Burnout: Causes, effects, and how to fix it

Burnout isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a real problem. Research shows that 65% of employees experienced burnout in 2023, leading to more sick days, emergency room visits, and lower productivity. The ripple effects are costly for everyone, including your organization.

Let’s break down what burnout looks like and explore practical strategies for building resilience.

What is burnout?

Burnout is prolonged emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by ongoing stress. It’s not just being tired after a long day; it’s feeling consistently overwhelmed and disconnected.

Common causes of burnout:

• Too much work: Unrealistic workloads and deadlines
• Lack of control: Employees feeling powerless in their roles
• Unclear goals: Vague expectations creating unnecessary stress
• Toxic work culture: Environments that prioritize results over people
• No boundaries: Poor work-life balance with no time to recharge

Why it matters

The data doesn’t lie. Ignoring burnout doesn’t just harm individuals — it hurts businesses.

The consequences:

• Health risks: Increased anxiety, depression, and physical illness.
• Productivity loss: Burnt-out employees produce less and disengage more.
• Turnover: Exhausted employees are 2.6x more likely to start job hunting.

Preventing burnout

Burnout doesn’t have to be the norm. In addition to doing the opposite of everything listed under “What is burnout,” employers can help employees build resilience — the ability to recover from challenges and adapt effectively. Here’s four steps to take now:

1. Support stress management

• Provide guided meditation sessions or include courses on wellness into employee onboarding and training programs.
• Encourage walking meetings or offer fitness perks to promote physical activity. Maybe a stipend for walking pads if your team is remote?
• Implement Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and access to counseling for emotional support.

2. Teach time management

• Teach practical tools like time-blocking and task management for setting priorities. Don’t forget to include a course or two on how to say no.
• Encouraging micro-breaks for salaried workers. For employees on hourly schedules with specific allotted break times, try creating a space on site they can go to to disconnect.
• Support employees in setting hours that work for them, when possible. It may feel counterproductive, but flexible structures like this often result in better outputs.

3. Create work-life balance

• Discourage after-hour emails and ensure people can unplug without risk. Remember, it often starts with the people managers setting the standard.
• Using allotted PTO should be a norm, not a guilt trip. Study after study shows that vacations are good for an employee’s mental state.
• Work with your executive teams to advocate for a no-meeting day once a week. This makes it easy to find uninterrupted focus time.

4. Foster a healthy work environment

• Make space for open feedback channels that take away any fear of judgment. Be sure to positively reinforce contributions.
• Learning is in our DNA. Offering courses on emotional intelligence, resilience, and well-being gives employees a third-party source for education.
• Nothing goes further than recognition. Celebrate team effort and contributions with sincere appreciation, regularly.
• Many corporate teams have gone remote or hybrid, which has increased the need for bonding through social events or team-building activities. Make time and set aside a budget for this.

Resilience starts here

Burnout doesn’t have to define your workplace. By making any of these small but intentional changes, you can create a supportive, resilient culture. Start small, and add on good habits in workplace culture as you go.

Go1 makes it simple to provide employee education on burnout, wellness, prioritizing, and more. With curated learning paths and playlists in our global-friendly content subscription, you’ll have access to the tools and training needed to tackle burnout and promote well-being for your entire team.

Schedule a demo today to see how Go1 can help your organization thrive.