How to prevent employee burnout

Burnout isn’t just a HR issue. It directly impacts key metrics like turnover, absenteeism, and engagement, which talent leaders are often measured on. In today’s uncertain work environment, holding on to top talent and getting the best from employees is more challenging than ever, and tackling burnout is essential to achieving both.

- Sophia Stone, Solutions Strategy Director, MindGym

Burnout is like the office ghost. It may not be visible but everyone feels it lurking.

It’s that creeping sense of exhaustion and cynicism that saps energy, creativity, and productivity from your teams. Understanding how to prevent employee burnout isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s critical to maintaining a healthy, high-performing workforce.

Let’s dive into the science to understand what it is, why it happens, and, most importantly, how to prevent employee burnout.

What is burnout?

Burnout, first identified by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the 1970s, is much more than just feeling stressed or overworked. It’s a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion that develops when stress lingers too long without relief. Employees caught in burnout aren’t just tired – they’re trapped in a cycle of disengagement, apathy, and declining performance.

And burnout isn’t an isolated issue. It’s a workplace epidemic. A Gallup study found that a staggering 76% of employees experience burnout at least some of the time, making it a major concern for HR and talent leaders.

Left unchecked, burnout is a silent productivity killer, slashing morale, stifling innovation, and driving talented people out the door.

But here’s the good news: it’s entirely preventable. Learning how to prevent employee burnout is the key to maintaining a productive and resilient workforce.

What causes employee burnout?

An employee’s psychological state is heavily affected by their work environment. 69% of employees say that managers have an impact on their mental health, which is more than their doctors (51%), and equal to that of their spouse.

But burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It’s more of a slow burn, sparked by several factors that accumulate over time. Before exploring how to prevent employee burnout, it’s important to understand where it comes from.

Common causes of employee burnout include:

• An unmanageable workload
• Lack of control
• Feeling unsupported
• Constant change
• Unclear expectations
• Work-life imbalance
• Toxic workplace culture
• Lack of recognition

What are the symptoms of burnout

The trick to understanding how to prevent employee burnout, is recognising the symptoms early.

Symptoms often present within these three areas:

Emotional: Chronic exhaustion, feelings of cynicism, and emotional detachment.

Physical: Constant fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, and lowered immune response.

Behavioural: Increased absenteeism, poor performance, and disengagement.

Why is burnout bad for business?

With economic pressures weighing heavily on businesses, why should they spend valuable time and resources combatting burnout?

Well, knowing how to prevent employee burnout can actually save companies money and drive better productivity. By taking a commercial approach, Talent leaders can generate executive buy-in for projects that tackle burnout by emphasising the financial benefit to their bottom line. The main costs of burnout include:

1. Higher absenteeism

Absenteeism costs US employers a staggering $225.8 billion a year. And across the pond in the UK, 17 million workdays are lost yearly due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. Putting practices in place to reduce and prevent burnout is essential in keeping employees engaged, healthy, and working hard.

2. Increased turnover

Employees experiencing burnout are almost three times more likely to be actively looking for another job. With 80% of employees stating they’d prioritise good mental health over a higher salary, burnout becomes a primary driver of turnover.

3. Reduced productivity

Burnout doesn’t just affect attendance, but also the quality of work. On average, 44 days’ worth of productivity per employee are lost annually due to working through burnout. On the other hand, engaged, energised employees are far more productive and complete higher-quality work than their burned-out counterparts.

The value of knowing how to prevent employee burnout and taking actionable steps towards preventing it, can have huge benefits for a company’s bottom line.

For talent leaders: How to prevent employee burnout

Talent leaders are often the first to recognise and address burnout – they're on the front lines listening to employee grievances, providing coaching and mentoring to those experiencing burnout, and digging into engagement surveys to spot the warning signs before burnout becomes a cultural norm.

- Sophia Stone, Solutions Strategy Director, MindGym

While burnout is pervasive, it’s also preventable. There are a number of evidence-based strategies that talent leaders can adopt to stop burnout in its tracks.

1. Set the right conditions

Design roles for autonomy

Empower employees by giving them control over how they meet their objectives. Autonomy is one of the 5 essential drivers of wellbeing at work. This is because, when people feel they have a say in their tasks and schedules, it reduces stress and fosters intrinsic motivation.

Prioritise psychological safety

Create an environment (whether it’s online or face-to-face) where employees feel safe to speak up without fear of punishment. Psychological safety fosters open communication, allowing people to share concerns before stress turns into burnout.

Promote balance

Encourage work-life balance not just with policies, but with action. Flexible hours, remote work options, and no-email-outside-of-work policies are great starts. Leaders need to model this behaviour too. When managers work late every night, employees feel pressure to do the same.

Foster a culture of recognition

Regular, genuine recognition boosts morale and keeps employees engaged. Understanding how to prevent employee burnout includes creating a workplace where employees feel valued and appreciated. Even small gestures, like a shoutout in a meeting, can go a long way in making people feel appreciated.

2. Spot the signs and act early

Invest in manager training

Managers play a huge role in employee wellbeing. Equip them with training in emotional intelligence, empathy, and providing feedback to spot the warning signs of burnout and support their teams.

Equip employees to speak up sooner

Empower employees to take ownership of their workplace wellbeing. Give them the tools to know when they are at risk of burnout, and provide avenues for them to seek support, such as regular one-on-ones with their manager.

Encourage recovery time

Vacation days exist for a reason. Encourage staff to take time off, and make sure they aren’t returning to an avalanche of work. Recovery from work stress is essential to driving sustainable productivity.

For managers: How to help employees with burnout

As a manager, you have more power than you might think when it comes to preventing and addressing burnout. One of the most impactful steps in learning how to prevent employee burnout is recognising your influence as

1. Pay attention to their workload

In fast-paced workplaces, manageable can turn to overwhelming in a heartbeat. If an employee is experiencing or at-risk of burnout, help them triage their workload with the “Four Ds” method: delete, defer, diminish, or delegate.

2. Create a supportive environment

Don’t just check deadlines, check in with your team. A regular, genuine chat about their wellbeing can go a long way. Listen, empathise, and make sure they know that if they need support, you’re there to help.

3. Be a role model for work-life balance

Employees often look to their managers for behavioural cues. If you’re burning the midnight oil, they’ll think they have to do the same. Set a good example by setting boundaries and taking breaks and encouraging your team to do the same.

4. Provide practical support

When workloads pile up, a lack or certainty or competence can leave employees feeling stressed and isolated. As a manager, you can alleviate this pressure by redistributing tasks, bringing in extra help, or cutting through red tape.

For employees: How to recover from burnout without quitting your job

Feeling burnout out doesn’t mean it’s time to dust off your resume. There are ways to recover without abandoning ship.

1. Talk to your manager

Your manager can’t help if they don’t know there’s a problem. Schedule a meeting to discuss your workload and how you’re feeling. Most leaders are willing to make adjustments when it means keeping a valued employee.

2. Set boundaries

Be clear about your availability. If work has spilled into your evenings and weekends, start setting limits. Turn off notifications after work hours and stick to it.

3. Focus on small wins

When burnout strikes, the bigger picture feels overwhelming. Break your work into smaller tasks, and celebrate the completion of each. A sense of progress can reignite motivation.

4. Reach out to HR

Your wellbeing is important. So, if your manager isn’t stepping up, it may be time to reach out to HR. They may be able to provide resources, adjustments, or guidance to help you navigate the situation.

How to prevent employee burnout: Key learnings

Burnout is preventable when talent leaders, managers, and employees take an active role in addressing its causes. With proven strategies rooted in behavioural science, companies can create a culture that not only reduces burnout but fosters greater wellbeing, productivity, and satisfaction.

And remember, burnout may be common, but it doesn’t have to be inevitable. Take action now to create a healthier, more resilient workplace.

Now that you know how to prevent employee burnout, it's time to take action. If you’d like advice or support in reducing burnout and improving your workplace’s wellbeing, explore our Wellworking Solution or speak to a MindGym expert today.