Is Burnout the Employee’s Fault or the Employer’s Responsibility?

Burnout has become one of the most discussed workplace topics of the last decade. It appears in executive conversations, HR strategies, medical consultations, and coaching sessions. Yet one question continues to divide opinions and create tension in organisations: Is burnout the employee’s fault, or the employer’s responsibility?

This question is intentionally provoking because burnout is rarely the result of a single cause. It is almost always the outcome of an interaction between a system and the individual within that system.

Burnout is not a personal weakness

Burnout is recognised by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon linked to chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by emotional exhaustion, mental distance or cynicism towards work, and reduced professional efficacy.

It is not a lack of resilience, motivation, or commitment. Many people who experience burnout are highly dedicated, competent and conscientious professionals.

The employer’s role: systems, culture and leadership

Employers play a critical role in either preventing or accelerating burnout.

Common organisational risk factors include:

• Excessive workload without realistic prioritisation

• Chronic understaffing or constant urgency

• Lack of role clarity and shifting expectations

• Poor management practices or inconsistent leadership

• A culture that rewards overwork and availability around the clock

• Limited psychological safety or fear of speaking up

When high performance is expected without adequate resources, recovery time, or recognition, even the most capable employees will eventually pay the price.

From a business perspective, burnout is costly. High staff turnover, absenteeism, disengagement and medical costs directly impact profitability. Loss of institutional knowledge and repeated recruitment cycles also affect momentum and morale. Sustainable success requires sustainable energy.

The employee’s role: patterns, beliefs and boundaries

At the same time, employees are not passive recipients of their environment. Certain cognitive and behavioural patterns can increase vulnerability to chronic fatigue and burnout.

Common examples include:

• Perfectionism, where self-worth is tied to flawless performance

• People-pleasing, with difficulty saying no or setting boundaries

• Over-responsibility, feeling personally accountable for everything

• Fear of disappointing others or being perceived as replaceable

• Difficulty asking for help or delegating

These patterns often develop early in life and can drive strong professional success in the early stages of a career. Many young professionals build impressive results and recognition precisely because of these behaviours. They are reliable, committed, and willing to go the extra mile.

Challenges often arise later, when life evolves. As couple life, parenthood, caregiving responsibilities, or personal health priorities are added on top of an already demanding professional rhythm, what was once manageable becomes unsustainable. The same patterns that previously supported success begin to erode energy, clarity, and resilience.

Burnout frequently emerges at this intersection, when internal pressure continues to operate at full speed while external demands increase and recovery time decreases. The system eventually collapses, not because the individual is weak, rather because the model no longer fits the reality of their life.

Responsibility rather than fault

Blame is rarely productive. Responsibility, shared and conscious, is far more powerful.

A healthy work environment benefits everyone. Employees who feel respected, supported, and fairly treated are more engaged, more creative, and more committed. They give more, not because they are forced to, rather because they choose to.

For employers, prevention actions include:

• Creating realistic workloads and clear priorities

• Training leaders to recognise early signs of burnout

• Encouraging regular breaks, recovery and time off

• Promoting psychological safety and open dialogue

• Measuring performance by outcomes, not constant availability

For employees, prevention actions include:

• Developing self-awareness around stress patterns

• Learning to set and communicate healthy boundaries

• Challenging unhelpful beliefs such as “I must do everything myself”

• Prioritising recovery as part of performance, not as a reward

• Seeking support early through coaching, mentoring or conversation

A shared investment in sustainable success

Burnout is neither solely the employee’s fault nor entirely the employer’s responsibility. It is a shared signal that something in the system needs adjustment.

Sustainable organisations are built on sustainable human energy. High staff turnover and constant replacement come at a real cost. Engaged and healthy employees contribute far more than those who feel exploited or cheated around the clock.

When both employers and employees take responsibility for how work is designed, experienced, and sustained, burnout becomes preventable rather than inevitable. And in that shared responsibility lies not only better wellbeing, also stronger performance, trust, and long-term success.

Coaching as a lever for sustainable performance

Burnout prevention is not only a matter of policy or personal willpower. Coaching is a powerful and practical tool to address burnout at both organisational and individual levels.

Within organisations, coaching workshops and group coaching create spaces for awareness, dialogue, and collective responsibility. They support leaders and teams in recognising early warning signs, revisiting ways of working, strengthening psychological safety, and building sustainable performance cultures. These interventions help organisations shift from reactive crisis management to proactive wellbeing and engagement strategies.

At an individual level, one-to-one coaching offers a confidential and trusted space to explore personal patterns, beliefs, and boundaries. It allows individuals to understand how they relate to pressure, success, and expectations, and to redesign their way of working in alignment with their current life reality. This personalised approach is particularly effective for high performers who wish to remain successful without sacrificing their health or personal life.

At Compass Coaching, we support sustainable success by fostering awareness, meaningful dialogue and shared responsibility between individuals and organisations. When people and systems evolve together, performance becomes resilient, energy is renewed and success is built to last. Celine Foelmli