CEO (with short-term goals): Let us reward the high-performers.
CHRO: Sure! Let us pay $X dollars for every extra hour logged
CFO: Go ahead. We can do that.

CEO (with long-term goals): Why are our high-performers feeling too exhausted?
CHRO: Most of them are clocking in 3-4 hours extra everyday.
CEO: Let’s balance the workload. How many do we need to hire?
CFO: Hiring is going to affect the bottom line by $XXXXX. How about we just reward them for overwork?
CEO: No. Let’s hire more folks. The gain will be long term. We need to focus on building a good Willingness to Join and Willingness to Stay.

Have you been dealing with: “My high performers just quit and they take up something else because they feel it’s not worth it.”

Research, according to HBR, suggests that the cost of losing an employee typically falls between six to nine months’ worth of their salary. For technical and executive roles, this expense can climb as high as twice the employee’s annual compensation.

• For consistent performers, busyness is inevitable.
• Even when someone is passionate about their work, the demands can lead to exhaustion and burnout.

The fundamental challenge: how do we address overwork and achieve a healthier balance?

When high performers get busy, a system of inertia takes over. The momentum builds, and breaking free from it becomes difficult. Overcoming this inertia requires a force greater than the one driving it—and that’s where organizations come in.

When high performers are consistently rewarded, both they and their organizations become trapped in a cycle of “keep going.” High performers end up being driven by responsibilities and rewards.

The rewards become both a motivator and a form of control, making it difficult for individuals to step back, even when they recognize the toll it’s taking on their well-being.

The Organizational Role in Solving Overwork

• It is the organization’s role to address the problem of overwork at scale.
• While individuals can attempt to manage their workload, this often results in isolated solutions that don’t address the systemic nature of the issue.
• To create and sustain change, organizations must adopt frameworks that prioritize sustainable work practices.

I recently came across Brigid Schulte’s book, Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life. Schulte writes,

‘’ [r]ather than, say, hir[ing] sufficient staff to manage the workload, pay[ing] them well, and streamlin[ing] processes to focus on getting the most important work done rather than the hours spent at the office or worksite.’

While this sounds simple, it’s challenging for organizations to implement—and even harder to sustain.

Whether an organization is large or small, corporate or founder-led, the key lies in leadership’s willingness to embed these values into the company’s DNA. Somebody has to believe and take ownership at the top.

It is not easy! Leaders must believe in and commit to practices that prevent overwork. Schulte cites Intel as an example of a company that successfully implemented a pilot program which no longer exists. This highlights the difficulty of maintaining these frameworks, especially when short-term business pressures arise.

Connecting Overwork Solutions to HR Transformation

Addressing overwork isn’t just about employee well-being—it’s a strategic imperative for retaining top (ideal) talent. From an HR perspective, the concept of “Willingness To Join (WTJ)” hinges on creating a genuine perception of an organization as a great place to work. This isn’t about flashy employee value propositions crafted by consultants; Willingness to Join is about the lived reality of employees.

Implementing frameworks that support high performers can significantly improve retention. When organizations take responsibility for preventing burnout, they create ambassadors for their brand. These satisfied, engaged employees become the most powerful testament to an organization’s value proposition.

However, many organizational leaders remain focused on immediate financial metrics like quarterly top and bottom lines. While this short-term thinking might yield quick results, it undermines long-term success.

The spark that creates long-term burnout in a firm is often unnoticed. And mostly, these sparks are the rewards given for overwork.

A New Way of Thinking: From hours logged to outcomes achieved

Organizations must rethink their approach to workload management. This means hiring enough staff to distribute work evenly, compensating employees fairly, and shifting the focus from hours worked to outcomes achieved. Managers need to be encouraged not to overload high performers, even if it seems efficient in the short term.

The transformed way of thinking will incur more inorganic costs and efforts but will definitely yield results in the long-run.

This isn’t just an investment in employee well-being—it’s an investment in the organization’s future. By embedding these practices into the organizational culture, companies can foster long-term growth, profitability, and employee satisfaction. It’s a form of corporate responsibility that benefits not just the business but its customers and stakeholders as well.

Overwork is a persistent problem, but it doesn’t have to be an inevitable one. High performers will always be busy, but with the right organizational support, they don’t have to burn out.

It’s a top-bottom transformation: While individuals can make changes on a personal level, the real transformation must come from the top. Organizations that take this responsibility seriously will not only retain their best talent but also thrive in the long run.

In the end, it’s about creating an environment where work is sustainable, meaningful, and balanced—because everyone deserves more than just survival in their professional life. They deserve the opportunity to thrive.

Article Parameters

Relevant Personas: HR Professionals, HR Consultants, C Suite Leaders, Employees
HR Problem: Preventing High performers from burnout
Solution Style: Quantitative Dip for a well known Qualitative problem

About Manu Khetan

Manu, Founder and CEO of Rolling Arrays, a global HR technology leader, brings two decades of expertise to redefine HR practices. Passionate about pioneering HR automation and nurturing talent, Manu advocates for a customer-first and employee-first approach, prioritizing value creation. Beyond the boardroom, he is a dedicated family man, a skilled pianist, and an advocate for empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs. Join Manu on the transformative journey where HR emerges as a dynamic force for positive change in the business world.