Burnout Is Costing You More Than You Thing: How to Protect Your Team and Your Bottom Line
In today’s high-pressure workplace, burnout has become more than a buzzword—it's a crisis impacting productivity, retention, and employee well-being across every industry. Yet many organizations still treat burnout reactively instead of proactively.
If you’re in HR, leadership, or education, and you're watching your high performers quietly disengage or turnover increase despite incentives, you're not alone.
But there’s good news: burnout is preventable—and you don’t need a massive corporate wellness budget to address it.
The True Cost of Burnout
The World Health Organization defines burnout as a result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It's linked to emotional exhaustion, disengagement, and declining performance.
Burnout is expensive—costing U.S. businesses up to $190 billion annually in healthcare costs alone and contributing to 120,000 deaths per year, according to research from Harvard Business Review.
Burnout in the workplace is not new—but it is worsening. SHRM’s Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series, released for Mental Health Awareness Month in May, found that 44 percent of 1,405 surveyed U.S. employees feel burned out at work, 45 percent feel “emotionally drained” from their work, and 51 percent feel “used up” at the end of the workday.
Employees experiencing burnout are 2.6 times more likely to be actively seeking a new job, and companies with high burnout rates see a 15% increase in voluntary turnover, which disrupts teams and drains budgets.
High Performers Are Most at Risk
Contrary to popular belief, burnout doesn’t only affect underperformers—it disproportionately impacts your top talent.
These are the team members who:
Consistently go above and beyond
Take on extra responsibilities
Internalize organizational pressure
Rarely take breaks or ask for help
Without intervention, their burnout can silently spread to the rest of your team—lowering morale, trust, and productivity across the board.
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace, employee stress reached an all-time high, and only 20% of employees are engaged in their work globally.
Burnout Prevention Isn’t Perks—It’s Strategy
Free yoga classes or mental health apps alone won’t fix burnout. What works is a workplace strategy that includes early intervention, leadership training, and emotional resilience support.
At LeadWell Consulting Group, we specialize in:
Tailored burnout prevention workshops
Resilience coaching for high-performing professionals
Leadership development focused on healthy boundaries
Wellness series aligned to stress cycles (Q4, back-to-school, holidays)
Unlike larger platforms, our boutique model allows us to personalize services and create lasting, culture-based solutions.
Our programs are informed by research, including findings from the American Psychological Association’s Work and Well-being Survey, which reports:
77% of employees have experienced work-related stress
57% say it negatively affects motivation
44% have physical fatigue due to stress
3 Proven Strategies to Prevent Burnout
Here’s what top-performing organizations are doing to stay ahead of burnout:
1. Invest in Proactive, Personalized Coaching
Regular check-ins with trained professionals can help employees identify early signs of burnout and prevent crisis-level disengagement.
2. Train Managers to Lead with Emotional Intelligence
The #1 predictor of team burnout is a disengaged or unaware manager. Training leaders to listen, adjust workloads, and model boundaries is critical.
3. Normalize Conversations Around Stress & Well-Being
Create safe spaces where employees can share concerns without stigma. Reinforce that asking for support is a strength, not a weakness.
Ready to Lead Well?
The longer burnout goes unaddressed, the more it costs your people—and your business.
LeadWell Consulting Group offers customized wellness programs that combine clinical insight, leadership coaching, and practical tools for stress management. Whether you’re preparing for Q4, a new school year, or the holiday season, we help you build resilience where it matters most.
👉How Burned Out Are You? Take 2-minute quiz.
👉 Schedule a free 15-minute consultation
👉 Download our free Burnout Reflection Guide
LeadWell Consulting GroupLead Calmly. Live Stronger.
Jennifer Walker, LCSW