We’ve all worked with someone who is constantly boasting about how busy they are, how much work they have on their heaping plate and how much stress they’re dealing with. If you don’t know the type, here’s a scary question: is it you?

With hustle culture turning burnout into a badge of honour, you may feel pressure to continue proving yourself and earning your job, particularly in a tough economic climate. So it’s easy to fall into a habit of bragging about your stress as a way of showing your value and dedication to your organisation.

It’s called busy bragging – also known as stress bragging – the concept of loudly announcing and even gloating about how much strain you’re under at work. And it has negative consequences, not just for the busy braggart but also for those who work with them.

A new study found that those who indulge in busy bragging are seen as less competent and less warm than their colleagues. What’s worse, the stress braggart’s colleagues also experience higher levels of burnout due to enhanced stress crossover effects.

Guilty of busy bragging? Here’s how it’s impacting you – and what to do about it