[Sticky] Burnout vs a bad job: how people tell the difference

Burnout and a bad workplace often overlap. Stories on this forum tend to separate them like this:

• Burnout: exhaustion that continues even when workload temporarily dips
• Bad job design: chronic understaffing, impossible targets, no recovery time
• Cultural amplifier: pressure to always be online, praise for self-sacrifice

Use this thread to compare experiences. Specific timelines help other readers more than slogans.