Employee Burnout Is a Problem: How to Recognize and Prevent It

Employee burnout is a workplace epidemic that costs organizations time, talent, and productivity. While it may show up as individual exhaustion or disengagement, burnout is rooted in how organizations operate. That means HR and leadership teams have both the power and responsibility to address it head-on.

What Is Burnout?

While you may be familiar with the general concept of burnout, what is it, really? The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It’s characterized by emotional exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy.

In other words: people who once cared deeply start checking out—not because they stopped caring, but because they’ve been running on empty for too long.

How to Recognize Burnout Early

Burnout often starts subtly and can go unseen for quite a while. In order to identify burnout in your team as soon as possible, here’s what to watch for:

1. Decreasing Engagement - Someone who was once proactive is now withdrawn, quiet in meetings, or disengaged from their work.

2. Decline in Performance - Work may be late, lower in quality, or full of mistakes—not from lack of skill, but from mental fatigue.

3. Increased Absenteeism - Frequent sick days, lateness, or unexplained time off can signal emotional or physical exhaustion.

4. Irritability or Negativity - Burned-out employees may become short-tempered or cynical—especially if they feel unheard or unsupported by their teammates and managers.

5. Withdrawal from Team Culture - People stop joining in: no Slack banter, skipped team lunches, and “camera off” mode every day.

Why Burnout Is an Organizational Problem

When burnout goes unaddressed, it hits your organization hard. You may notice signs like:

• Increased Turnover – Burned-out employees are over two times more likely to be actively job hunting.

• Decreased Productivity – Even top performers can’t sustain quality output when exhausted.

• Declining Morale – Burnout can spread and become “contagious” across teams.

• Increasing Health Care Costs – Chronic stress is linked to physical and mental health issues.

  
  

Burnout isn’t just an individual issue or people problem—it’s a risk to your organization, and therefore it’s the responsibility of your organization to identify it and address it.

How to Prevent Burnout in Your Workplace

While all organizations differ, there are some concrete, proactive steps HR leaders and managers can take:

1. Promote a Sustainable Workload - Regularly review workloads and redistribute tasks when needed. Avoid rewarding overwork with more work—it leads to a cycle of burnout.

2. Encourage Time Off (and Model It!) - Make PTO use a norm, not a perk. Encourage leaders to unplug too—people follow the example at the top.

3. Create Psychological Safety - Make it safe to speak up about workload and well-being without fear of judgment. Train managers to check in, not just check on.

4. Offer Mental Health Resources - Provide access to EAPs, therapy stipends, or wellness apps. Regularly remind employees that these tools are available—and confidential.

5. Recognize & Reward Regularly - People who feel seen are more resilient. Recognition doesn’t have to be elaborate—authentic thanks goes a long way.

6. Foster Flexibility - Allow flexible hours or hybrid work when possible. Give employees autonomy in how and when they get work done.

HR’s Role in Driving Burnout Prevention

HR teams are in a unique position to drive culture change and support both people and performance. That means:

• Training people managers on the signs and symptoms of burnout so they can spot it early on

• Auditing company practices to identify those that reward overwork (intentionally or unintentionally)

• Embedding well-being into your organization’s people strategy—not treating it as an add-on

Burnout isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a signal that something in your organization’s system isn’t working. While realizing your employees are experiencing burnout may feel like bad news, the good news is that it's possible to correct and prevent burnout. When organizations treat burnout as an organizational issue—not just an individual one—they create workplaces where people feel safe, supported, and seen.

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Need a starting point? Download our free “Burnout Prevention Checklist for Managers” to equip your leaders with the tools to support their teams.