How to prevent employee burnout

While workplace stress is nothing new, factors outside our control are increasingly taking a toll on workers’ mental health. According to our 2026 workplace wellbeing research*, 36% of respondent report frequent feelings of burnout, with 45% of respondents naming long working hours as the main cause of concern.

Across the country, people are in survival mode, feeling under constant strain as they struggle to manage not only their workloads, but also external factors such as personal finance, conflict and climate change.

In this blog, we share our tips for managers looking to learn how to prevent burnout in their teams, both everyday, and in the long-term

Why is burnout prevention a non-negotiable for wellbeing strategy?

Working on the brink of burnout has a significant mental health impact not only on individuals but on the workforce as a whole. In 2026, almost half of people (49%) said their mental health has impacted their productivity in the past year, creating additional pressure for managers as their teams become fractured by exhaustion and low morale.

And with 35% of UK workers considering a job change in the next year, wellbeing and mental health support is no longer a negotiable factors in business strategy. In summary, businesses need to support employee wellbeing or risk losing out on top talent due to stress.

Your mental health and wellbeing strategy will depend on how burnout is impacting your team and how imminent the threat is. Speaking to your people is the first step to assessing the situation, and people managers are often best placed to have these conversations.

Long-term wellbeing strategy should focus on resilience and culture change, but when stress is high throughout an organisation, managers must step in to protect their teams from burnout.

How to Balance high-pressure situations and burnout prevention

Everyone experiences times of stress: a short deadline, a complex project or an unexpected assignment can increase the pressure across the whole team. Dealing with these situations effectively helps your people feel supported and prevents stress from turning into mass burnout.

If employees are feeling the strain, a combination of immediate and preventative measures can give them the tools to cope:

1. Increase the frequency of 1:1s and begin checking in with those who are struggling at least every other day.
2. Evaluate goal setting to ensure targets are realistic and adjust timescales if necessary.
3. Support employees to prioritise and delegate: the Eisenhower Matrix is a great tool for workload management.
4. Help employees deal with high pressure situations by hosting a webinar on coping with stress to provide practical advice which they can put to use straight away.

How to Prevent Burnout: Intervention Timeline

Urgent Action: When burnout is imminent

Managers can look out for signs that may indicate burnout is imminent, including employees booking last-minute days off, working at odd hours or skipping meetings. Starting the conversation can be difficult, but a direct approach is best.

If employees are struggling with stress and burnout is less than a week away, it’s time to take urgent action. By this stage, burnout is likely to be impacting multiple employees and causing low morale across the whole team.

Within a week:

1. Catch up with employees daily to monitor their workload and check on their mental health.
2. Ensure your people are taking regular breaks and working reasonable hours, even in times of stress, revising their schedule if necessary to allow time to recharge.
3. Encourage employees to use their employee assistance programme or Mental Health First Aid support.
4. Consider reducing hours or offering a mental health day, ensuring any remaining workload is delegated carefully to avoid placing further stress on the rest of the team.

Staying Alert: When burnout is a threat

Within a month:

1. Increase the frequency of 1:1s and begin checking in with those who are struggling at least every other day.
2. Evaluate goal setting to ensure targets are realistic and adjust timescales if necessary.
3. Support employees to prioritise and delegate: the Eisenhower Matrix is a great tool for workload management.
4. Help employees deal with high-pressure situations by hosting a webinar on coping with stress to provide practical advice which they can put to use straight away.

Building Resilience: How to prevent burnout

Everyday:

1. Prioritise workplace wellbeing resources, ensuring all employees have equal access to support whether in the workplace or working remotely.
2. Build resilience through training via webinars, workshops or qualifications on topics such as stress, coping with change and Mental Health First Aid.
3. Ensure leaders and managers are leading by example to set positive expectations around work-life balance and managing their own stress levels.
4. Focus on influencing company culture through your wellbeing strategy, flexible work options, mental health days off and coaching 1:1s are a great start.

Free resources and downloads

To help managers and business share information on how to prevent burnout, we have created a concise traffic light guide to help you choose the best approach for preventing burnout and summarises all the tips in this blog to help you step in when employees are struggling. Download this information as an infographic or PDF to share with your team.

*Research survey results based upon 2,002 respondents, and the sample is aligned with demographic quotas so that it is nationally representative.