Burnout is not an HR problem — it’s a business risk.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been reaching out to my LinkedIn network about a new pilot programme I’ve launched: The Performance and Wellbeing Partnership. It's a 3-month initiative designed to protect and support high-performers at middle management level.
If you haven’t had a message from me yet, don’t worry - you will. 😉
And like with any outreach, the responses have been mixed. About 70% positive, 30% negative.
A few years ago, that ratio would have crushed me. I took every “no” personally, as if it were a reflection on me or my work. Now I know better.
Not every conversation will be the right fit.
Not every organisation will be at the right time.
And not every person will see the need in the same way.
A “no” isn’t a personal attack. It’s just… a no. And every no gets you closer to a yes.
The surprising reply that made me smile
Last week I had a response that genuinely made me happy, even though it’s unlikely to turn into business:
“Hi Lindsey thank you for getting in touch — I hope you are well. If you want to send a short overview I can forward it to our people team. We do have really robust wellbeing, coaching and development programmes in place thanks to an amazing people team. I count myself very lucky! Good luck with your coaching and have a great week.”
I loved this reply. Why? Because this person’s organisation already has strong wellbeing, coaching, and development programmes in place. They’re ahead of the curve.
It tells me their leadership gets it. They see wellbeing not as a perk, but as a core part of performance.
But here’s the truth…
Not every organisation is this forward-thinking. Many of you reading this will know exactly what I mean.
Too often, employee wellbeing is seen as a HR problem. Something to delegate, something “soft,” something separate from business outcomes.
But it’s not. Because when burnout spreads through a team:
Turnover costs soar.
Productivity and engagement tank.
Client delivery suffers.
And reputations get damaged.
That’s not a HR problem. That’s a whole-company problem. And it’s a business risk if it’s not mitigated.
The facts
This isn’t just me getting on my high horse, the facts speak for themselves. In Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, the numbers are sobering:
Only 33% of employees say they are thriving in life.
Stress, sadness, and loneliness are at historic highs.
That makes me incredibly sad too. Because at the end of the day, we only get one life. And it shouldn’t be spent stressed, sad, or lonely - especially at work, where most of us spend the majority of our waking hours.
This is exactly why I created the Performance and Wellbeing Partnership - to turn those statistics around for the organisations who don’t want to wait until it’s too late.
To equip middle managers with resilience tools.
To protect high-performers before they reach breaking point.
To give businesses the ROI of engaged, stable teams instead of a burned-out workforce
It’s a pilot programme right now — and I’m looking to partner with forward-thinking organisations who see that protecting their people is protecting their performance.
