From burnout to balance: Rethinking flexibility in the workplace 

At a glance:

• Burnout is widespread and costly: Nearly half of employees frequently experience exhaustion or burnout, contributing to around 40% of resignations and costing the Australian economy an estimated $14 billion each year.
• It’s rarely one thing: Burnout builds when multiple pressures stack up — work overload, lack of autonomy, unclear expectations, and toxic culture. Addressing it requires looking at how work itself is designed, not just adding wellbeing initiatives.
• Flexibility is shifting from perk to expectation: With 96% of Australian organisations now offering some form of flexible work, the question is no longer whether to offer it, but how to implement it well — so it supports wellbeing rather than quietly extending it.
• What good looks like in practice: Organisations like Beyond Blue show that flexibility works best when backed by clear boundaries, regular employee feedback, and strong leadership — with policies that protect people’s time, not just their productivity.

Almost half (49%) of employees reported frequently experiencing exhaustion or burnout over the past 12 months. And the impact of this widespread burnout is not only personal, but organisational. Burnout now contributes to around 40% of resignations, and in Australia alone, it is estimated to cost the economy $14 billion each year.

These figures point to a growing need for organisations to reflect on how they support employee wellbeing. Burnout is rarely the result of a single factor, and while wellbeing initiatives play an important role, they cannot address the issue on their own.

This calls for a broader rethink of how work itself is structured. Creating environments where expectations are balanced with the support, autonomy, and flexibility people need to sustain their work over time.

When approached thoughtfully, flexibility can be a powerful way for organisations to move from a culture of burnout toward one that supports greater balance and long-term wellbeing.

To explore what this looks like in practice, we teamed up with workplace wellbeing experts Georgia Russell, Nina Sunina, and Elaine Fowler in a recent masterclass: Burnout to Balance. 

Watch the full recording below or keep reading for the key insights.

Without new ways of working, the current approaches and ways organisations have been thinking about wellbeing will actually not be sufficient moving forward.

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Meet the experts

Georgia Russell is the Executive Director of Consulting and Product Innovation at Shiloh. She is a commercial and customer-focused HR executive with more than 20 years of experience across consulting and in-house HR leadership roles. With a background in law and strategy consulting, Georgia combines a deep passion for people with a strong understanding of how to drive business success.

Nina Sunina is the Head of People and Culture at Beyond Blue and an accomplished leader in human resources and organisational culture. With a strong background in consultancy, she has demonstrated incredible expertise in leadership, talent management, and organisational dynamics. 

Elaine Fowler is a Senior Psychologist at Sonder and a clinical supervisor working in the digital health space since 2012. During her career, she has worked as a frontline therapist, clinic manager, and researcher, with a focus on mood disorders and evidence-based strategies. Elaine brings valuable expertise to conversations around mental health and wellbeing.

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Why burnout is rising in modern workplaces

70% of HR leaders report increased burnout in their organisations. However, the cause rarely sits in isolation. More often, burnout develops when several workplace pressures build and interact at once. 

Most common drivers of burnout: 

• Work overload: In industries that reward constant busyness, employees can become overworked as workloads regularly exceed the time or resources available.

• Lack of autonomy: When employees have little control over how their work is structured or prioritised, work can feel disheartening and draining. 

• Unclear expectations: Poorly defined roles or success measures leave employees second-guessing priorities and unsure what good performance looks like.

• Feeling undervalued: When effort and responsibility are not matched with recognition or reward, motivation erodes. 

• Toxic workplace culture: Micromanagement, lack of support, poor communication, or bullying create sustained pressure that makes work difficult to sustain.

• Values misalignment: When employees feel disconnected from an organisation’s purpose or values, it can be hard to find meaning in their work.

Organisations need to understand wellbeing as a dynamic balancing act that shifts with workload, support, and workplace culture.

Work moves in ebbs and flows and troughs, so the idea that everything is always in balance isn’t necessarily realistic.

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The “wellbeing seesaw”: balancing demands and resources

Research on workplace wellbeing often frames burnout as a balance between job demands and the resources employees have to manage them. 

One helpful way to picture this is as a “wellbeing seesaw.” When demands consistently outweigh resources, the balance tips toward burnout.

On one side of the seesaw are work demands, which can increase burnout risk:

• high workloads
• organisational change
• job insecurity
• return-to-office mandates
• poor workplace relationships

On the other side are work resources, which help employees stay well and productive:

• clear role expectations
• connection to purpose
• supportive leadership
• recognition and reward
• flexibility in how work is structured
• time for rest and recovery

In practice, this balance will not be perfect. Workplace wellbeing is a constant balancing act, shifting as demands, pressures, and support change over time. 

For HR and senior leaders, the goal isn’t to achieve permanent balance, but to notice when the seesaw begins to tip and respond before burnout takes hold.

One of the ways that we are thinking about this wellbeing seesaw… rarely are things always balanced as they need to be, but rather it's a constant balancing act around wellbeing.

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Flexibility is moving from a perk to a workplace expectation

Today, 96% of Australian organisations offer some form of flexible work, though the exact structure varies widely. Flexibility comes in many forms, including hybrid arrangements, remote work, adjustable schedules, or project-based ways of working.

When implemented thoughtfully, flexibility can have a meaningful impact on workplace culture and employee wellbeing. As it becomes a central feature of modern work, leaders need to think carefully about how flexibility is designed and used within their teams.

Benefits of workplace flexibility: 

• A more inclusive workforce: Flexible arrangements enable participation from a broader range of people, including caregivers, people with disabilities, and employees working across different locations.

• Productivity outcomes: Research from the Australian Productivity Commission challenges the assumption that productivity depends on full-time office attendance. Evidence shows hybrid work does not necessarily reduce performance and, in some cases, can improve it.

• Talent attraction and retention: Flexibility is now one of the most important factors employees consider when evaluating job opportunities. Organisations that offer it are better positioned to attract and retain skilled workers.

• Employee autonomy: Greater control over work patterns helps employees manage pressure more sustainably and reduces the risk of burnout.

Ultimately, flexibility is rapidly shifting from a workplace benefit to a structural expectation, increasingly embedded in policy and legislation. Leaders must now learn how to implement it effectively for it to deliver real benefits.

We are seeing increasing legal and cultural expectations around flexible work, including legislation such as the right to disconnect.

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The mental health reality of flexible work

From a psychological perspective, flexible work can significantly influence employee wellbeing. 

Greater autonomy over when and how work is completed allows people to better integrate their professional responsibilities with the rest of their lives. Employees can attend family commitments, exercise during the day, or structure work around their natural energy patterns.

Part of what makes flexibility so powerful is that employees experience work very differently. Productivity rhythms, preferred environments, and social needs vary widely from person to person. 

Some individuals work best early in the morning, while others are more productive later in the day. Some thrive in quiet environments that support deep focus, while others benefit from regular interaction and collaboration.

Flexible work arrangements can create space for these differences, allowing organisations to support wellbeing in ways that are more responsive to the realities of their workforce. 

Flexible working arrangements result in a strong work-life balance. Having that choice and autonomy, to choose days or times to attend the office to suit your lifestyle, or hours, will ultimately reduce distress… It will give that greater individual control, ensure that the employee is fitting in self-care, like exercise or kids' school events, which is all going to have that positive impact on mental health.

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What flexible work looks like in practice

The success of workplace flexibility largely depends on how organisations implement it in practice. 

Nina Sunina runs through some of the ways Beyond Blue implements structural policies designed to increase flexibility and protect employee wellbeing.

• Team-led office attendance: Employees are not required to attend the office on fixed days. Instead, teams decide what works best for them, often naturally establishing “anchor days” to collaborate in person.
  
• Organisation-wide connection: Events known as “moments that matter” bring staff together for leadership briefings, organisational updates, and team-building activities. Interstate employees are funded to travel several times a year to attend.
  
• Protected break time: The daily “BB Break” between 12:30 and 1:30pm is a meeting- and email-free window designed to encourage rest and recovery during the workday.
  
• Clear communication boundaries: Internal guidelines discourage sending emails before 7am or after 7pm to help protect personal time.
  
• Regular employee feedback: Annual engagement surveys and monthly pulse surveys help the organisation monitor how employees are experiencing their work environment.
  
• Family-friendly parental leave: Updated parental leave policies support greater flexibility for employees balancing work and family responsibilities.
  
• Wellbeing and safety oversight: A dedicated health, safety, and wellbeing committee monitoring workplace conditions.
  
• Leadership listening sessions: The CEO regularly meets with employees in small groups to understand their experiences and identify areas for improvement.
  
• Structured onboarding: The “Belonging at Beyond Blue” onboarding program helps new employees understand clear expectations, culture, and available support from the beginning.

Nina emphasised that policies alone are not enough. Organisations must also ensure employees genuinely disconnect during leave.

If you're actually taking annual leave, then the work stops… the expectation is not that colleagues step up and do two jobs while you're away.

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When flexibility can unintentionally increase burnout

Despite its benefits, flexibility can also introduce risks if boundaries are unclear, as employees remain constantly connected to work. 

 It’s essential that managers remain in tune with how their employees are managing in the workplace — watching for warning signs that flexible work arrangements are not functioning effectively.

These can include:

• employees working excessive hours
• declining collaboration or engagement
• isolation from colleagues
• increased absenteeism
• behavioural changes such as irritability, perfectionism or missed meetings.

Regular conversations about how flexible work is functioning for each employee are essential to identifying these issues early.

Staff can end up logged on 24/7… In the wrong hands, that flexibility can lead to a lack of boundaries and ultimately increase stress.

What this means for organisations

Organisations must increasingly examine how their work itself is structured.

Preventing burnout requires designing work environments where demands are balanced with the resources employees need to stay well. 

Flexibility plays an important role in this shift, but only when it is supported by:

• thoughtful work design 
• strong leadership
• clear boundaries
• ongoing dialogue with employees

When these elements work together, organisations can move beyond reacting to burnout and start creating workplaces where wellbeing is built into the way work happens.

For more perspectives on preventing burnout:

• Download our free report with expert insights on how to manage the psychosocial risk and impact of burnout, plus survey data from 2,000+ employees and Sonder customers.
• Hear how VP of People at Dovetail, Lucy Babbage, and Chief People Officer, Alex Hattingh  prevent stress and burnout in the workplace. 

Discover how Sonder supports organisations to take a proactive approach to employee wellbeing. Learn how our platform helps identify risks early, provide meaningful support, and create healthier workplaces.