A Few Signs of Burnout

Common indicators of burnout include:

  • Decreased performance and productivity
  • Increased absenteeism
  • Emotional outbursts or negative interactions
  • Cynicism or detachment from work 

As we all know and understand, workplace burnout can be a significant issue in any of our organizations and throughout the workforce.  How do we help solve this common problem? What opportunities can we offer to employees to reduce workplace burnout? Lead by example and set the tone at the top of the organization to counter workplace burnout, while ensuring employee commitment and engagement.

My 6 recommendations on countering workplace burnout:

  1. Prioritize Your Health:  This is a challenge for all of us, with long workdays and challenging work schedules (electronic responses late night).  Look for opportunities to reduce stress and recognize when it is time to turn it off.  Eat healthy, exercise regularly (I work out at 5am most mornings, it is a great way to start the day), get a full night’s sleep (turn the TV off and other technology early) and meditate or find alternatives to reduce stress.  Developing disciplined and healthy habits will help you develop a routine; health should be a priority for all of us; I learned this the hard way.
  2. Compassion:  We all have different workstyles and how we personally handle stress and burnout.  Recognize your own signs when work and life are too much, know that it is okay to take a break and rejuvenate for a few days. Know when employees in the organization are burning out and ask them to take a break.  Burnout isn’t a personal failure, its simply time for a break.  Make the break a priority.
  1. Set the Tone at the Top:  Some of you have seen emails from me at 3am (or earlier), this is an area where I need to heed my own advice.  Set a good example as leaders in the organization and know when a break is needed and when to turn off the technology.  Encourage employees to take downtime and focus on life, not work.
  2. The Why:  Have a true understanding of the reasons your organization or you personally are having workplace burnout. Is there anything we need to change as an organization?  Is there anything I need to change?  Can we do 4-day work weeks in the summer? Ask for feedback from the workforce and actively listen.  Make the necessary changes to avoid burnout within yourself and your workforce.
  3. Vacation & PTO Days:  We have vacation and PTO days as a benefit in most organizations for a reason.  Use the days granted by the organization and understand the value of using vacation and PTO days.  Encourage subordinates to use these days as well and enforce the no technology usage on vacation policy.  It is necessary to unplug, I still have not learned this.
  4. Learn to Unplug:  I will call myself a hypocrite with this recommendation. I have not learned how to unplug as of yet, but I am working on it! Technology controls the way we communicate and how we run our organizations.  We have the ability to have instant access to information and need it to make effective and sound decisions.  Turning off the technology is not a bad thing; it provides the break we all need.  Learn how to unplug, even if it is only checking messages once a day on vacation (let’s see how well I am following my own advice).  I was in Yellowstone National Park, so cellphone service was sporadic at best, which helped me turn off the technology for a while.

These are a just a few thoughts I have had as I reflect back on a busy first half of 2025 and recognize areas I need to personally improve on work-life balance, while learning to unplug.  We all work differently, find the balance between life and work that is effective for you and your organizations.  Taking a break is not failing, it is recognizing your mind, body and spirit need to do something different or do nothing at all for a few days.  Enjoy the summer.

Strategies to Address and Prevent Burnout

  1. Foster a Culture of Wellbeing:
    1. Make employee wellbeing a core part of organizational culture, not just an HR initiative.
    1. Encourage work-life balance by promoting reasonable hours, flexible schedules, and the use of vacation time 
  2. Equip Managers to Support Employees:
    1. Train managers to set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and remove barriers to success.
    1. Encourage open communication and regular check-ins to identify stressors early 
  3. Promote Mental Health Awareness:
    1. Offer mental health resources, such as confidential counseling or workshops on stress management.
    1. Normalize discussions about mental health to reduce stigma 
  4. Recognize and Reward Employees:
    1. Provide rewards that show appreciation for employees as individuals, not just for their performance. This could include gift cards, extra time off, or public recognition 
  5. Improve Workload Management:
    1. Use tools to optimize scheduling and ensure adequate staffing levels.
    1. Avoid last-minute changes that create unnecessary stress 
  6. Leverage Technology for Insights:
    1. Tools like Deloitte’s “Vitals” dashboard can help monitor employee workloads and identify early signs of burnout. Such systems enable proactive interventions 
  7. Create a Positive Work Environment:
    1. Encourage collaboration, fairness, and respect among team members.
    1. Adjust environmental factors like noise levels, lighting, and seating arrangements to enhance comfort  (You.com)

NYC ESSTA Rules Incorporating Prenatal Leave

The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection issued amended rules on May 30, 2025, formally incorporating the state prenatal leave requirement into ESSTA. Changes and obligations related to prenatal leave, which are effective July 2, 2025, include:

Policy Requirements

The obligation to promulgate and distribute a policy related to ESSTA is expanded to require that such policy address paid prenatal leave entitlements. Under the rules, employers must distribute their written safe and sick time and paid prenatal leave policies to employees personally upon hire and within 14 days of the effective date of any policy changes and upon an employee’s request.

In essence, all NYC employers have an obligation to modify their current policy and reissue the revised policy to current employees.

Employee Notice of Rights, Posting

The Department also issued an updated Notice of Employee Rights that includes paid prenatal leave. The updated notice must be provided to new hires and to current employees when rights change (which is the case here), and employers must maintain a record of receipt by the employee. The notice also must be posted.

All NYC employers have an obligation to modify the notice required for new hires and reissue the notice to current employees.

Paystub Requirement

For each pay period in which an employee uses prenatal leave, the following information must be clearly documented on pay stubs or other documentation provided to the employee, such as a pay statement:

  • The amount of paid prenatal leave used during the pay period; and
  • Total balance of remaining paid prenatal leave available for use in the 52-week period.

Takeaways

  • Changes to NYC’s paid prenatal leave requirement take effect 07.02.25.
  • They incorporate and enhance NYS prenatal leave protections that went into effect at the beginning of this year.
  • NYC employers should understand their obligations and implement the changes to policies, notices, and recordkeeping.

Related links


NYS Paid Prenatal Leave Rights

Since Jan. 1, 2025, all private-sector employers in New York have been required to provide up to 20 hours of paid prenatal leave in a 52-week period to eligible employees, regardless of company size. The 52-week leave period starts on the first day the prenatal leave is used.

The prenatal leave entitlement is in addition to the statutory sick leave entitlement and other paid time off benefits provided by company policy or applicable law, and it applies only to employees receiving prenatal healthcare services, such as medical exams, fertility treatments, and end-of-pregnancy appointments. Spouses, partners, or support persons are not eligible to use prenatal leave.

Employers cannot force employees to use other leave first or demand medical records or confidential health information to approve prenatal leave requests. (See NYS Paid Prenatal Leave: Employers Must Manage a New Entitlement in the New Year.) (Jackson Lewis)

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Published by Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered CIPD

Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered MCIPD Lean Six Sigma Black Belt ABOUT: Matthew Burr has over 18-years of experience working in the human resources field, starting his career as an Industrial Relations Intern at Kennedy Valve Manufacturing to most recently founding and managing a human resource consulting company; Burr Consulting, LLC, Talentscape, LLC and Co-Owner of Labor Love, a Labor, and Employment Law poster printing company. Prior to founding the consulting firm, the majority of his career was heavy industry manufacturing and healthcare. He specializes in compliance auditing, training labor and employment law, conflict resolution, performance management, labor, and employment relations. Matthew has a generalist background in HR and operations, while providing strategic HR and operational solutions to his clients, focusing on small and medium sized organizations. He works as an Adjunct at Alfred State University, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and Montgomery Community College. He successfully designed an HR Concentration in the business management major that aligned with both SHRM and HRCI certifications, providing opportunities for students to sit for both the SHRM-CP and aPHR certifications upon completion of the degree, concentration, and internship hours as an Assistant Professor of Management at Elmira College (Retired January 2022). Matthew is also the SHRM Certification Exam Instructor, with a current pass rate of 92% on the SHRM-SCP and 83% pass rate on the SHRM-CP and a combined 88% on both exams over a 7-year period of instructing the course (Elmira College, Collin College & The College of St. Rose). Matthew works as a trainer at Tompkins Cortland Community College, Corning Community College, Broome Community College, and HR Instructor for Certification Preparation for the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). He also acts as an On-Call Mediator and Factfinder through the Public Employment Relations Board in New York State, working with public sector employers and labor unions. PUBLICATIONS: Matthew has over 70+ publications including, American Bar Association (ABA) Experience Magazine, Cornell HR Review, Business Insider, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), PayScale, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Expert 360 (in Australia). In early 2017, he published his first book, “$74,000 in 24 Months: How I killed my student loans (and you can too!),” proceeded by his second book, which was published in January 2021, “Slay the Student Loan Dragon: Tips and Tricks on How to Conquer the Student Loan Game” and his most recent book, “Unbox Your HR Career” in July 2023. VOLUNTEER WORK: Matthew is currently the New York State Society of Human Resource Management (NYSSHRM) District-Director. EDUCATION & TRAINING: Additional Training & Development:  SHRM Workplace Coaching and Mentoring Recertification Program, 2020  SHRM Foundation Employing Abilities @Work Certificate, 2020  SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certificate Program, 2018  Delta County Chamber of Commerce: Delta Force Leadership Program, 2013 FEATURED IN & ON: Matthew was featured on CNN Money, Fast Company, Fits Small Business, Fox News, Magnify Money, Monster.com, My Twin Tiers, Namely, Student Loan Hero, Smart Sheet and CEO Blog Nation, Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Burr Consulting, LLC Capabilities Statement General Information: Burr Consulting, LLC Owner: Matthew W. Burr Mission Statement: “Strategically Aligning HR as a Partner for the Success of Your Business” Contact Information: Burr Consulting, LLC What's New in HR Blog Talentscape, LLC Labor Love, LLC (Labor Posters) The HR Support Center The Upstate HR Podcast (607)227-4386 Matthew@Burrconsultingllc.com Facebook: Burr Consulting, LLC LinkedIn: Burr Consulting, LLC Twitter: @Burrconsulting Online Certification Verification: Credibly Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Number: 080776443 NAICS Codes: 541612, 923130, 54161, 541611, 541613, 611430, 541618, 561312, 561311 SIC: 8742, 8748, 9441, 8748001, 8748026 Our Services HR MANAGEMENT New Hire Orientation; Temporary HR Support; Recruiting and Application Tracking; HR Compliance (ADA, FMLA); Employee Handbook; Policy and Procedure; HRIS; HR Audits; Job Profile Design and Revision; HR Key Performance Indicators; EEO Reporting and Classification; State Unemployment Insurance Services TRAINING & TRAINING DEVELOPMENT Organizational Development; Employee Relations; Workplace Violence; Harassment & Sexual Harassment; Union Awareness; Managerial EMPLOYEE & LABOR RELATIONS Employee Relations Training; Conflict Resolution; Mentoring; Workplace Investigations; Labor Contract Costing; Mediation & Arbitration Prep; Fact-Finding; Workplace Investigations; Coaching & Counseling; Performance Reviews; Contingency Plan Development; Contingency Plan Training; State of New York Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)PERB Mediation and Fact-Finding Panels (Albany, NY covering the Elmira, NY Area) HIRING & RECRUITMENT Applicant Tracking Systems; Metric Development; Interview Training; Workforce Planning; Recruitment; Interviews; Job Offers; New Hire Process POLICY & COMPENSATION Group Plans – Healthcare, Dental, Vision, Group Life, Short- and Long-Term Disability; Retirement – 401(k), Profit Sharing, Roth; Workers Compensation; Total Compensation Design and Strategy; Deferred Compensation Plans; Salary Surveys; Reward Systems; Online Payroll; Customized Payroll Processing; Employee Self Service; Customized Reporting HR COMPLIANCE MATERIALS Burr Consulting, LLC is excited to announce a new partnership with Labor Love LLC, expanding our services to include HR printed materials compliant with industry standards.

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