This is Part 2 of a wider exploration of burnout. In Part 1 — Burnout Is Not a Personal
Problem, I shared why burnout is not just about individual resilience, but the result of flawed
systems, habits, and design decisions baked into how we work.
This post builds on that by asking a more pointed questions: If burnout is the outcome,
what exactly are we designing into the system and what needs to change to design it out?
I received the following clarification in a message from an Operations leader on the first post:
“Burnout is the result of judgement and often a deliberate decision. Tech deployment
doesn’t change human behaviours. It’s just a tool. ”
That stuck with me, and it is true. I believe burnout is not random. It is the result of
unconscious and often misguided design choices. We often talk about burnout as if it is a
side effect. Something that happens when people take on too much, forget to rest, or lack
resilience. But the truth is, burnout is often the logical output of systems, priorities, and
behaviours that have become standard practice in many organisations. When someone
burns out, the response is usually personal, but the problem is almost always structural.
Burnout Is Not Random. It Is Reinforced.
In many organisations, burnout builds over time through predictable patterns:
● Projects scoped without enough time
● Capacity plans that ignore actual workload
● Constant switching between priorities
● Praise for those who push through, silence for those who pace themselves
● No space to reflect, reset, or speak up
These issues have become the norm in many workplaces because they go unchallenged for
too long.
Tech Helps. But It Will Not Fix the Culture.
In the original post, I wrote about how technology can reduce friction and help leaders make
better decisions. That still holds true. The right tools, such as dashboards, automation, AI
and clear tracking of tasks and priorities, can highlight early warning signs, protect focus
time, and reduce unnecessary stress. But technology does not change what leaders
believe.
If the culture still equates exhaustion with commitment, even the most innovative systems
will only make the symptoms easier to ignore. Technology should support better behaviour.
It should not be used to justify bad patterns. If your dashboards say performance is high
while your people feel drained, the problem is not reporting. The problem is what leadership
chooses to see.
Burnout Is a Choice. But Not Always Yours.
There is a belief that burnout means someone pushed too hard or failed to speak up. But in
reality, many people burn out because they think they are doing exactly what is expected.
● Delivering more with fewer resources
● Saying yes when they should say no
● Staying late because nobody else will
Burnout can look like a choice and it is rarely a free one. to a culture that rewards overextension and quietly punishes recovery.
It is often a conditioned response
If You Are Leading, This Is the Moment
If you manage a team, oversee delivery, or shape how work gets done, this part is for you.
Often people are not burning out because they lack resilience. They are burning out
because the system demands a lot but questions too little.
Culture is not a presentation. It is not a list of values. It is what gets rewarded. It is what gets
ignored. It is what people learn to tolerate because they believe they have no choice.
Burnout is not a risk if the system punishes boundaries (directly or indirectly) and celebrates
overcommitment; it is a certainty.
What Can You Do
You may not be able to transform the organisation overnight, buut you can start by resetting
a few defaults.
- Redefine what good looks like. Reward consistency, not just crisis response. Value sustainable contributors, not just those who sprint hardest or speak the loudest.
- Build reflection into the cadence. Check in with your team on how they feel, not just what they deliver.
- Protect recovery like performance. Do not just encourage rest. Back it up. Modelit. Support it.
- Use technology to see the full picture. It is time to ask better questions if the data shows output but says nothing about energy, engagement, or emotional load. Pay attention to the signals that do not fit the standard metrics.
Final Thought
Burnout is not a glitch in the system. It signals that the system is working exactly as designed, it’s just not in anyone’s best interest.
The challenge now is to raise more awareness and make different decisions that maximise
profit, reduce cost, and manage risk, while looking after the people making it happen.
So here’s the real question for leaders: change?
Now that you see it, what are you willing to
Let’s schedule a conversation and explore what designing it out could look like for your
team.