Burnout prevention for high performers isn’t always about doing less

What makes a high-performing team? Research shows that high-performing teams consist of individuals who enjoy their work, feel supported by their peers, share a common goal, and consistently deliver superior business results. Key components of high-performing teams have been defined as: “purpose and goals, talent and skills, incentives and motivation, efficacy, conflict management, communication, power, and empowerment”. Importantly, what’s common across most definitions is that the team and work environment are set up with the right resources to enable sustainable high performance.

High-performing individuals who operate in the absence of a supportive work environment are particularly vulnerable. Not only are they operating unsustainably, but they also are often the team members expected to take on additional responsibilities without receiving extra resources or support, making them more vulnerable to burnout.

It starts as a badge of honour. You’re the first one to log on and the last one to leave. You’re fully dialled in, navigating the pressure of high-stakes deliverables and hitting targets. But lately, behind the scenes, the “spark” feels more like a flicker. You find yourself staring at a half-finished email for 20 minutes and the coffee no longer provides you the energy. You aren’t “crashing” in the dramatic sense. Instead, your productivity is dissolving into a fog of mental exhaustion and you are burned out but it’s still masked by (relatively) high performance. Burnout is not just work overload; it is brain stress.

Burnout is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. A TELUS Health survey of more than 1000 New Zealand workers in the June 2025 quarter found that 63% felt somewhat burned out. While it’s great news that the prevalence of severe burnout in New Zealand might be dropping, new data from Massey University discovered that levels of job stress have risen to 60.2%, up from 52.8% in February 2025.

Behind these statistics are employees trying to maintain high performance, while running on almost empty – which makes early, meaningful support more important than ever.

How can we prevent burnout among high performers? And how can we intervene early?

Often organisations treat their most valuable assets – their people – as if they are hardware that never needs a reboot, while failing to realise that the solution to burnout isn’t necessarily less work, but more resources. This isn’t just management theory; it is the fundamental component of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model – one of the dominant theories guiding organisational psychology research and practice. The model suggests that stress arises when individuals lack the necessary resources to effectively fulfil their job requirements.

The JD-R model enables organisations to pre-empt burnout by categorising workplace factors into two categories: demands and resources. By identifying these specific drivers of strain before they become chronic, organisations can implement targeted, early interventions to protect employee wellbeing.

Understanding the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model:

Job demands: These are the workplace factors that require emotional, physical or cognitive effort from an individual – for example, high workload, time pressure, or emotional demands (like having to keep a straight face while being sworn at by a customer).

Job resources: These are organisational, social or psychological elements that support personal development, reduce job demands, and help accomplish work goals. Resource examples include good ergonomics, social support from colleagues/leaders, and opportunities for development.

Putting the JD-R model into practice in a workplace is about maintaining a functional balance. Burnout and stress prevention is successful among high-performing individuals when:

1. Demands are challenging but not overwhelming
2. Resources are sufficient to meet those demands

To find the balance in your organisation – especially among those high performers most vulnerable to burnout – there are four key pillars we recommend starting with:

Pillar 1: Recovery

This is about psychological detachment. For a resource to be effective in balancing out work demands, our brains and bodies need regular breaks from the emotional, physical or cognitive effort of work.

• Have micro breaks: Research suggests that even a 10-minute work reset helps maintain focus and prevent fatigue.
• Define your boundaries: This is not about clocking out altogether; it is about knowing what works for you to step away from work effectively. For some people that might mean not checking or replying to emails after 5pm or locking away work materials in a cupboard where you can’t see them while at home.

Pillar 2: Autonomy

Employees who feel they have freedom to make decisions about their work are more likely to have improved job satisfaction, increased motivation and engagement.

• Reduce cognitive load: Somewhat paradoxically, working within a low-autonomy environment can increase cognitive effort from having to follow a tightly bound set of instructions and administrative sign-off processes. Instead, leaders can free up cognitive space and protect against burnout by providing employees with the goal but letting them decide the “how”.
• Job crafting: Let teams try new ways of working, have work meetings outside, trial 4-day work weeks (it’s been proven effective), or give Google’s 20% model a go for the next 6 months. For individual team members, work one-on-one to craft roles that ensure their strengths are being utilised effectively.

Pillar 3: Social support

Social support, where team members look out for one another and share the load, is a crucial resource in any team environment. As well as balancing out burnout risk from heightened job demands, it creates a sense of belonging, satisfaction and motivation.

• Peer support: Facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions where team members help each other solve technical hurdles. This increases social support (a job resource) and self-efficacy (a personal resource).
• Invest in building a strong team: Teams where people look out for each other, voluntarily take on extra work to help each other out, and put common goals first aren’t made accidentally. Ensure leaders are well-equipped with the skills needed to build a high-performing team environment.

Pillar 4: Personal resources

Alongside the more obvious work resources, the JD-R model has a focus on personal resources. Personal resources help people navigate the inevitable gaps when there is a temporary imbalance between job demands and resources (e.g., during a big project delivery week). Personal resources such as confidence, resilience and self-belief enable individuals to effectively navigate high work demands and positively impact their work environments.

• Personal development: Provide people with the right support through training, upskilling, and mentoring or coaching.
• Support physical wellbeing: Encourage eating well, getting movement, and regular breaks – energy is a resource. For some, going for a run or walk on their lunch break is a way of regaining energy ahead of a busy afternoon.

Burnout doesn’t happen overnight – and neither does recovery. But by understanding the demands placed on high-performing team members and intentionally building the right resources, organisations can turn early strain into sustainable success. When people feel supported, connected, and in control of their work, their capacity doesn’t just return – it grows. Preventing burnout isn’t about doing less. It is about equipping high performers with what they truly need to thrive long-term, creating flourishing teams and businesses in the long-term.