How to spot and prevent employee burnout
Employee burnout is rising, driven by heavier workloads from understaffing, blurred work-home boundaries and ongoing economic stress. According to a 2025 survey of 1,500 Canadian professionals by talent consulting firm Robert Half, 47% report feeling burned out, with 31% saying their burnout has worsened year over year. The effects can be significant, including physical and emotional exhaustion, reduced job performance, absenteeism, anxiety and more. Mike Shekhtman, senior regional director at Robert Half, discusses how employers can address burnout and also the leadership traits that can contribute to it. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
How do you define burnout?
There’s a couple different contexts to burnout, and maybe the underpinning overview for it would be your ability to focus on the work that's in hand. So, burnout is almost a byproduct of several things for employees—you see people can’t balance their priorities, they aren’t able to balance the workload and therefore become mentally and physically fatigued.
What are the most common causes of employee burnout?
In our most recent survey [March 2025], about 39% of respondents said heavy workloads and long hours was the top contributing factor to their burning out. Emotional and mental fatigue from highstress tasks was a close second—so, continued focus around hitting deadlines or complexity of the task itself. And then there is the insufficient work-life balance. When deadlines are tight, work can infringe on their personal time.
What are some of the warning signs managers/leaders should look for?
A couple things. One, absenteeism. I think people will start calling in sick. If they're front-line [staff], maybe their customer engagement is going to decrease as well. So, people start taking shortcuts and just not really caring about the actual work. Also, depending on the work they're doing, you'll see mistakes. Again, people are just a little less caring about the quality of work they're putting forward. And, ultimately, they've become a bit more tardy in terms of their actual tasks. I always say, when somebody is bringing things forward and are vocal about it, that's the best case scenario because as soon as people stop caring, they don't even communicate and are going through the motions. Apathy is certainly not the place you want to be.
What are some effective ways for employers to deal with this?
You hit the mark. This isn’t just an employee challenge; it truly is a challenge for both parties. And it’s not just a wellness issue; from an employer perspective, it’s a talent retention challenge.
Attrition happens because people burn out and make the decision to leave. It’s critical for leadership to regularly analyze the workload and redistribute tasks where possible. We’ve seen an uptick in situations where companies bring in additional support, even on a temporary basis, to alleviate some of the pressure.
I encourage leaders to set the tone around work-life balance or work-life integration, as I like to call it. When you’re taking time off, unplug and make sure to put parameters in place. And it starts with leadership, showing that and modelling that healthy boundary where possible.
A lot of issues stem from lack of communication ... communicating some of this stuff is going to be crucial and starts with providing that back-and-forth conversation to improve some of the concerns that I mentioned.
Are workloads increasing because teams are shrinking?
Yeah, there’s a couple contributing factors. We’re in a bit of a perfect storm—we’re not seeing a lot of net new investment hiring happening, so a lot of companies are expecting their teams to do more [and] more with less in certain situations. When you think back to 2022, we saw companies over hire and the revenues hitting some record highs for many industries. As companies course corrected in terms of right-sizing their teams, the workflow didn’t necessarily shrink. There is still a high expectation of getting things done, and yet, there’s less hands doing the work. You see the pressure increase to maximize profitability and as a byproduct, people are feeling that stress. In our 2023 survey, 33% of respondents reported feeling burnout, which is high. That number jumped to 42% in 2024 and 47% at the end of 2025. We don’t have data on this but, anecdotally, we’ve noticed leaves of absence have increased over the last couple of years. As people also go on leaves, that individual may not necessarily be replaced ... It means somebody else is picking up the pieces. So, workloads increase that way as well.
Are hybrid or remote policies helping or worsening employee burnout?
It's a mixed bag. Companies that are clear in terms of their policies are doing well, and it doesn't matter where you stand on that policy. Companies today are challenged by perceptions that there's different rules for different people—or they're trying to be everything to everyone. In some industries, it can be a little more challenging as employees may see or feel there's an inequity between departments. Companies that have done an exceptional job are the ones that are clear and explain the ‘why’ behind it.
What leadership behaviours increase burnout risk?
Leaders that lack a level of empathy and don’t communicate effectively with their teams can drive some of the burnout and, ultimately, a loss in engagement and productivity. Leaders who can’t effectively encourage proper time off for their teams, encourage collaboration, encourage a level of communication—all that plays a factor in people burning out.
On the flip side, what leadership behaviours help mitigate burnout?
If the resources are available, the ability to bring in additional help, even if it’s on a short-term basis, goes a long way to show the team that, “Hey, I see you. I understand.” The better you are at understanding the workflow people are bogged down with, it will give you the opportunity to create some creative solutions for it. Another thing that’s often underestimated is how much appreciation leaders can show. If the resources are not available [to hire additional help], as a leader, roll up your sleeves and get into the work. Be on the front lines where possible, help the team, lead by example. And, of course, showing gratitude to your team; a small thank you, maybe a gift card, a reward or recognition can go a long way in terms of retaining people. It doesn’t change the fact they may feel burnout, but at least they’ll know you’ve got their back.
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Is burnout a workplace health and safety issue?
Of course—especially for individuals with heavy workloads and long hours. When you add personal demands, fatigue can be a major health and safety issue, especially if you’re working with heavy machinery, dealing with clients or even just dozing off. Going back to the [2025] survey, the second highest factor contributing to burnout was emotional and mental fatigue. If it starts there, your body’s going to give out. And when that happens, you start getting sick. We know there’s a direct correlation between how you feel mentally and, ultimately, how it manifests through your physical health as well.
This article was first published in Canadian Grocer’s March/April 2026 issue.