Allowing yourself time to recover from work-related stress is vital to health and well-being. But it is often those who would benefit most who find it most challenging to do so. As executives navigate an increasingly complex business environment, we’re seeing unprecedented levels of leadership burnout.
This carries serious implications for companies as well as individuals. If high-performing executives fail to take care of their own health, the negative effects of their stress and fatigue – poor self-control and impulsivity, for example – will trickle down from the top. This can instill a culture of fear and guilt across the organization, harming morale and, consequently, productivity. Employees with empathetic, supportive managers report significantly higher levels of satisfaction, engagement and motivation than those with less supportive managers.
To encourage executives to make time for rest and recovery, chief human resources officers (CHROs) should address the stigma executives may perceive around seeking mental health support. By highlighting the many types of recovery available, the tangible benefits they can offer at an individual level, and the wider positive business impact of putting mental health first, CHROs can guide executives into healthier, more productive work patterns.
Business executives and managers are more likely than other workers to be highly engaged and connected to their organization, but they also experience more stress and other negative emotions related to work. Their risk to burnout is very real, with polls indicating that approximately 53% of managers globally report feeling burned out. This is not surprising given that a strong predictor of burnout is workaholism. Â
To effectively tackle exhaustion and other signs of burnout among executives and high-performers, it’s important to make a distinction between excessive and compulsive working. Â
Excessive working is not necessarily harmful, provided people “take back” the extra hours they work to meet a deadline or finish a project they’re passionate about. It is essential that there is compensatory downtime once the pressure is off. Â
Compulsive working is more problematic. It occurs when executives feel obliged to work excessively long or hard, even when they’re not enjoying it, with feelings of frustration, shame or guilt kicking in whenever they take a break. Â
While both types of overwork may lead to exhaustion and negative attitudes toward the job and work environment, executives who work compulsively are at higher risk of burnout. While “excessive workers” use their non-working hours to engage in recovery activities, the self-inflicted pressure constantly felt by “compulsive workers” makes it much harder for them to take time out, meaning their depleted reserves are never replenished. Â
All executives in high-pressure positions can find it difficult to prioritize recovery at times. This is called the recovery paradox: recovery processes are most impaired when individuals face a high level of job stress. Organizational culture is a vital factor in tackling this. By creating supportive environments and embedding recovery into operational processes, business leaders and CHROs can make a big difference for their teams and the organization.Â
“Research has shown that for high-performing executives with a strong tendency to overwork, socializing is less likely to serve as an effective recovery method compared to non-workaholic colleagues, as it still invites them to continue thinking and talking about work.”
Executives need to know the root cause of their exhaustion before they can decide on the best way to recover from it. Crucially, the recovering effect of activities outside work depends significantly on the degree to which they replenish the specific resources used during the workday.
For example, if an executive has a networking-heavy work schedule, going for a drink with friends may not be the best way to recover (depending also on whether they’re extraverted or introverted). Similarly, if their day is spent immersed in number crunching or strategic planning, socially rewarding interactions or physical activity will likely be more beneficial to recovery than solitary, passive activities such as watching television.
Research has shown that for high-performing executives with a strong tendency to overwork, socializing is less likely to serve as an effective recovery method compared to non-workaholic colleagues, as it still invites them to continue thinking and talking about work. For these leaders in particular, exercise during leisure time has been shown to have disproportional benefits, as it enhances psychological detachment from work while improving physical well-being. In addition, it draws on the positive experience of mastery they so readily apply in their professional lives.
Ultimately, there’s no recovery blueprint for people to follow. Whether it’s relaxation, exercise or a creative hobby, the replenishing effect of each activity is highly dependent on the specific resources an individual needs at a given job and point in time. Taking into account their individual context (personality, quality of social connections), executives must take stock of the ways in which their work demands deplete their resources and then explore the most efficient ways to replenish them.
At IMD, we are testing the effectiveness of different types of microbreaks, with promising results.
One recovery tactic that can be leveraged during a busy and fast-paced workday is microbreaks. These are five-to-15-minute pauses taken at regular intervals to recharge and boost energy and attention levels.
At IMD, we are testing the effectiveness of different types of microbreaks, with promising results. In one lab-controlled experiment, we first depleted the cognitive resources of our participants by having them complete an attention task under timed conditions. We then asked them to do nine minutes of high-ventilation breathwork, followed by three minutes spent returning to a normal breath rate. This dual breathing process oxygenates the brain and stimulates the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. It has been linked to high performance in both sports and business.
After this reactivating microbreak, participants completed the attention task again, allowing us to measure the extent to which our breathwork microbreak helped restore some of the depleted cognitive resources. We found that, unlike a more passive microbreak also tested, this short breathing exercise helped to reduce distraction, suggesting that this area is worthy of further investigation. So far, our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of microbreaks and support the claim that breathwork may indeed enhance cognitive performance.
Here too, however, it’s important to understand which resource is being depleted (cognitive attention) and which active ingredients in a microbreak lead to replenishment. While short, active breaks work well for this kind of high-speed concentration work, it may require a different recovery approach to foster creative thinking for example, or to unwind effectively after a long workday.
So, how can CHROs help executives prioritize their recovery?
Most research into recovery is about its connection to positive effects such as happiness. While happiness is, of course, an important component of well-being and a strong predictor of performance, framing the approach to recovery in this way may not convince work-driven individuals to prioritize it. Instead, it may be more impactful to highlight benefits to overall mental health, including emotional, physical, and cognitive functioning.
As part of our microbreak research program, we monitor functioning at these three levels by measuring both the subjective experience and objective indicators of well-being such as heart rate and brain activation. This contributes to a more holistic view on mental health and well-being in the workplace.
Going back to the recovery paradox, top leaders must free their executives from “recovery guilt,” even when deadlines are looming. Executives must be allowed to accept that running down their reserves or engaging in unsuitable passive recovery activities because they can’t face going for a run is counterproductive.
Emphasizing the effectiveness of microbreaks will be crucial here. Executives can embed them into their daily routines, combating exhaustion in a practical, sustainable way, rather than simply grinning and bearing it until their next stretch of annual leave. The same principle works for holidays: on some measures, short breaks can be more restorative than longer vacations. Longer breaks are necessary, but a mixture of long and shorter breaks will provide the most effective year-round recovery.
Leaders are role models. The more they prioritize their own well-being, the greater their positive influence on the wider workforce. Such health-oriented leadership has been proven to boost employee well-being by minimizing workplace conflict, reducing job insecurity, and improving working conditions.
Through role-modeling, leaders can demonstrate how everyone can integrate recovery into even the busiest schedule. This will feed into a positive work culture that benefits individuals and the whole organization. By encouraging recovery at the top, CHROs are laying the foundations for a healthier, happier, and more resilient workforce.
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