Employee burnout isn’t new. But it is growing—and it’s costing people more than their health. And it’s costing organisations in lost time, reduced performance, and rising staff turnover. In the UK alone, burnout is estimated to cost £35 billion each year.
According to a 2024 study by Indeed, over 52% of employees report feeling burned out, and 67% say the feeling has worsened since the pandemic (source). The World Health Organisation now recognises burnout as a sign of ongoing, unmanaged stress at work — something that can build up over time and affect how we feel and function day to day.
Burnout isn’t just an individual issue—it’s a sign that something in the system isn’t working. It affects employees across every sector, from frontline staff to people working in offices. Understanding what contributes to burnout for employees is a crucial step towards building healthier, more human workplaces.
At Platfform Wellbeing, we’ve spent years working alongside organisations to support staff and leaders in navigating the pressures of modern work. We know that creating lasting change means going deeper than surface-level fixes.
And one thing’s clear: when burnout shows up, it’s often been quietly building for a long time.
Noticing the signs early and asking how your staff really feel is key in protecting against burnout, rather than a reactive approach when someone needs to take long-term sick leave.
We explore the root causes of burnout, why it happens and how organisations can begin to address it meaningfully—improving employee engagement, reducing high turnover, protecting team morale and the bottom line.
What Burnout Really Is (And Why It’s Not Just “Being Stressed”)
Burnout is more than chronic stress or feeling down. It’s a deeper kind of depletion—emotional, physical, and relational. Dr. Rachel Sumner, a senior research fellow at Cardiff Metropolitan University, outlines three core components:
- Emotional exhaustion – that bone-deep tiredness, when everything feels like too much
- Cynicism or depersonalisation – becoming emotionally distant or numb, withdrawing from work and people
- Feelings of inadequacy – struggling to feel like you’re doing a good job, no matter how hard you try
These signs of burnout often creep in gradually. And because many of us are used to ‘pushing through,’ they’re easy to miss—until someone reaches breaking point.
As one person shared in our Rethinking Burnout webinar:
“I thought I was just tired. But I realised I was waking up with dread and crying at my desk. I wasn’t just tired—I was done.”
Eventually, it can lead to poor performance, increased sick days, and long-term mental health challenges.
Why Employee Burnout happens
Burnout doesn’t start with one bad day. It builds gradually and it means their environment is asking too much, giving too little, and leaving them without space to recover. It can leave people feeling undervalued or unsupported in both their professional and personal lives.
It can stem from long hours, poor communication, or unrealistic expectations—but underneath, it’s about disconnection. From each other. From purpose. From feeling safe to say, “I’m not okay.”
Understanding burnout means looking beyond the individual and asking hard questions about workplace environment, organisational culture, and systemic pressures.
It’s not about blame—it’s about awareness, alignment, and doing things differently.
As Dr. Rachel Sumner shared:
“Burnout isn’t a failure of the individual. It’s a failure of the system to protect them.”
The real causes of burnout at work
- Lack of Autonomy and Micromanagement
Employees thrive when they have space to do their best work. When micromanaged, people can feel boxed in and lose job satisfaction. - Unclear job expectations
Team members need clear goals and open communication to do meaningful work. - A Heavy workload
Longer hours, especially without regular breaks or support are among the most common causes of employee burnout - Lack of Recognition
Without recognition or a positive work environment, people become disengaged and emotionally exhausted. Workplace culture is super important. - Toxic work cultures
When values don’t align with behaviour, employees disengage. A strong organisational culture depends on transparency and trust. - Poor Communication
It erodes trust, creates confusion, and increases burnout risk. - Unfair Treatment and Inequity
Bias, favouritism, and inequity in access to resources or career path opportunities create emotional exhaustion and drive disengagement - Lack of Manager Support
Staff feel unsupported in stressful situations. As one speaker said in the webinar,
“I didn’t know how to have those conversations. I avoided them because I felt out of my depth—and I think my team knew it.”
- Job Demands
When job demands outweigh available resources like autonomy, flexible scheduling, or peer support, employee stress levels rise dramatically. - Emotionally demanding roles
Especially in care or advocacy roles, where people hold space for others without having space held for them. As one participant described, “The hardest part wasn’t the workload—it was smiling every day when I was falling apart inside.” - Poor Work-Life Fit
When work consistently intrudes on personal life—through no flexibility, unrealistic deadlines, or working through illness or grief
What the Pandemic Taught Us About Burnout
Burnout became a growing concern across sectors. Dr. Rachel Sumner’s CB19 Heroes Project found that burned-out employees were those who felt a lack of solidarity and inconsistent support. The good news? A connected, human workplace culture can make all the difference.
During our Re-thinking burnout webinar, one person shared:
“At the start of the pandemic, we had this strong sense of unity. But as time went on and the pressure kept coming, that togetherness started to disappear—and that’s when burnout really set in.”
Burnout and Identity: Why Meaning Matters
Work can be an important part of someone’s identity. But unrealistic expectations, a lack of recognition, or emotional disconnection can strip that meaning away—fast.
As Dr. Rachel Sumner said,
“Once that sense of meaning is lost, burnout accelerates. People disconnect not just from the role, but from who they are in it.”
And when burnout becomes normalised, it becomes invisible—until someone breaks down, leaves, or becomes unwell.
Real Stories from Employees Who’ve Lived It
Stories like those from Chris Hall and Jay Williams remind us that burnout often stems from root causes like long hours, lack of support, and mental exhaustion
Jay shared:
“I was promoted to manager and given all the responsibility without any guidance. I kept going because I thought I had to prove myself—but I was emotionally spent and didn’t feel like I could say anything.”
Chris described emotional detachment:
“I was so disconnected from everything that I didn’t even realise I was burned out. It just became my normal.”
What Makes Burnout So Hard to Talk About
Even in workplaces that care, burnout can stay hidden. Here’s why:
- Safety – there’s no safe space to talk about mental health issues and say “I’m struggling”
- Silence –People worry it may have an impact on how their performance is perceived
- Not the right solutions – Traditional EAPs or a single mental health day are not the most effective ways to address the root causes.
What Organisations Can Do to prevent Burnout
Preventing burnout isn’t about one policy or training. It’s a mindset shift. Here’s where it can start:
- Nuture a psychologically safe culture – so people can speak up without fear
- Offer flexible schedules and support work-life balance
- Prioritise open communication between team members and leadership. Encouraging honest conversations in the workplace and addressing the issue directly, rather than avoiding it, is crucial. It starts with leadership, creating environments where employees feel comfortable asking for help.
- Train managers, HR professionals and business leaders to recognise signs of burnout early
- Provide safe spaces for regular, reflective conversations—not just performance reviews
- Ensure employees feel a sense of belonging at work – it fuels collaboration, creativity, and personal growth where everyone feels valued and included in the process.
As one webinar speaker reflected
“It’s the small, consistent things that make the biggest difference—being seen, being heard, being asked how you are without an agenda.”
When employees are burning out, your organisation needs to slow down and listen. Burnout tells us something isn’t working. But that means something can change.
Preventing work burnout takes a long-term approach. With the right conditions— trust, communication, compassion- you can create a positive work environment and psychological safety where employees feel safe to speak up, valued, and able to bring their best.
“Education, meaningful dialogue, and consistency in leadership messaging are key to preventing burnout.”
“Peer support and open conversations are some of the most powerful tools we have.”
The right workplace environment and support has a significant impact on preventing high turnover, poor outcomes, and employees’ health and wellbeing.
But it starts with honest reflection and the courage to do things differently. But the it is worth it: a team that’s connected, energised, and able to thrive.
Interested in our burnout training for employees?
This training can be a great place to start the conversation and learn how to support teams where people thrive instead of burning out. We’ll share practical ideas for creating healthier ways of working, take time to reflect on our own roles and challenges, and gently explore what’s possible. Together, we’ll look at ways to protect our own wellbeing, support others, and nurture environments where staff feel connected, supported, and able to stay engaged.
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