to begin.
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About the author
Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout.