Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. CEO Bonita Eby of Kitchener, Ontario, was interviewed for The Globe And Mail. This article is based on that interview.
Burnout Doesn’t Always Begin With Disengagement
In many organizations, burnout often begins with the employee everyone trusts and admires. This is the person who supports colleagues, solves problems, protects the mission, and consistently delivers under pressure.
These employees are often described as resilient, committed and dependable. They may also be the people most at risk of burnout or compassion fatigue.
In a recent The Globe and Mail article on preventing top performers from burning out, I shared that high performers often carry unique burnout risk because they are the ones who “put in extra hours, push a little harder, don’t give up” and are often given more work as a result.
That pattern matters for executive leaders. What begins with short-term dedication can lead to exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced effectiveness over time, resulting in leaves of absence and employee turnover.
Burnout prevention and mitigation are not merely employee wellness issues. They are issues of leadership, workload design, and organizational culture.
Burnout Is More Than Feeling Tired
The World Health Organization defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance or cynicism related to work, and reduced professional efficacy.
This definition is important because it moves burnout out of the realm of personal weakness or failure. Burnout is not a character flaw, nor is it a lack of gratitude, motivation, or toughness. It is a predictable human response when demands are consistently high while recovery, resources, autonomy, or support remain insufficient.
For leaders, this distinction is essential. If burnout is misunderstood as only an individual resilience problem, organizations may respond with surface-level solutions or time off. They may encourage employees to practise self-care while leaving the underlying organizational culture unchanged.
Self-care and personal resilience matter, but they cannot compensate indefinitely for a workplace system that depends on chronic overextension of key high performers.
Why High Performers Are Often At Risk
High performers are often deeply values-driven. They care about quality, want to be useful and often have strong internal standards of responsibility.
Those strengths help organizations thrive. But without thoughtful leadership support, the same strengths can become risk factors.
High performers may be more likely to:
Take on extra work because they want to help.
Struggle to say no because they fear doing so may prevent future promotion.
Absorb workload complexity before asking for support.
Hide stress because they are accustomed to being seen as capable.
Receive more delegated work because leaders trust them to deliver effectively and efficiently.
This can inadvertently create a cycle that may lead to burnout. The employee performs well, so additional responsibilities are assigned. They continue to perform, so leaders assume they are fine. Their capacity begins to erode, though the signs are subtle. Eventually, the organization may lose its most valuable employees. The paradox is that the highest performers give it their all, and sometimes it’s too much.
The Signs Of Burnout Leaders May Miss
The symptoms of burnout are not always clear or obvious. A high performer may not walk into a manager’s office to share they are feeling exhausted, feeling negatively toward their team or clients, and unable to keep up. More often than not, leaders notice changes in behaviour.
In The Globe and Mail article, I explained that when someone is exhausted, they may take more sick days, arrive late to work or leave early, snap at others or stop engaging. Cynicism may manifest as negativity toward team members, managers, clients, or the organization.
The key is noticing change. When dedicated, high-performing employees seem to have lost their passion and dedication, it’s likely not a commitment issue. A useful leadership question is: What might this behaviour be signalling? It’s likely a sign that something has changed, and time for their manager to have a compassionate, psychologically safe conversation to understand the underlying issues.
Burnout prevention requires leaders to look beyond performance shifts and ask what is happening in the employee's environment. Has the workload increased? Has the team been understaffed? Has the person been carrying emotional labour, mentoring others who are not direct reports, solving problems above their responsibility grade or absorbing change fatigue without recognition or recovery?
Why Millennials & Gen Z Are Burning Out
Interestingly, Millennials and Gen Z workers may be burned out not because they are high performers or less capable, but because of personal and societal changes.
Many Gen Z and Millennial employees entered or developed their careers during years of disruption, isolation, uncertainty, economic pressure, digital acceleration and blurred boundaries between work and life. They are navigating high expectations, reduced financial security, and greater organizational instability, all while seeking different types of support than previous generations.
In a research article published in the National Library of Medicine, titled "Millennials in the Workplace: A Communication Perspective on Millennials’ Organizational Relationships and Performance," work is less significant to their personal identities. Instead, work is important in that it supports their desired lifestyle. Therefore, work-life balance is at the forefront of Millennials’ workplace values. Additionally, Millennials expect access and open communication with their managers, even in matters typically reserved for senior employees.
According to the SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, Gen Z workers prioritize work-life balance and a work environment that supports personal well-being equally with professional growth. In contrast, previous generations have valued job security and traditional benefits packages more highly than Gen Z.
Deloitte’s 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey found that fewer than six in 10 Gen Zs and Millennials rated their mental well-being as good or very good, while 40% of Gen Zs and 34% of Millennials said they feel stressed or anxious all or most of the time.
Gallup has also reported that younger employees experience higher levels of stress and work-related burnout than older generations, with Gen Z and younger Millennials reporting significant stress.
For executive leaders, the takeaway is not to stereotype generations. It is to contextualize support.
Millennial and Gen Z employees are asking different questions about work:
Does this organization genuinely care about its people?
Can I build a meaningful career without compromising my health and work-life balance?
Do leaders live their stated values authentically?
Will I have opportunities to work in teams that make the work more enjoyable and reduce personal risk?
Are there psychologically safe spaces for honest conversation and idea sharing without fear of penalty?
Gen Z and Millennial employees have watched burnout affect parents, colleagues, health care workers, educators, nonprofit teams, leaders, and peers. Many are less willing to normalize chronic overwork as the price of success.
Burnout Is Shaped By Culture
Burnout is a predictable outcome of overwhelming stress in high-demand or high-emotion environments with insufficient resources. Therefore, leadership responses and organizational culture are primary levers for prevention.
While managers influence the day-to-day experience of workers, executive leaders shape the conditions under which managers lead. Culture is not only what is written in a values statement. It’s what employees learn they must do to be safe, valued and successful.
If leaders praise constant availability, employees learn that boundaries are risky.
If leaders reward the person who always rescues the team, overextension becomes the norm.
If leaders treat wellness initiatives as secondary and overload employees without meaningful support, trust erodes.
If leaders fail to train managers in psychologically safe conversations, burnout remains hidden until it becomes a retention, performance or health issue.
Practical Leadership Principles To Prevent Burnout
Burnout prevention does not require leaders to remove all pressure and expectations. Many organizations serve complex missions with real constraints. The goal is to create a healthier workplace culture where people engage in meaningful work without sacrificing their health, values or connection.
1. Audit where extra work is delegated.
Look at who consistently receives urgent, complex or emotionally demanding work. High performers often become the default solution. That may seem efficient, but it can create hidden risk.
Ask: Are we distributing work based on role and capacity, or on who has demonstrated the ability to handle crisis or complexity without reward?
2. Recognize mistaking silence for sustainability.
High performers may not ask for help until they are already depleted. Build regular check-ins that include workload, energy, barriers and support.
Ask: What aspects of your work do you find more challenging? What would help you right now and in the future?
These questions create space for prevention rather than depending on reactive responses.
3. Train managers to recognize the signs of burnout.
Managers require more than role-specific competence. They need the confidence and language to have psychologically safe conversations with direct reports, enabling authentic connection and support.
This includes noticing behavioural changes, asking thoughtful questions and knowing when to provide workload resources, clarify priorities or connect employees with additional internal or external support.
4. Model sustainable leadership.
Employees watch what leaders do more than what they say. When senior leaders set healthy boundaries, communicate the value of leaving work on time and praise character alongside performance, they create more authentic workplaces where people can thrive.
When leaders chronically overextend themselves and praise overextension, employees often conclude that burnout is the hidden requirement for advancement.
5. Clarify expectations clearly.
Burnout often increases when everything is treated as urgent. Leaders can reduce pressure by identifying what matters most, what can wait and what no longer needs to be done.
Clarity is a wellness strategy. While some people will inevitably slack off, high performers tend to overextend themselves if clear expectations are not explicitly stated.
Clarity protects energy, reduces confusion and helps employees focus their effort where it matters most.
6. Build psychological safety into performance conversations.
Employees need to be able to say, “This work is not sustainable,” before they reach a crisis point. Unpacking the underlying reasons why workload is a challenge is a sustainable approach to preventing burnout.
Psychological safety creates conditions in which employees can speak honestly about risks, mistakes, capacity, and needs without fear of punishment or dismissal. Psychological safety increases supportive accountability.
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References
Deloitte. (2025). 2025 Gen Z and millennial survey. Deloitte Insights. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/2025-gen-z-millennial-survey.html
Gallup. (2022). Generation disconnected: Data on Gen Z in the workplace. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/404693/generation-disconnected-data-gen-workplace.aspx
Lindzon, J. (2026). How managers can help prevent top performers from burning out. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/talent/article-how-managers-can-help-prevent-top-performers-from-burning-out/
World Health Organization. (2019). Burn-out an occupational phenomenon: International Classification of Diseases. https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon
Myers, K. K., & Sadaghiani, K. (2010). Millennials in the Workplace: A communication perspective on millennials’ organizational relationships and performance. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(2), 225–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-010-9172-7
Zahra, Y., Handoyo, S., & Fajrianthi, F. (2025, March 14). A comprehensive overview of Generation Z in the workplace: Insights from a scoping review. Zahra | SA Journal of Industrial Psychology. https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/2263/4293
FAQ: Burnout, High Performers and Leadership Responsibility
What is burnout?
Burnout is a workplace-related condition that results from chronic stress that has not been successfully managed. It is often marked by three key signs: exhaustion, cynicism or mental distance from work, and reduced effectiveness. Burnout is not a personal failure. It is usually a sign that workplace demands, support, recovery, resources or expectations are out of balance.
Why are high performers at risk of burnout?
High performers are often at risk because they tend to take on more responsibility, work longer hours, push through pressure and hesitate to ask for help. High performers are often trusted with the hardest work because they are reliable. They may take on extra tasks, hide stress, or avoid saying no because they want to help or grow in their careers. Over time, this can lead to overload.
How can leaders recognize burnout in high performers?
Leaders may notice changes in attendance, engagement, communication, mood or performance. A high performer who is burning out may take more sick days, arrive late, leave early, become less patient, withdraw from the team or show more negativity toward colleagues, clients or the organization. These changes should not be treated as character flaws. They are often signs that the employee’s capacity is being stretched too far.
Why are Gen Z and Millennials experiencing burnout?
Gen Z and Millennial employees are navigating work amid economic pressure, digital overload, isolation, blurred work-life boundaries, rapid change, and high uncertainty. Many are also more willing to name mental health and sustainability concerns than previous generations were. Burnout often reflects the combined pressure of heavy workloads, limited career security, financial stress, and constant digital connectivity. They often place a high value on work-life balance, mental well-being, open communication, and meaningful work.
Is burnout just an employee wellness issue?
No. Burnout is also a leadership and culture issue. Workload, staffing, support, autonomy, recovery time, and psychological safety all shape whether employees can do good work sustainably.
What role does organizational culture play in burnout?
Organizational culture shapes what employees believe is expected, rewarded and safe. Leaders influence culture through their decisions, communication, modelling and expectations. Sustainable performance requires a culture in which healthy boundaries, realistic workloads, and psychological safety are part of how work gets done.
How can executive leaders prevent burnout?
Executive leaders can help prevent burnout by looking beyond individual resilience and examining the systems that create chronic stress. This includes reviewing workload distribution, staffing levels, manager training in safe conversations with direct reports, communication norms, modelling healthy boundaries, performance expectations, and clarifying prioritization and psychological safety. Leaders should ask where work consistently exceeds capacity and whether high performers are being used as the default solution for systemic gaps.
What questions should managers ask to prevent burnout?
Managers can ask practical, supportive questions such as: “What aspects of your work feel most challenging right now?” “What support or training would help you?” “What would have made this project more manageable?” “What have you learned from this work?” and “What self-care or recovery practices are you using inside and outside of work?” These questions create space for early support before burnout becomes a crisis.
Is burnout the employee’s responsibility or the organization’s responsibility?
Burnout prevention is a shared responsibility, but organizations have significant influence because they design the conditions in which people work. Employees can practice healthy boundaries and self-care, but those efforts are limited when workloads, a lack of autonomy, expectations or conflicting values remain unsustainable. Leaders are responsible for creating workplace systems that support employee health, sustainable performance and meaningful work.
Why does burnout prevention affect employee performance?
Burnout affects retention, productivity, engagement, absenteeism, morale and organizational trust. When high performers burn out, organizations may lose critical knowledge, leadership potential and team stability. Preventing burnout is not separate from performance. It protects the people who protect the mission.
What should a leader do if they notice burnout signs in a high performer?
Start with curiosity, not blame. Ask what may have changed in their workload, support, energy, or environment. A compassionate conversation can help uncover the real issue before it becomes a health, performance, or retention problem.
About the author
Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout.