Building Resilience: How Leaders Can Prevent Burnout and Fix Chronic Stress
Chronic stress and burnout are pervasive in the modern workplace. And, while managers might be aware that employees are struggling, few understand the bottom-line costs or what they can do to alleviate workplace pressure and prevent burnout.
Defined as “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” burnout is a risk for roughly 82% of the global workforce, according to Mercer’s 2024 Global Talent Trends Report. Workforce burnout carries significant consequences, including high turnover. In fact, a recent Fortune report found that nearly 20% of U.S. workers think about quitting their job every day. And that’s not all.
Burned out employees are less effective and make more errors in their work. They are also more likely to miss work, disengage, and not give their all. A big cost of burnout comes from lower productivity when workers are not performing their best. Creativity, innovation, and collaboration all suffer when individuals are not engaged. Given the costs and consequences of burnout, it’s in every leader’s best interest to prevent and manage it.
