Burnout busters for employees and managers
Burnout is widespread—and it's costing everyone. Here's how employees and managers can tackle it.
Burnout is expensive for both people and business. In the US, it is estimated to cost companies somewhere between USD4,000 and USD21,000 per worker per year. For employees, burnout can lead to lost income due to time off from work or even leaving the workforce entirely.
At its core, burnout stems from chronic stress—think excessive workloads, long hours, and toxic environments. With so much at stake, both employers and employees have a shared interest in taking proactive steps to prevent it.
What employees can do
While employees may feel that there are a lot of things at work that’s beyond their control, there are practical ways to prevent burnout and support their wellbeing.
1. Set boundaries
“I’m a firm believer that strong healthy boundaries counterbalance burnout or at least stave it off,” said Elizabeth Jung Rowlinson, a Counselling Psychologist and Corporate Wellness Advisor at The Fortitude Partners in Hong Kong.
Boundary setting is about defining how we expect to be treated by others and how we choose to engage with them. This might mean saying “no” to extra tasks when your plate is already full or turning down an online meeting outside of working hours.
Declining extra work, for example, is not always easy for some employees if they worry that such actions impact their job security or career progression. But balancing one’s career and mental health doesn’t not have to be zero-sum, said Australia-based burnout coach Sally Clarke.
“It’s difficult to have the courage to say, ‘Actually, I'm not going to do that because I want to prioritize my own wellbeing.’ The fear is incredibly valid particularly in an environment where one feels, ‘If I don't do this, someone else is going to step in and take my job,’ or ‘I might be overlooked in the next round of promotions if I'm not seen as outperforming constantly.’ But the issue is that, once we start to become quite burnt out, we're actually going to lose a lot of those functions anyway.”
Boundaries hinge on what Jung Rowlinson calls, the presence of psychological safety, where people feel that they can be themselves at work, where they can take the risk of speaking up about workplace issues and seeking help with retaliation or judgment.
2. Communicate assertively
Setting boundaries often begins with assertiveness — standing up for your needs while expressing your thoughts and feelings respectfully. For example, rather than suffering in silence, you can diplomatically tell a manager who is asking you to take on a new project that could potentially overextend you: “I understand that this project is important to you. I would like to sit down with you to discuss my current workload and priorities.”
Experts say practicing assertive communication is a skill that can help reduce stress and build self-esteem. For some, it’s a skill that takes time and practice to develop—and working with a coach can be a helpful way to build confidence and refine these skills.
3. Practice regular self-care
Self-care such as taking time off and engaging in relaxing activities can make one feel good, but often the positive effects may be fleeting once the person returns to work. A more sustainable solution is to engage in self-care regularly and not only when problems arise.
“It is essential to the sustainability of our own careers that we're careful about making sure that we are getting enough sleep, rest, breaks from work and that we're also ensuring that we have strong social connections and we're taking care of ourselves, whether that's nutrition, having hobbies and other aspects of life from which we derive our self-identity, not just down to our working lives,” explained Clarke.
4. Tap available resources
Many companies now offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) that connect staff with professional counselling support, while others have employee-initiated peer support groups. Outside the workplace, local health services and community organizations can also offer free or low-cost professional counselling.
What employers can do
Modelling shows that a 1,000-employee company in the U.S. would, on average, be losing about USD5 million annually from burnout and disengagement – making for a strong case for wellbeing investments.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have started to provide wellness benefits, flexible working arrangements and other incentives to employees. But as Mental Health UK’s 2025 Burnout Report showed, gaps continue. About 45% of employees surveyed said their employers do not have plans in place to prevent burnout.
Experts we spoke with identified some key steps employers can take to foster positive mental wellbeing in the office.
1. Make psychological safety part of organizational culture
Incorporating the ability of managers to provide psychological safety for team members into the culture is critical toward supporting mental wellbeing in the workplace and promoting productivity. In the UK, almost half of workers said they feel comfortable discussing stress with their managers, but one-third still do not.
“Psychological safety is actually the foundation of inclusion, where people can say, ‘I feel like I can come and be part of a team. I can learn, I can challenge, and I'm not going to be retaliated against,’” said Jung Rowlinson. “I think if organizations legitimately want to do something about it, they would embed psychological safety into their managers’ and leaders’ key performance indicators, where it gets measured.”
2. Train managers
Managers play a key role in preventing burnout, but they may need resources to be able to sufficiently support their team members who are experiencing overwhelming stress. If managers are trained to be aware of the causes of burnout, the signs to watch out for and how to have supportive conversations about with employees, then they will be able to offer timely support.
“They have to have some level of understanding of burnout. That comes along with destigmatization of mental health in the workplace,” said Jung Rowlinson.
Managers can play a powerful role as advocates for their teams. Managers can speak up to senior leadership — for example, requesting more realistic timelines for projects when workloads are high.
“That’s an incredibly powerful thing that you can do to intervene and create more breathing space for a healthier and more sustainable approach to work in the long term,” Clarke added.
Tip sheet: Questions for managers when talking with employees
- Can we explore aspects of work causing you to feel stressed/frustrated/unhappy?
- To gain clarity over how I can support you, could we explore your current workload?
- Are there communication breakdowns that regularly cause you stress?
- Are there any resources, tools, or support that would make your job more manageable?
- Are there any expectations that feel unsustainable, whether from yourself, colleagues, or leadership?
- What changes would most improve your work-life balance and wellbeing at work?
- Is there anything happening outside work that you feel comfortable sharing, that’s affecting your wellbeing here?
- What specific steps can we take to address any concerns you’ve shared?
Source: Mental Health UK
3. Foster dialogue about workers’ experience
Senior leaders can better support their teams by embracing curiosity — taking the time to understand employees’ experiences and initiating open conversations to find solutions.
“It’s hard to do something about it if you don’t actually have more information. So, I encourage people to start with curiosity and see if you can build some compassion for people’s experience and then improve conditions,” said Heidi Brooks, Senior Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Yale School of Management.
4. Normalize rest
A healthy workforce is a productive one. Yet, many employees hesitate to take time off, fearing it may jeopardize their roles or be seen as a lack of commitment. Leaders play a crucial role in shifting this mindset by modeling and encouraging a culture where rest and recovery are not only accepted but expected.
Preventing burnout requires a shared responsibility between employers and employees.
“It really is this ongoing process of creating inclusive environments where we remove friction from people’s work lives so that they can function optimally,” said Clarke.
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