Burnout: what leaders need to know

Burnout is more than just a buzzword. It’s a real risk that can derail performance, damage morale and drive your best people out the door. As a leader, it’s important to recognise that burnout isn’t limited to your team – it can affect you too. If you want to protect your people and your organisation, you need to understand burnout, invest in actively preventing burnout, and act before it takes hold. 

What's in store?  

• Why leaders should be aware of what burnout is
• How to identify the signs of burnout
• Practical strategies to prevent burnout

What is burnout and why should leaders care?

Burnout is chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. It's not simply feeling tired and demotivated at work. 

Burnout manifests in different ways – it can show up as exhaustion, anxiety, cynicism, and reduced effectiveness – and it costs UK businesses over £700 million every year.   

The 2025 Burnout Report finds that one in three (34%) of adults are experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure and stress, putting them at risk of burnout. So why should leaders take notice? As a leader, you set the tone. If your team is burning out, it signals that something in the system needs fixing. And it’s part of your responsibility to address it, and help your people find a solution. 

You can’t ignore burnout. It doesn’t conveniently fade away at the end of a busy period – instead, it spreads.  

Signs of burnout to look out for

Burnout can be subtle – sometimes even hard to spot – which is why it’s important to be tuned in to the signs.  

• Decreasing performance: Are they missing deadlines? Creating lower quality work than usual? 

• Withdrawal from the team: Are they engaging less in team meetings? Are they avoiding collaborative tasks?  

• Emotional exhaustion: Are they irritable? More negative? Do they seem detached?  

If you’re noticing these signs, don’t dismiss them as a phase – they could be signalling struggles with burnout. 

The hidden risk: leader burnout

Leaders aren’t immune to burnout. In fact, you may be more vulnerable. The additional responsibilities, constant decision-making, and pressure to deliver results can push leaders to burnout. The hidden risk is, when you reach burnout, the impact ripples through your team. To protect your team, you need to be actively protecting yourself, too.  

Practical strategies to prevent burnout

eLearning provides actionable knowledge. Learners can understand how to implement emotional intelligence through interactive learning.

1. Encourage open conversations

Create a safe space where people in your team feel empowered to open up about what they’re working on, whether they’re struggling, or when the workload is too much. It’s through these open conversations that burnout is recognised early, and more readily prevented.  

2. Set boundaries and balance workloads 

As a leader, you’re responsible for modelling behaviours for your team. This should include setting clear boundaries that reflect the importance of downtime and self-care. It also includes demonstrating healthy work habits such as prioritisation, delegation, and organisation to avoid overload.  

3. Recognise and reward effort

Karen Lough, Ciphr’s director of people, shares:

 “Recognition isn’t a once-a-year initiative at Ciphr, it’s how we work every day. Through targeted channels on Viva Engage, we spotlight colleagues who live our values and then amplify those shout-outs at our weekly all-company stand-up, and through our quarterly Ciphr Heroes awards – so great work never goes unseen. When people feel seen by their peers, it fuels belonging, confidence and energy – the best antidote to burnout.” 

Want to learn more about burnout? Watch our on-demand webinar with Mark Crabtree

4. Invest in your team's wellbeing

Make it known that you prioritise your team’s wellbeing. Whether this is flexible working opportunities or investing in mental health training and resources, you can show your team that you care about them as individuals as well as employees.  

“As a wellbeing champion at Ciphr, the value that I can give to the people across the business simply by existing goes a long way. I’m a resource that employees can come to when they need support and guidance with their mental health and wellbeing. Organisations that prioritise their employees’ wellbeing in this way can look forward to better engagement, better performance and greater job satisfaction. It’s an investment that gives back!” 

Meg Halpin Webster, Lead Instructional Designer at Ciphr.

How Ciphr eLearning can help you tackle and prevent burnout

Good intentions alone won’t help prevent or fix burnout. Leaders need tools, strategies, resources, and confidence to tackle this problem head-on. This is where Ciphr’s burnout eLearning training comes in.  

Created in collaboration with Mark Crabtree, a qualified coach, mediator and award-winning facilitator with experience and expertise in this field, our burnout eLearning is a valuable resource that equips leaders, and employees, with the knowledge of what burnout is, the science behind it, the signs and common organisational causes to avoid.  

With practical guides for teams, employers and organisations on how to prevent burnout, you can invest in your employees and your company and effectively combat burnout.