Reverse the Burnout Trend

Cathie Leimbach • October 11, 2022

The World Health Organization now considers “burnout syndrome” to be an official medical diagnosis! Over 50% of employees report feeling mentally exhausted and drained at the end of the day. 40% say they are functioning on autopilot at work. 

These realities lead to employee disengagement, dissatisfaction, and low productivity. Such stress leads to increased mental and physical health problems and an overall lower quality of life. What can workplace leaders do to create healthier organizations?

Let’s look at 3 leadership practices that can decrease employee stress, increasing their engagement, satisfaction, and productivity.

Work-life Flexibility

If your staff members aren’t customer-facing, working as part of a production process, or doing tasks that must be done at a certain hour or place, do they all have to have the same start and stop time or work in a specific location? If an office worker is regularly 20-minutes late due to the starting time of their affordable child care center, could they still fulfill their duties if their start and end times were delayed by 20 to 30 minutes?  If some employees spend two days per week at their desk, on computers and the phone all day, could they do that work just as well remotely rather than spending an hour each day commuting?

Recognizing People and Their Achievements

A common reason for leaving a job is not feeling valued and appreciated. Turnover is cut in half when employees feel recognized at least five times per year. In some studies the majority of respondents reported not feeling appreciated even once in the past year. Many supervisors feel that the pay check is thanks enough until employees are doing everything in their job description and more. Yet, employees want to know if they are doing their work well and if they are noticed and valued as a human being. Expressions of gratitude build relationships and trust, which reduces stress and increases workplace productivity and retention.

Listen

Loneliness is an epidemic in our society. Lots of people don’t have friends at work or outside work. When managers don’t take time to have conversations with their employees, workplace isolation can lead to poor productivity. When managers have regular one-on-ones with each staff member, individuals have a chance to share their successes, their workplace and personal trials, and ask for help when they are struggling. When managers ask open-ended questions to learn more about their team members and truly listen to their employees, understanding, rapport, and trust are built. Employees feel they belong; they matter to the organization and their leader. They are less likely to look for a different job and more likely to be engaged and productive at work.

What can you do to reduce workplace burnout in your organization? Are there opportunities to provide more work-life balance for your employees, to recognize their contributions, or to listen to and better understand your team members as valuable human beings? 

Why Engagement Isn’t About Perks

By Cathie Leimbach • February 10, 2026
When engagement drops, many organizations reach for perks—rewards, programs, or incentives. These can create a short lift, but they rarely solve the real issue. Engagement starts with expectations. Most people want to do good work. What gets in the way isn’t motivation—it’s uncertainty. When priorities shift, roles feel unclear, or success means different things to different leaders, people disengage quietly. Leaders often don’t realize they’re contributing to this. Vague direction, inconsistent follow-through, or assuming “they already know” leaves teams guessing. Over time, guessing turns into frustration—and frustration turns into disengagement. Strong engagement cultures focus on leadership basics: Clear priorities Shared definitions of success Aligned expectations Consistent reinforcement When expectations are clear, people move with confidence. They take ownership, collaborate better, and stay engaged because they know where they’re headed. Perks can support engagement—but only after clarity is in place. 👉 Read our full article on Why Engagement Starts With Expectations to turn clarity into a real advantage.

How Could You Create a 5-10% Productivity Shift? 

By Cathie Leimbach • February 3, 2026
When it comes to improvement at work, the focus is often on big changes. But frequently, it’s small shifts that quietly create big results. Productivity rarely improves without strong leadership practices. So, what if better leadership increased productivity by just 5-10%? That could mean: Less rework Faster decisions More follow-through Less firefighting More output — without more people That’s not wishful thinking. When leadership improves, absenteeism and turnover drop. Work flows more smoothly. Results, and the bottom line, improve. When leaders get clearer, communicate better, and follow through more consistently, friction fades. People know what matters. Decisions move faster. Energy shifts from fixing problems to getting real work done. Organizations that invest in leadership development often see: Higher output Lower turnover Better use of talent Stronger momentum The real shift happens when leaders stop asking, “ Should we invest in leadership ?” and start asking, “ What is it costing us not to ?” 👉 Join our 60-minute Leadership Conversation to see what a 10–15% shift could mean for your organization.