A recent speaker told a North Augusta business audience that there is a fine line between resiliency and burnout. The age group most affected seemed to be a big surprise.
Sally Roberts, a longtime human resource leader, said people, women in particular, seen as resilient often are praised. While resiliency can be a virtue, it can become problematic if it stems from working too long, too hard, and to the detriment of personal health.
“You feel like you’re not accomplishing as much as you should. You’re not getting a lot done. You’ve got a lot of open windows. All three of your screens have open spreadsheets, but just feel like you’re not getting it all done. Ladies and gentlemen, you are candidates for burnout,” she said.
Roberts said Christina Maslach, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, was a leader in research done in the 1970s that coined the term burnout. She cited a 2026 study published by Forbes that found 66% among workers in the U.S. today report feeling burnout.
“Interestingly enough, 81%, it is the younger generation. It’s millennials and Gen Z, actually, that have the highest rate of burnout. We’re talking people that are 18 to 24 years old,” she listed. “For 18 to 34-year-olds, Gen X and I’m a proud Gen Xer, we’re not as burned out as our younger generation. We’re only at 54%.
The research included a breakdown of what situations are causing the stress leading to burnout. It found 24% said they have more work than they have time to complete it. A similar percentage cited inadequate resources or lacking the right tools.
Roberts said one inescapable statistic is that burnout is more prevalent in women. A demanding day at work is followed by a demanding day at home, caring for family, and putting family needs ahead of their own.
“There’s also a phenomenon of emotional exhaustion that typically impacts women more than men. Women take things more emotionally,” she explained. “We may think we’re tough, but deep down inside, we’re not. We can’t separate things, and so that causes more stress, obviously leading to burnout.”
She said business owners and managers may see the impact of burnout on their employees. While absenteeism is a clear sign, a larger impact comes from what she identified as disengaged workers, those employees at work but less productive.
According to a 2025 report from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, employee disengagement costs companies nearly $4,000 a year for a non-managerial hourly employee, up to more than $20,000 for an average executive.
Roberts said there are steps to take to nurture resilience without being relentless, setting themselves up for burnout. The first step is work-life integration.
“Fight hard for your own work-life integration, because if you don’t, your team will not be able to have work-life integration. You need to schedule time for your meditation, your quiet times, your exercise, your hobbies, your interests,” she said, adding that finding balance can be as basic as taking a lunch break.
Roberts said there are two more steps that can help managers and employees avoid burning out while staying engaged. One is to set priorities by recognizing not every instance requires urgent attention. The other is twofold. First, each person must set their boundaries. Second, individuals must respect each other’s boundaries.
