How to manage burnout at work

Support your energy, focus and overall well-being with these simple habits:

• Start your day with movement: A short morning walk, yoga stretch or 10-minute home workout sets the tone.
• Stretch during the day: Simple stretches at your desk can reduce physical tension and support posture.
• Eat a balanced lunch: Incorporate protein, whole grains and vegetables to sustain energy through the afternoon.
• Stay hydrated: Dehydration can impact focus and mood. Aim to drink 6–8 glasses of water per day.
• Meal prep: Reduce reliance on takeaway by cooking extra servings or planning simple, nutritious meals.
• Limit screen time: Physical rest includes giving your eyes and posture a break from constant screen use.
• Get regular sleep: Stick to a consistent bedtime and create a wind-down routine to improve sleep quality.

3. Make time for self-care

Self-care helps you manage stress before it builds. Techniques like mindfulness, meditation, and yoga can ground you and improve both mental and physical health, even just a few hours across the week can make a difference. Protecting your personal time isn’t indulgent, it’s essential to maintaining a healthy balance.

Support your mental well-being and emotional resilience with small but meaningful actions:

• Take short mental breaks: Step outside, do a breathing exercise or simply sit quietly for five minutes between tasks.
• Use mindfulness apps: Reset during busy days by listening to guided meditations or calming music.
• Journal for clarity: Spend 5–10 minutes writing thoughts, goals or things you're grateful for.
• Set cut-off times: Decide when your workday ends and stick to it - this helps reinforce personal time boundaries.
• Connect socially: Chat with a friend or loved one during lunch or after work to feel more supported.
• Avoid multitasking: Focus on one task at a time to reduce mental overload and improve productivity.
• Create a calm workspace: A tidy, personalised workspace can reduce stress and support focus.

4. Set boundaries

To create a genuine separation between work and life, you need to set boundaries. It’s important that you establish clear work-life boundaries. For example, try to avoid checking your work emails at night. This can be made easier by setting quiet hours on your phone, so you don’t get distracted by notifications.

Getting enough sleep is also important. Various studies have shown that the average person requires eight hours each night. Without regularly getting enough sleep, you’ll feel fatigued and less able to cope with stress at work.

5. Use flexible work arrangements

Flexible work arrangements can make a significant difference in managing burnout. If you’re under pressure, consider speaking to your manager about adjusting your hours or work location to protect your personal well-being.

According to Hays Salary Guide FY25/26, flexible working is also rapidly shifting from a perk to an expectation. In our survey, 58 per cent of respondents ranked it as the most important workplace benefit. Given the strong reactions to return-to-office proposals, it’s clear flexible work is increasingly seen as a standard part of most roles, not just a bonus.

6. Take leave

Our survey found that additional vacation days ranked as the second most valued benefit at 45 per cent, just behind flexible working. This reinforces how important work-life balance is to employees.

If you have annual leave accrued, take it. Stepping away completely - even for a few days - is one of the best ways to protect your mental well-being. Make plans to switch off and reconnect with life outside of work. Your personal health and long-term success depend on it.

7. Manage expectations internally

If you’re fielding constant messages, it may be time to set boundaries with colleagues. Let them know what’s on your plate and agree on timelines. Not every task is urgent - and clearly managing expectations can reduce work-related stress while preserving positive relationships.

8. Get support from your employer

Beating burnout isn’t just an individual effort. Your employer also has a role to play in building effective strategies for stress management. While they should set realistic goals for you, this also requires your feedback.

• Talk to your manager about workload, client demands, or overtime expectations - they may be unaware of the extent of pressure you're under.
• If you’ve been working a lot of overtime, there could be a good business case for adding resources to your team.
• List your current tasks and discuss priorities with your manager, identifying what’s critical now and what can be deferred.
• You can also access your company’s mental health support through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which often includes free, confidential counselling services.
• If your employer does not respond positively to these appeals and nothing changes, it might be time to look for a new job.

Work-life balance strategies for employers

Supporting employee well-being isn’t just the right thing to do - it’s a business advantage. When people are happier, productivity, engagement and retention rise.

Creating balance is a shared responsibility. Here are practical work-life balance strategies for employers:

• Offer flexible work arrangements: Remote work, hybrid models or flexible hours help employees manage both professional and personal responsibilities.
• Encourage regular breaks: Promote short, scheduled breaks throughout the day to help reduce burnout and maintain focus.
• Lead by example: When leadership respects work boundaries and prioritises well-being, employees are more likely to follow suit.
• Set clear expectations: Avoid excessive after-hours communication and provide clarity around deadlines and priorities.
• Support mental and physical health: Offer access to mental health support services, such as EAPs, and promote physical well-being through wellness programs or benefits.
• Regularly review workloads: Check in with teams to ensure workloads are realistic and redistribute tasks where needed.
• Promote leave uptake: Encourage employees to take annual leave and truly disconnect from work while away.
• Foster an open culture: Create a safe environment where employees feel comfortable raising concerns about stress, burnout, or balance without stigma.

Despite many workplaces offering 25 or more potential benefits, there’s often still a one-size-fits-all approach. To truly support and retain your people, it’s worth simplifying your offering and tailoring it to what your employees actually value. Start by having conversations to understand their priorities, then consider offering personalised perks that align with individual needs.

These strategies can help build a more sustainable and productive workforce while positioning your organisation as an employer of choice.

Beat Burnout Together

Burnout is not a sign of weakness, it’s a common challenge - even among high performers. Whether you're navigating it yourself or supporting an employee or colleague, recognising the signs early is key.

With the right steps, work burnout is manageable. From prioritising your physical and mental health to making the most of flexible work arrangements, small changes can lead to a more sustainable and healthy balance.

Explore more practical advice on building a better balance in our Career Advice hub.