Talent   //   August 26, 2025

HR leaders explore why best performers risk burnout at BetterUp-sponsored roundtable

A counterintuitive finding is emerging from HR departments: the employees most likely to burn out aren’t the most disengaged or the biggest underperformers — rather, they’re the ones who care most about their work.

That reality came to light at a recent dinner gathering in New York of senior HR executives — hosted by WorkLife and sponsored by the employee coaching and development platform BetterUp. Chatham House Rules applied, meaning that participants agreed to speak on the condition they would not be identified by name or company.

This is the second in a four-part editorial series exploring topics covered at the event.

“Some employees who indicate really high levels of purpose and meaning are actually often some of the most stressed-out employees,” explained one participant. “Because the failures and everything that come with work are personal. They’re not just things that can be superficial or attributed to ‘that’s just work.’”

When employees deeply identify with their company’s mission, setbacks become personal failures rather than professional challenges. “It’s not just about failing at your job — it’s personal,” the executive continued. “Those who don’t identify as much are actually more likely to externalize the stress and say, ‘Well, it’s a bad work environment, whatever.’ Those who internalize it are often the most at risk.”

The feeling of connection to one’s coworkers also has a larger impact on burnout than many managers may realize. A BetterUp study found that more than half of workers surveyed said they wanted more connection at work and believe their employer plays a key role in making that happen — with that connection touching everything from employee retention to individual performance and well-being.

“Someone who normally produces stellar work and their work is not great — that’s usually a huge sign.”
Top HR executive

Meanwhile, contrary to the assumption that burnout primarily affects younger workers, research shows it concentrates among employees in their 40s and 50s. “That’s largely because of the level of span of control and responsibility you have, plus the ambiguity you had as an early career professional,” noted one participant.

It’s a segment that happens to face a perfect storm: significant management responsibilities, high expectations around individual contribution, and issues in one’s personal life. “When you’re at that point — you have kids, you may have aging parents, you have a mortgage — so you’re burning out but you have to keep going because you’ve got to keep the lights on,” one participant commented.

Traditional recognition programs may actually be making the problem worse, the people managers revealed. Research into intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation reveals a troubling dynamic, as one participant pointed out: external rewards can undercut the internal drive that makes work meaningful.

“You can very quickly undercut intrinsic motivation with extrinsic motivation,” they said. “If you have a passion project and you start paying someone for it, it actually undercuts the level of intrinsic motivation you have for it.”

The implication for workplace recognition is significant: “If I’m getting praised for something I don’t care about, what does that matter? But if I actually connect with the mission and I care and it’s actually resonant for me personally, and then you praise me on top of that — that’s going to be received very differently.”

The participants identified several early indicators that high performers are heading toward burnout, among them:

Disengagement. “The person’s usually less participating, off-camera, not really present in conversations, although they may physically be in the conversation.”

Quality deterioration. “Someone who normally produces stellar work and their work is not great — that’s usually a huge sign.”

Performance obsession. The most dedicated employees often push themselves beyond sustainable limits, creating a dangerous cycle.

The pandemic fundamentally altered workplace dynamics in ways that persist today. “We were all home, and all of a sudden the expectation is you’re working all the time from home,” observed one participant. “Then there’s this return-to-office thing, but we didn’t stop the asks of you when you’re at home.”

That has created what another participant called “a sprint being run as a marathon” — unsustainable intensity that’s become normalized.

Perhaps most importantly, the HR leaders emphasized that addressing burnout requires prevention, not treatment. “Once someone is defined as burned out, it’s often too late,” warned one executive. “You’re very likely not going to help those employees once the damage is done.” Instead, organizations should focus on “the predictors to get them to that point” and “the drivers right now that might yield burnout among those who are not burned out yet.”

The solution requires rethinking how organizations measure and reward performance, it was proposed. Rather than maximizing short-term productivity from top performers, successful companies are learning to optimize for sustainability. “It doesn’t really mean much if they’re very productive for a few months, burn out and leave, as opposed to maybe the upper middle part of the distribution where you find people who are quite productive but are also taking time for themselves,” explained one person present.

The data supports that approach: organizations that invest in sustainable performance rather than peak performance see better long-term results, both in retention and overall productivity.

As one exec noted: “At the end of the day, it’s a long-term investment. Developing internally is much better than hiring externally — cheaper for the organization and they already know the culture.”

Ultimately, while the burnout crisis is very real, it is not inevitable. Organizations that recognize the unique vulnerability of their most engaged employees — and adjust their management practices accordingly — could not just retain the top talent but create more sustainable paths to high performance.