8 ways to prevent stress and employee burnout

Burnout isn’t just personal, it’s also a workplace issue. When employees experience ongoing stress without the right support, it affects their performance, motivation and, ultimately, leads to higher turnover, lower engagement, and a hit to productivity. But it’s also something you can take action on.

By understanding the causes of burnout and building a more supportive workplace culture, you can help your team stay healthy, motivated and performing at their best.

Here are eight strategies for employee burnout prevention you can implement in your workplace.

1. Understand the root causes of employee burnout

Burnout among employees can stem from a number of factors. This can include:

• High workloads
• A lack of control
• Unclear expectations
• Limited recognition

Crucially, if employees feel constantly overwhelmed or unsupported at work, stress can quickly build up.

Taking time to identify the pressures your team is facing is the first step. Consider the following questions:

• Are workloads evenly distributed?
• Do people feel comfortable asking for help?
• Are roles and goals clearly defined?

Tip: Regular one-to-one conversations and anonymous feedback surveys are valuable tools to help you uncover underlying issues and spot early signs of stress before they escalate into burnout.

2. Foster a culture of open communication

A workplace where people feel heard and supported is far better equipped to prevent burnout. Rather than allowing stress to quietly accumulate, encouraging open communication enables employees to raise concerns before they become serious problems.

This doesn’t have to mean more meetings in already cluttered calendars. It’s about creating an environment where feedback flows both ways, and where people feel safe being honest about their workload or wellbeing.

Employers can help create this environment by training managers to listen actively, respond constructively, and follow up when concerns are raised. This approach helps to:

• Build trust
• Show accountability
• Ensure teams feel supported

3. Promote work-life balance

Maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life is key to reducing stress in any working environment. When employees feel they can switch off at the end of the day, and take proper breaks during it, they’re more likely to stay focused, engaged and productive.

Work-life balance isn’t just about hours. It’s also about ensuring employees have time and energy to enjoy their home life, rest, and recharge.

Whether your team is fully remote, office-based or hybrid, it’s worth reviewing your working patterns to ensure that they support a work-life balance that gives people space to disconnect when needed.

Tip: Wherever possible, try and encourage flexible working. Just as importantly, managers should lead by example by respecting boundaries around working hours and taking annual leave.

What is hybrid working and how to roll it out

Read now

A guide to successfully onboarding remote workers

Read now

4. Set clear and realistic expectations

Unclear goals, shifting priorities, and unmanageable workloads can all contribute to burnout. When employees aren’t sure what’s expected of them, or feel pressure to constantly deliver more, stress will inevitably follow.

Setting clear and achievable objectives can help employees prioritise their workload and prevent workplace stress. Furthermore, it gives managers a better view of how work is progressing.

Tip: Establishing goals that are specific, measurable, and aligned with wider team objectives ensures clarity. Regular check-ins allow for ongoing adjustments and prevent workloads from becoming unmanageable.

5. Provide mental health support

Work-related stress and mental health go hand in hand. While employers aren’t expected to become counsellors, providing support and signposting to resources can make a big difference.

Creating a culture where mental health is taken seriously, and discussed openly, helps remove stigma. It also shows your team that their wellbeing matters, which can contribute to greater trust, loyalty and a stronger sense of belonging, all of which can contribute to long term success across the organisation.

To support employees’ mental health, employers can offer access to dedicated resources or services, and ensure that team members know how and where to access support when they need it. This might include:

• Mental health first aiders
• Counselling helplines
• Internal wellbeing champions

6. Recognise and reward employee efforts

Feeling valued at work can be a powerful buffer against stress. When employees know their efforts are noticed and appreciated, it boosts morale and helps create a more positive, motivated team environment.

Recognition can come in various forms, and it doesn’t have to mean bonuses or awards. In fact, sometimes a simple thank-you is all it takes to motivate and encourage employees.

Building regular appreciation into your team culture and finding meaningful ways to highlight individual and team successes can go a long way to reducing the risk of burnout among your workforce.

Whether through informal praise, public recognition, or structured reward schemes, showing gratitude reinforces a culture of support and acknowledgement.

Ensure your employees feel valued with our Salary Trends Report

Download

7. Invest in employee development

A lack of progression can be just as demotivating as an unmanageable workload for many employees. If an individual feels stuck in their role or unclear about their future, it can affect their engagement and overall wellbeing.

Offering development opportunities not only helps prevent burnout, it also supports retention and internal mobility across the workforce. Helping employees grow in their roles shows that you value their long-term contribution.

This can involve providing:

• Training opportunities
• Upskilling workshops
• Mentorship options

Tip: Try to make time to discuss development goals in regular performance reviews and consider personalised pathways that align with both business needs and employee aspirations.

Further reading

Creating a successful learning and development strategy

Read article

8. Monitor workloads and adjust when needed

Even with the best of intentions workloads can quickly become overwhelming, especially during peak periods or when teams are operating with limited resources. Checking in on capacity regularly can help you rebalance tasks and avoid burnout symptoms creeping in.

Central to this is ensuring you don’t wait for someone to say they’re overwhelmed. Keeping an eye on team dynamics and deliverables can help you spot when something needs to shift in order to keep stress and burnout at bay.

Building a burnout-resistant workplace

Preventing employee burnout doesn’t necessarily require sweeping changes, but it does call for consistent, people-first leadership. It’s about creating an environment where employees are supported not only in what they do, but in how they feel while doing it.

As an employer, every action you take to reduce stress at work contributes to better retention, improved performance, and a more motivated workforce. By paying attention to the connection between work and home life, encouraging open conversations, and promoting balance, you’ll not only help prevent burnout, you’ll also create a place where people truly want to work.