🤔 Real Talk

Everyone says they want to avoid burnout—but then act in ways that fuel it.

Organizations overload teams and hand out wellness perks like band-aids.

Employees complain about burnout but keep saying yes, stay late, and tie identity to output.

There’s usually more work than there is time. Organizations need results. Employees need a paycheck. Both sides play a role.

So, where does the company’s responsibility for burnout end—and an individual’s begin?

🧯 Three ways you can start tackling burnout today

Conversation with Your Manager

If you’re feeling burnt out / overwhelmed, then maybe its time for a conversation with your leader or manager. After brainstorming some solutions say something like:

• “Hey, I’ve been feeling pretty stretched lately and want to make sure I can sustain my performance and continue enjoying the work. I’ve got a few ideas for changes on my end and would love your input—especially since you may notice them and I want you to be in the loop.”

Proactively Change What You Can

If you don’t feel like you can have a conversation right now then ask yourself:

• “What do I have control over and how can I change it for my benefit?”

The Bare Minimum

At the very least, today,

• Say “no” to one non-essential request

• And leave work on time

🔋 Two ways to reduce burnout on your team and recharge

Design Human Touch Points

If your team seems burnt out or stretched thin, try regularly dedicating a few minutes in your meetings to connect over non-work-related things. Here’s a simple agenda you can try:

1. Set the tone: “Before we start, let’s take five minutes to recharge and reset.”

2. Ask: “What’s a small thing that recently made you smile—a moment, meme, meal, anything?”

   • Share in pairs, small groups, or with everyone (breakout rooms work well if virtual).

3. Debrief: Ask, “What did you talk about?”

   • Reflect briefly (“A smile from a coworker—love that!”) and close with, “Feels good to just be human for a moment. Now, onto the agenda…”

**Research shows that human touch points and gratitude can reduce burnout and stress. #loweffort #highimpact

Run a Stop-Doing Session

Alternatively, consider a 60-minute “Stop-Doing” session. These meetings help teams discover where energy is being wasted and co-create ways they can be more efficient and thoughtful. You can find a facilitation guide HERE.

🏛️ Two Moves to Build a Burnout-Resilient System

Burnout isn't about human weakness. It's about systems that ask humans to operate like machines. Instead of handing out stress balls, an employer should be proactively redesigning and optimizing their systems so employees can sustain excellent work over time.

Below are two easy ways to start making progress.

Make Listening Habitual, Not Reactive: 

Too often, teams only get to speak up after things are bad. Instead, organizations should:

• Train managers to run short, alignment loops, quarterly (or more frequently). Local insights that come from these help clarify any abstract survey data or feedback.

• Help them develop skills to validate concerns while also co-creating solutions. Managers should have language to frame the discussions effectively (e.g., “We may not solve everything here, but we’ll understand more—and act where we can”).

Track and Act on Overwork:

Top performers often get overused—leading to burnout in the people you can least afford to lose. Organizations can account for this by:

• Sending a 1-question weekly survey: “How many extra hours did you work?”

• Sharing anonymous aggregate team-level data with managers.

• Nudging managers to answer questions like, “Are we unintentionally relying too much on a few people?” and “Where can we redistribute or deprioritize work?”

• Training managers to rebalance workloads—and hold them accountable as part of their performance review.

These aren’t magic fixes—but they’re better than what’s not working. If burnout persists, it’s time to try a new approach because it won’t be solved with swag or slogans. Visibility, smart design, and real follow-through can.

📊 What gets measured gets attention

Even better than asking “How many extra hours did you work” or “How stressed are you?” We could track observable behavior. For example:

• After-Hours Activity: Who is consistently working late? (time stamps on emails/messages, time in the office, etc.) Check in with them. Don’t assume—they may be fine, but they may not be.

• Meeting-Load Audit: Who is in too many hours of meetings weekly? Do they have enough time to do the work that is being discussed in those meetings? Calendar audits and even software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc. can tell you roughly how much time is spent in meetings.

💯 A quality resource

Want to dive deeper? Check out Slow Productivity by Cal Newport.

My biggest insight from it? Do fewer things, work at a natural pace, and focus on quality over quantity.

🔄 Use this line

We can’t fix burnout with perks—we fix it with priorities. If everything’s a priority, nothing truly is—overwork and eventual burnout will fill the gap.

✍️ Now its your turn

First, write down one thing you are going to do about your and/or your team’s/organizational burnout?

Second, share this with someone who’s might be stressed or trying to work on their own burnout.

(Or just distract yourself with this fun dog video 😉)