Burnout Cause #1: Workload - How It Fuels the Burnout Epidemic

Burnout isn’t just about being tired. It’s not the result of one bad week or a particularly demanding project. Burnout is systemic, persistent, and deeply intertwined with how we think about work itself. While many factors contribute to burnout—lack of autonomy, unfair treatment, the erosion of workplace culture—one of the most insidious and overlooked causes is workload.

The sheer volume of work expected of employees today is staggering. The modern workplace is defined by an ever-expanding list of responsibilities, aggressive deadlines, and the pressure to perform at unsustainable levels, sometimes referred to as toxic productivity. It’s no longer just about doing a job well—it’s about doing more than what is reasonable, continuously, without reprieve. This relentless drive toward productivity has become the default setting in workplaces around the world. And it is burning people out at unprecedented rates.

When Does a Heavy Workload Become Unsustainable (and Lead to Burnout)?

A heavy workload becomes unsustainable when the demands of work consistently exceed a person’s capacity to recover. Long hours or intense periods aren’t inherently harmful—many roles require them at times—but problems emerge when high demands are paired with limited control, unclear priorities, or insufficient rest. When recovery is delayed or disrupted week after week, the body and brain stay in a prolonged stress state, increasing the risk of burnout, errors, and disengagement. In other words, it’s not just the amount of work that matters, but whether people have the time, autonomy, and support needed to sustain it.

In many workplaces, unsustainable workload is reinforced by cultural norms that equate constant output with value — a pattern often described as toxic productivity.

If this description feels familiar, it may be a sign that workload — not motivation or resilience — is contributing to burnout.

When Burnout Becomes a Leadership Issue

When burnout shows up across teams, roles, or departments, it’s no longer an individual resilience issue—it’s a systems problem. At this stage, leaders need more than wellness tips or time off policies. They need a shared understanding of why burnout happens, how workload and culture contribute to it, and what sustainable performance actually looks like.

Jennifer Moss’s Combating Burnout keynote is designed for organizations at this inflection point—helping leaders and teams recognize burnout early, address its root causes, and rebuild healthier, high-performance ways of working.

→ Learn how organizations use this keynote to reset expectations and prevent burnout at scale.

The Misconception of Productivity and How It Normalizes Overwork

We glorify the grind. We celebrate the employees who stay late, who take on extra assignments, who go above and beyond. But the cost of this culture is steep. What begins as high performance can quickly spiral into exhaustion. Employees who take pride in their ability to handle heavy workloads often don’t realize they’re in danger until they’re deep in burnout’s grip. The transition from engaged to depleted happens slowly—until, suddenly, they can’t do it anymore.

The misconception that burnout only affects people who dislike their jobs is dangerous. Some of the most engaged, passionate employees are the ones who burn out the fastest. They say yes to every request, they push themselves beyond their limits, and they ignore the warning signs. But motivation doesn’t shield the body from exhaustion. Passion does not override the physiological consequences of chronic stress. And yet, organizations continue to pile more on, assuming that committed employees will find a way to make it work.

If this resonates, a short self-check can help you understand what may be contributing to how you’re feeling. Get Clarity on your symptoms.

The Science of Overwork: What It Does to Our Minds and Bodies

Burnout is not just a feeling—it’s a measurable, physical response to chronic stress. Excessive workloads trigger a cascade of hormonal changes in the body, raising cortisol levels and keeping employees in a near-constant state of fight-or-flight. This state, meant to help us react quickly to immediate threats, was never designed to be sustained for weeks, months, or years. The consequences are profound.

Employees facing heavy workloads experience cognitive fog, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating. Decision-making suffers. Creativity is stifled. The very qualities that organizations rely on—innovation, problem-solving, collaboration—begin to deteriorate under the weight of excessive expectations. And yet, rather than recognizing these as red flags, many workplaces push harder. Employees who struggle are labeled as inefficient or incapable when in reality, they are simply overwhelmed.

Physically, the toll is just as severe. Chronic overwork has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, weakened immune function, and digestive issues. Sleep disturbances become the norm, as stress prevents the body from fully decompressing. The irony is clear: employees are pushed to work harder and longer, but their ability to perform declines in direct proportion to their exhaustion. In the end, overwork doesn’t just harm individuals—it compromises the very productivity it is meant to enhance.