Burnout or Breakthrough?

Burnout isn’t personal failure; it’s rooted in toxic workplace norms, poor leadership, and a lack of support. It’s fast becoming a workplace crisis.?

The 2025 Annual Burnout Report by Mental Health UK, published in January 2025,?reveals that burnout remains a pressing issue:

• 1 in 3 adults (34%) experienced high or extreme pressure or stress “always” or “often” last year.
• 9 in 10 adults (91%) faced high levels of stress at some point during the year.

What’s new for 2025 though is a widening generational divide in stress and mental health. Younger workers (18-24) are now the most likely to take time off for stress-related mental health issues - and the least likely to confide in their managers about their struggles.

Having shouldered the shame of having burnout and thinking it was all my fault, I now realise that burnout isn’t just about the individual. Managers, leaders and companies all have a role to play in the rise of burnout. It’s the result of:

• Overwhelming workloads, unclear boundaries, and stakeholder demands on employees.
• Lack of clear strategy, prioritisation, and communication from organisations.

It’s likely that your company culture - the way you do things around here - is one of the core factors causing burnout and work-related stress within your organisation. Unrealistic deadlines, unclear direction and low psychological safety can all fuel burnout. Unless you address these root causes, burnout will remain a recurring challenge.

Actionable steps to tackle burnout

While reshaping culture takes time, there are quicker steps you can take to begin making a difference:

1. Educate Yourself: Understand burnout, its symptoms, and its triggers.
2. Regular Check-Ins: Have honest conversations with your team about workloads and wellbeing.
3. Encourage Dialogue: Make it ok to talk about stress and mental health. Highlight resources like EAPs, and bring in guest speakers on wellbeing and burnout prevention.
4. Be Clear: Communicate business goals and challenges transparently, helping employees focus on priorities that align with your organisation’s purpose.
5. Maintain Balance: Proactively support your team in managing workloads, setting realistic deadlines, and tackling unreasonable expectations.
6. Lead by Example: Role model healthy behaviours to set the tone for your team.
7. Boost Morale: Create a positive work environment with open communication, regular recognition, and praise for exceptional performance.
8. Zero Tolerance: Create and celebrate a culture where behaviours that lead to burnout are not tolerated and can safely be called out.

What to do if you're experiencing burnout

1. Be Kind to Yourself: Burnout doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It often reflects your commitment and diligence.
2. Start with the Simple Things: Focus on basics like eating well, sleeping, and physical activity.
3. Talk to Your Doctor: Take time off if you need too - work won’t collapse without you.
4. Prioritise YOU: Do things that make you happy, even if progress feels slow.
5. Seek Connection: Talk to others who’ve experienced burnout.
6. Get Professional Support: Counselling or coaching can guide you through recovery.
7. Write it Down: Keeping a journal helps you process your emotions and track progress.
8. Disconnect from Work: Allow yourself to fully focus on healing.
9. Plan Your Return Thoughtfully: Work with your employer to address the causes of burnout before returning.
10. Remain Vigilant: Once you've experienced burnout, it's more likely to reoccur, so keep a chock on early warning signs.

Preventing burnout isn’t just about addressing symptoms; it’s about tackling the systems and behaviours that allow it to thrive. Only by reshaping our workplace cultures can we break through to create environments where people - and businesses - flourish.

Follow Jo Coxhill for more insights on #internalcommunication, #employeexperience, #employeelistening, #organisationalculture, #burnout and #hybrid working.