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By Katie Culliton, Senior Editor, CalChamber
Feeling exhausted, having no energy, decreasing professional performance and increasing mental distance from one’s job — these are all symptoms of burnout, which employees everywhere are increasingly experiencing. As the Mayo Clinic explains, job burnout "is a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity."
While burnout is not considered a medical condition, it can negatively affect someone’s physical and mental health. Physically, someone experiencing burnout can experience frequent headaches, chronic muscle pain and disturbed sleep, among other symptoms, and burnout can significantly impact someone’s mental health — leading to depression, anxiety and other serious mental health problems.
And doing nothing about job burnout makes the problems worse — both for employees and employers, as high rates of burnout increase employers’ health care costs, workplace absenteeism, job dissatisfaction and employee turnover.
The good news is employers have numerous resources to manage burnout in their organizations and help them create a supportive work environment that promotes employees’ mental health and encourages employees who may be struggling to seek help. Plus, because May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s a good time for employers to promote their organization’s mental health benefits and emphasize to employees how they value the importance of good mental health. One way is participating in Mental Health Action Day on May 15.
Employee burnout isn't a new concept, and it continues to grow post-pandemic. Thirty-six percent of employees continue to feel burned out at work, and 33 percent are more burned out now than they were a year ago, according to a recent Robert Half survey.
These employees cite some of the top contributing factors as heavy workloads and long hours (40 percent), lack of support or recognition from their manager (30 percent) and few professional growth opportunities (27 percent).
Overall, U.S. workers report 20 percent higher burnout rates than their Canadian counterparts, according to a March 2025 dNovo survey. And California has two of the top 10 U.S. cities with the most burnt-out employees — Sacramento is second and Los Angeles fourth.
And, as mentioned, burnout doesn’t just affect workers — a separate Robert Half survey found that employee burnout affected the ability of organizations to hire an employee to fill an open position in a timely manner — it was more impactful than delayed projects and higher employee turnover.
Additionally, when employees experience burnout, they’re more likely to take sick leave or leave their organization, according to Gallup’s research. And 62 percent of missed workdays can be attributed to mental health conditions, and 50 percent of full-time employees have left a position for mental health reasons — with Millennials and Gen Zers leaving in significantly higher numbers.
Another concerning statistic (download requires sharing email information) for businesses is one in three employees feel lonely at least once per week, and loneliness costs businesses $154 billion in stress-related absences each year.
With burnout and the accompanying mental health problems causing increasing concern for companies, what can employers do?
Organizations that take improving employee burnout and mental health issues seriously can see a measurable impact. And the need for it is increasing — in 2023, 93 percent of businesses offered mental health benefits, but in 2024, it has declined to 89 percent, according to the Health Action Alliance (HAA).
If companies invest in their workforce’s mental health, employees feel more connected to each other — making them healthier, and more resilient and productive. For example, businesses that encourage belonging, connection and community are twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes. Plus, focusing on employee mental health can improve employee retention.
Thankfully, organizations have many different tools that can help counter burnout and promote mental wellness in the workplace.
For instance, Robert Half recommends businesses and managers can encourage taking time off to recharge, help prioritize projects and manage timelines, and create a supportive environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their challenges and needs.
Additionally, employers who give thanks to their employees throughout the year can see their workplace morale and employee productivity improve. Recognizing employees for who they are and what they contribute is one of the best ways to energize your workforce, according to the Empowering Workplace Culture Through Recognition report from Gallup and Workhuman. Acknowledging and celebrating your team’s accomplishments can reinforce a positive work environment.
It can feel overwhelming at first. One first step HR professionals can take to prioritize employee connection, fight burnout and demonstrate their organization values employees’ mental health is participating in Mental Health Awareness Month, and even potentially planning a Mental Health Action Day activity.
Established in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month increases awareness of the vital role mental health and wellness play in our overall health and well-being. Since 62.5 percent of Americans are part of the labor force, the workplace is a key location to identify those at risk and connect them to treatment, as well as put in place support for employees’ well-being.
This year, for Mental Health Awareness Month, employers can participate by planning a Mental Health Action Day for their workforce on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Mental Health Action Day is meant to encourage and empower everyone to take action for themselves, their loved ones or their community based on what works best for them. Hundreds of employers are participating in this day, and the HAA has a step-by-step employer planning guide.
Remember, when employees feel connected to each other and their community, the company benefits through reduced absenteeism and employee turnover, among other things. In fact, eight in 10 professionals say that their company’s support for work friendships (download requires sharing email information) is important when deciding whether to stay at their current job.
This year’s Mental Health Action Day call-to-action is “Check in with A.S.K.” — the emotional support equivalent of “stop, drop and roll.” When someone notices someone else who needs support, they can act by using A.S.K.:
This year, for Mental Health Action Day, organizations can create a company-wide event to bring everyone together or provide different event options so employees can customize their activities, and HAA recommends incorporating the A.S.K framework into the company’s plans. Some ideas they suggest (download requires sharing email information) are:
When promoting the company’s Mental Health Action Day, make sure to include details about the company’s mental health plan, including reminding employees of existing benefits. Also, explain why prioritizing employee connection is important to the company’s leadership. To help, HAA has a sample CEO letter or team message (downloads require sharing email information) that companies can use when developing their message.
Finally, during Mental Health Action Day, remember to track employee participation to measure the impact and assess employee engagement. For example, use a QR code at an event check-in to track attendance, or use virtual meetings with polls and exit surveys to track employee engagement. Organizations can also invite employees to share pictures and stories on a Teams, Slack or other internal channel, and celebrate their success. Seeing colleagues participate and prioritize their mental health creates a ripple effect, encouraging employees to prioritize their own mental health.
Besides Mental Health Action Day, employers have a wide array of other resources for their workplace. Here’s a few:
Addressing employees’ mental health benefits both employees and their employers. And with May being Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s a perfect time to evaluate policies, culture and benefits related to workplace mental health issues.