3 min read
The “Great Resignation” has sparked many talks about why so many people are leaving their jobs. Many focus on pay, career growth, or flexible working. But they often miss a quiet, powerful reason for people leaving: burnout.
Burnout is more than just feeling tired. It’s a deep state of feeling worn out, both physically and emotionally. Not just hurting individuals but also costing UK businesses millions by breaking down their most important asset – their teams.
We’ve all had tough days, but burnout is different. It’s a long-lasting reaction to ongoing team and work stress that hasn’t been handled well.
In the UK, millions of workdays are lost each year because of stress, feeling down, and worry. Burnout plays a big part in this. In 2023/24, we lost 16.4 million workdays due to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety.
It’s a perfect storm for teams. Work and home life are blending. Demands are higher. Global worries continue. Team members aren’t just tired; they feel completely drained, uninterested, and let down.
The Hidden Costs of a Burned-Out Team
This isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’ issue; it’s a critical business risk that could cost organisations hundreds of thousands, even millions, of pounds annually through the performance and stability of teams. This can include;
- Skyrocketing Staff Turnover: Burned-out team members are far more likely to pack it in, triggering costly recruitment, lengthy onboarding, and significant drops in team productivity. The average cost of turnover per employee in the UK can exceed £30,000 [01]
- Presenteeism & Productivity Plunge: Team members might be physically present (or online), but their energy, focus, and creativity are gone. They’re doing the bare minimum and this ‘presenteeism’ alone can account for a significant portion of the total cost of poor mental health to employers. [02]
- Increased Absenteeism: Physical and mental health problems linked to burnout mean more sick days and long-term absences, leaving teams understaffed and strained.
- Subpar Decision-Making: Exhausted minds make more errors, impacting team project quality, client relationships, and even team-based safety.
- Damaged Reputation: Teams and organisations known for high burnout struggle to attract top talent and maintain a positive employer brand.
Simply put, a burned-out team isn’t just unhappy; it’s inefficient, unsafe, and ultimately unsustainable.
It’s Not (Just) the Employee’s Fault: Organisational Roots of Burnout in Teams
Too often, the burden of “managing stress” falls solely on the individual team member.
But the truth is, burnout is primarily a symptom of systemic issues within a team’s dynamics and its wider organisational context, not personal failure. These include:
- Unmanageable Workload & Unrealistic Deadlines: Constantly pushing team members beyond their sustainable capacity.
- Lack of Autonomy: Team members feeling they have no control over their tasks or how their team’s work is done.
- Insufficient Reward & Recognition: Feeling undervalued and unappreciated for individual and collective team efforts.
- Perceived Unfairness: Inconsistencies or biases in how team members are treated, in pay, or promotions.
- Poor Communication: Lack of clarity, transparency, or constructive, timely feedback within the team.
- Conflicting Values: Being asked to operate in ways that clash with personal ethics or the team’s shared goals.
These factors are often highlighted in HSE guidance on managing work-related stress, emphasising the employer’s responsibility to manage these risks [03].
Proactive Prevention: The Smart Team Strategy
Combating burnout isn’t about offering a mindfulness app (though those can certainly help!).
It demands a strategic, preventative approach that tackles the root causes within your team’s structure and operations. This means:
- Regularly assessing workload and team capacity.
- Empowering team members with greater autonomy and voice.
- Fostering fair, transparent, and respectful team processes.
- Training team leaders to identify and address stressors early and empathetically.
- Promoting open communication and psychological safety within the team.
The cost of prevention is always significantly less than the devastating impact of chronic burnout and high team turnover. It’s an investment in your people, your team’s productivity, and your long-term success.
Equip your leaders with the tools to prevent burnout and cultivate a thriving, resilient team
Our Online Stress Management at Work Course delves deep into identifying these systemic stressors and provides the practical framework to implement effective preventative measures. Protect your team’s mental health and secure your business’s future – learn how to lead the change today.
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