Guide

A Leader’s Guide to
Battling Workforce Burnout
How to invest in employee
well-being through learning
An ever-growing challenge

Work-related stress, when ignored, can lead to a number of negative

outcomes, including unengaged employees and even employee attrition.
It can also snowball into mental and physical exhaustion, a reduced
sense of accomplishment, and an inability to get work done. These
symptoms point to burnout, a mental health challenge faced by many
workers. According to research by McKinsey, 28% of employees in the
U.S. report having burnout symptoms “sometimes, often, or always.”

Knowing how to respond to burnout is one of the biggest

obstacles facing business leaders today.

In this guide, we’ll help you understand what causes burnout and show
you how managers can play a critical role in preventing and addressing
burnout among employees. Finally, we’ll teach you how a high-quality
learning and development (L&D) program can create a learning culture
in your organization and help prevent burnout among your employees
by empowering them to pursue personal and professional growth.

Let’s get to it!

A Leader’s Guide to Battling Workforce Burnout 2

Executive summary
Burnout is a mental health condition that impacts many employees and if left unaddressed
can have severe consequences for your business. As an antidote, you need to help your
people stay engaged at work and maintain positive mental health. One way of doing
this is through high-quality learning programs. When you build a learning culture in your
organization, you’ll encourage employees to pursue personal and professional growth while
also providing regular intellectual challenges, which will help to prevent burnout.

This guide explains why learning is so important to your organization’s — and your
employees’ — success.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

How to identify burnout Ways managers can How learning addresses

in your employees help prevent and burnout and drives
respond to burnout business success
5 ways leaders
can prevent and
address burnout

1 Understand burnout: causes and effects

2 Identify burnout among your employees

3 Equip managers to address and prevent burnout

4 Give your team the support they need

5 Overcome burnout by focusing on employee learning and

well-being

A Leader’s Guide to Battling Workforce Burnout 4

1
Understand burnout:
causes and effects
Challenge Context Prevention Support Learning

More than three of every

four employees feel burned
out some of the time.
Additionally, the number of employees currently experiencing at least
moderate levels of burnout is on the rise — even outpacing figures during the
height of the pandemic.

In the wake of the pandemic and the Great Resignation, organizations must do
all they can to help their people feel engaged and appreciated while ensuring
they thrive in their work. Organizations that don’t address these needs risk
outcomes that can affect their bottom line, such as increased turnover, which
costs U.S. companies millions of dollars every year. What’s more, important
business metrics like retention are directly tied to burnout. For example,
in a survey conducted by Deloitte, 42% of respondents said they left a job
specifically because they felt burned out.

One of the most important things leaders can do for business success is
address burnout, and learning is one effective approach.

Employees in the U.S. experiencing at least moderate levels of burnout

50% 52% 59%

2020 2021 2022

Source: Aflac 2022–2023 WorkForces Report

A Leader’s Guide to Battling Workforce Burnout 6

2
Identify burnout
among your
employees
Challenge Context Prevention Support Learning

One reason burnout is so

prevalent is that it’s hard
to spot.
As a result, early detection can be a challenge, causing the situation to
become even worse.

The World Health Organization describes the symptoms of burnout as “feelings of

energy depletion or exhaustion; increased disinterest in one’s job; negative or cynical
feelings about one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.” The trouble is, many
of these warning signs are invisible, especially when employees work remotely.

The top 5 causes of burnout

Some people may feel burned out because they work too many hours. But
research from Gallup shows that the way people experience their workload has
“a stronger influence on burnout than hours worked.” In other words, you can’t
just look at the people working the most hours and identify them as the ones
most likely to get burned out — although overwork is certainly one factor.

The top 5 causes of burnout, based on Gallup research

1 Feeling unfairly treated at work

2 Having an unmanageable workload

3 Unclear communication from managers

4 Lack of support from managers

5 Unreasonable time pressures

A Leader’s Guide to Battling Workforce Burnout 8

Challenge Context Prevention Support Learning

With so much talk about burnout, it’s easy to think that it’s a one-size-fits-all
problem. It’s not. And while every individual experiences burnout in their own
way, experts have identified three different types of burnout. Understanding
them can help leaders take steps to address burnout in their organization.

Employees who experience burnout fall into one

or more of these categories:

1
Overloaded

Employees feel overloaded when they work harder to achieve success,

often to the detriment of their own well-being. When overloaded employees
encounter struggles, they often try to “power through,” taking on more
work and responsibility, detracting further from their well-being.

2
Under-challenged

Though counter-intuitive on the surface, employees can also

experience burnout when they don’t have enough work or the
work they have isn’t sufficiently stimulating. These employees
often become frustrated from the lack of growth opportunities.

3
Neglected

Employees who experience burnout as a result of feeling neglected

often become overwhelmed by the amount or difficulty of work they’re
expected to accomplish. These employees may also feel they’re not
given enough guidance or structure to accomplish their tasks.

A Leader’s Guide to Battling Workforce Burnout 9

3
Equip managers to
address and prevent
burnout
Challenge Context Prevention Support Learning

Managers are the first line of

defense against burnout.
That means setting a good example by scheduling time for rest and recovery. It also
means managers should restrain themselves from sending late-night emails and
engaging in other behavior that can increase stress for them and their teams.

Managers can also help prevent burnout by:

• Focusing on the things that bring joy and inspiration to their teams

• Showing a higher degree of trust in the people they work with,

by giving them increased flexibility and autonomy

“As a leader, it’s important to make sure that

you’re taking care of yourself and modeling
your own well-being and practices.”
— Melissa Daimler, CLO at Udemy

11
4
Give your team the
support they need
Challenge Context Prevention Support Learning

Strategies managers can use

to support their teams.
Once managers recognize their role in contributing to — and preventing — burnout, they
should talk openly about it with employees. Here are four ways managers can support
their teams through conversation.

Understand the root causes of burnout: Check in regularly with direct

reports on their current feelings toward work.

Advocate for your team: Protect their time with cross-functional teams
and offer flexibility, including making time for learning.

Eliminate roadblocks: Leverage the strengths of the individuals on

your team to eliminate roadblocks for all.

Encourage the use of resources and support: Regularly remind

employees of the benefits and tools offered through the company, such
as L&D resources, wellness benefits, and vacation days.

A Leader’s Guide to Battling Workforce Burnout 13

5
Overcome burnout
by focusing on
employee learning
and well-being
Challenge Context Prevention Support Learning

The pandemic made an existing

mental health crisis even worse.
Since 2020, mental health support has gone from being a nice-to-have to a
business imperative.

One component of mental health support in the workplace is learning opportunities for
employees to pursue professional growth. Learning contributes to well-being, which helps
to fight burnout. In fact, employees with ample learning and growth opportunities are
3.6 times more likely to report being happy at work.

Learning also drives important business success metrics. One study of 3 million workers
highlighted career development as a top driver of employee engagement and job
satisfaction, which in turn also drive retention.

5x Top-performing companies are nearly five times more

likely than low-performers to have learning cultures.
Source: ATD “Build a Culture of Learning”

What’s more, research conducted by

Josh Bersin Research and cited by
Udemy shows that organizations that
deliver ample learning opportunities
perform better in a host of other areas.

Companies with a strong learning culture

and a high level of L&D maturity are:

7.2x
more likely to engage and
2.6x
more likely to exceed
retain employees financial targets

A Leader’s Guide to Battling Workforce Burnout 15

Create a culture of
learning in your
organization
Organizations that have a culture of learning are stronger in part
because employees are able to pursue growth. And when employees
have access to learning that can advance their careers and make them
feel challenged, they’re more likely to avoid burnout.

Create a culture of learning in your organization by:

• Empowering employees to learn in the flow of their work

• Creating the time and space for learning at work

• Having leaders reinforce the practice of learning at work by

doing it themselves

• Making it clear — from the top — that learning is a top priority

A Leader’s Guide to Battling Workforce Burnout 16

Solve the burnout crisis in your
organization with learning.
Research from the WHO suggests that when employers prioritize mental
health, their people will not only experience increased well-being but they’ll
also be more productive and engaged. Quality L&D programs offer one
solution for preventing and addressing burnout, one of the most significant
mental health challenges facing today’s workforce.

Make sure you’re getting the most from your learning solution. When you
do, you’ll provide the most value for your workforce — and improve their
experience and your bottom line.

You’ll know your L&D solution will deliver results if it:

• Offers a variety of learning opportunities that are accessible to all

employees. Make sure your learning solution offers opportunities for
leadership development in addition to learning that will build business
skills, soft skills, and technical skills.

• Treats you like a partner with unique needs. A strong partnership with
your L&D provider is important for building and tracking the success of
your program. This ensures your workforce gets the learning opportunities
they want and need.

• Ensures your employees are engaged in learning. If your people aren’t

engaged in learning opportunities, they can’t benefit from the program. To
get the most out of your L&D solution, choose a provider that will help you
drive engagement and the acquisition of new skills.

Learn how high-quality learning programs can fight burnout and drive
business success at your organization with Udemy Business.
Business
About
Udemy Business
Udemy’s mission is to provide flexible, effective skill
development to empower organizations and individuals.

Udemy Business enables employers to offer on-demand

learning for all employees, immersive learning for tech teams,
and cohort learning for leaders. With our integrated learning
solutions and strategic partnership, we equip companies with
the tools to build a future-ready workforce, increase employee
engagement, and achieve critical business outcomes.

Learn more at business.udemy.com