The Burnout Trap: Recognizing the Patterns and Breaking the Cycle
We often ignore the tangible, and intangible, costs of burnout. We say things like:
“Just power through it.”
“I can sleep when I’m dead.”
“Strong people don’t need breaks.”
What we are doing, however, is conditioning working until our bodies collapse. We mistakenly believe that burnout doesn’t have a real cost, or that it isn’t that common, but consider these statistics:
47% of Canadian workers reported feeling burned out in 2025 (up from 42% in 2024 and 33% in 2023) (Robert Half Canada)
Burnout costs Canadian employers between $5,500 and $28,500 per worker each year (Benefits Canada)
Burnout is a real problem with immense costs; for workers, companies and the economy. Consider what would change if you lost almost half your workers – either to another job, or because they needed to go on leave. How would that affect your organization? Burnout is a systemic issue we need to address. Now. The trend is clear and it’s accelerating. And the cost is huge.
How did we get here?
Burnout has always existed, but awareness has increased over the past decade. While the pandemic has exacerbated the challenge, it also brought it more to the forefront. Aside from the pandemic, though, how did we get to a place where almost half of workers feel like they have experienced burnout this year?
We Reward the Wrong Behaviour Unconsciously
We often say one thing, but we reinforce the opposite behaviour. This starts in school with perfect attendance which seems like a great goal, however, it can unconsciously reinforce attending school when sick. Another example is saying that work-life balance is important, but then promoting the person who works 60 hours per week. This demonstrates to other employees that the person who ignores work-life balance is the one who is valued and will be promoted.
When values do not match behaviour, people will trust behaviour over words.
The False Emergency
Similar to rewarding the wrong behaviour unconsciously, we often celebrate the weekend warrior who worked overtime to save the day. While issues emerge and we sometimes need to go all out, this shouldn’t be the norm. In celebrating this hero, we rarely stop to ask why it was necessary? We’ve normalized a lack of redundancy, no cross-training or no coverage. Sometimes emergencies didn’t need to become emergencies.
Work from Anywhere
The shift to remote and hybrid work promised flexibility and autonomy. But it also erased the natural boundaries that used to signal "work is done"—the commute home, leaving the office building. Now your office is your kitchen table, and "leaving work" is just closing a laptop that sits three feet away all evening. The flexibility to work from anywhere quietly became the expectation to work from everywhere, and when there's no clear line between "on" and "off," burnout becomes inevitable.
Response Culture
While smartphones and the cloud have allowed us to work from anywhere, they have also increased the pressure and expectation on an immediate response. We believe that we need to respond right away, even outside of business hours, or while on vacation. How often do you see an auto-responder that says I am away, but will still check email periodically? This pressure of constant “on-ness” fosters burnout as people can’t ever turn off or relax.
Vacation Violations
In failing to create redundancy, cross-training and ensure adequate coverage, people feel they can not take vacation time; or when they do take vacation, they are still expected to answer emails or be available (is this familiar: “I hope you are enjoying your vacation – quick question!) Sometimes it is the organization that is the issue, and other times, the employee makes themselves available. Either way, it can lead to burnout.
Breaking the Pattern
Recognition: Spot Conditioning in Action
Sometimes, it’s difficult to spot the pattern, but recognizing when it is happening is a great first step.
For Yourself:
Do you feel guilty about taking a day off if you are sick, or taking vacation?
Do you check email when on vacation, or automatically respond to messages outside normal work hours?
Do you wear exhaustion as a badge of honour?
Are you afraid of setting a boundary?
For Your Team:
Do you live your values? What behaviour do you celebrate and is it aligned with your values?
Who are you promoting and recognizing? For what behaviours?
Do people take their full vacation time (or use sick time when they are ill)?
Do you expect people to be available outside of regular work hours or while on vacation?
Actions to Reduce Burnout
For Leaders
1. Audit what you are rewarding
Audit your last 3-5 promotions: what behaviours did those people demonstrate?
Critically examine your values and compare your top performers; does their behaviour align with your values?
Shift your hiring, recognition, promotions and reward systems to align with your values
2. Build sustainable systems that don’t require heroics
Cross train employees to ensure coverage
Consciously create coverage plans for employee absences
When an “emergency” happens, conduct a debrief to discover why and create a plan to prevent it next time
3. Protect boundaries
If someone is away, do not contact them (define what an emergency would be – it should be rare)
When someone violates a boundary, address it directly
Build in buffers between meetings to allow people to take a break, eat, think, disconnect
4. Model the behaviour you want to see
Take your vacation and disconnect
Talk about your boundaries openly (ex. I do not regularly check emails after 6:00 pm, or I am unavailable next week as I am on vacation with my family)
When you make a mistake (like working too late), name it: “I stayed late last night, but doing this regularly is not sustainable or expected.”
Take time off when you are sick and don’t praise people who “push through it”
For Individuals
1. Start with awareness
Notice when you respond outside of business hours and ask yourself why you are responding and if it is expected.
Name the reason you are ignoring a boundary (ex. I am checking email on vacation because I believe it makes me valuable, not because it’s expected)
2. Start by setting one small boundary
If you answer emails at all hours, every day, try taking one day off, or setting hours you don’t respond
Track what happens and slowly extend the boundaries
3. Communicate your boundaries clearly
Ex. I don’t respond to emails after 7:00 pm, but I am back online by 8:00 am
I am taking vacation during this time and will not be responding to email (try turning it off on your phone too)
Set up your out of office reply and direct them to someone else who can help
4. Question urgency
Ask yourself, “is this actually urgent, or am I making myself believe it is urgent?”
Most things are not actual emergencies and can wait
Recognize when it is the system, and not you.
We've been conditioning burnout for generations—from perfect attendance awards in elementary school to celebrating the weekend warrior in the workplace. The cost is staggering: nearly half of Canadian workers are burned out, organizations are losing talent and productivity, and we've normalized unsustainable work as the price of success.
But here's the truth: burnout isn't inevitable. It's a choice we make through our systems, our rewards, and our behaviors—often without realizing it.
The first step is recognition. Notice when conditioning is happening. Ask yourself: What am I actually rewarding? Do my values match my behavior? Am I protecting boundaries or just paying them lip service?
Then take one small action. Audit your last promotion. Set one boundary. Stop contacting people on vacation. Model the behavior you want to see.
You don't have to fix everything this week. But you do need to start somewhere. Because the longer we wait, the more people we lose—to burnout, to other jobs, or to the belief that this is just how work has to be.
It doesn't.
What’s Next?
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Reflect on the suggested actions actions and choose one to try
