The hidden cost of workplace burnout

Burnout continues to challenge leaders and employees alike, with many professionals achieving measurable success while feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. Joining us on today’s episode of Business Trends Today is Amy Leneker, a Fortune 100 leadership advisor and author of Cheers to Monday, who is working to address that gap by helping organizations rethink how they approach stress and performance.

According to Leneker’s research, it outlines that nearly two-thirds of American workers report feeling successful on paper but not in practice, largely due to elevated stress levels. As stress increases, the sense of accomplishment diminishes, creating a disconnect that affects both individual well-being and organizational performance.

A key distinction in Leneker’s framework is the difference between productive stress and harmful stress. While certain levels of pressure can enhance focus and motivation, prolonged or unmanaged stress reduces energy, lowers performance, and contributes to burnout. She asserts that recognizing the tipping point is critical for leaders aiming to sustain productivity without sacrificing employee health.

“Stress thrives in isolation and relief comes through connection.”

To address this, Leneker introduces a simple, yet structured three-step approach designed to combat stress in real time:

1. See it (write it down0 
2. Sort it (5 stress categories) 
3. Solve it (take the next step) 

Beyond stress management, Leneker emphasizes the role of joy as a performance driver rather than a distraction. Her findings indicate that the majority of workers believe they need a sense of joy to perform at their best, yet more than half report not experiencing it at desired levels. This gap, she argues, highlights the need for leaders to rethink traditional assumptions that prioritize pressure over well-being.

“Joy is actually something that helps us weather the stress.”

Consistent, small-scale practices are key to closing the gap between desired and actual resilience. Leneker’s research indicates that regularly employing techniques focused on self-awareness, controlled breathing, and fostering connection can enhance both emotional well-being and overall effectiveness in the workplace by providing a crucial mid-day reset.

Workplace structure also plays a role in how stress is experienced. In-person employees are more likely to cite scheduling pressures, while remote workers more frequently report a disconnect between professional success and personal fulfillment. These differences underscore the importance of tailoring support strategies to specific work environments instead of applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

Leneker highlights a significant organizational issue: the uneven distribution of support systems. Specifically, a large majority of executives report having the necessary resources and networks to manage stress, a benefit that less than half of frontline employees share. This imbalance in support can heighten stress levels across the entire workforce and ultimately compromise overall performance if left unaddressed.