[00:00:00] Hi everyone. My name's Dex Randall, and this is the Burnout Recovery Podcast where I teach professionals to recover from burnout and get back to passion and reward at work.

[00:00:22] Hello my friends. Welcome to today's episode on the State of Burnout 2025. Because the pandemic, didn't it blow the doors off the way that we work? And ever since we've been scrambling to adapt. But the new pressures, AI adoption, hybrid work fatigue, constant economic uncertainty, the "do more with less" culture have really just created fresh forms of burnout.

[00:00:53] So in today's episode, I'm doing a state of the union check-in. What burnout looks like in 2025. Who it's hitting hardest, what's actually improving and where we're still failing. And of course, I'll share with you what this means for you and how you can close 2025 as the year you reclaim your energy, leadership and joy.

[00:01:17] So before the pandemic burnout was a hushed and shameful thing. It was already huge -I myself have been working exclusively in burnout recovery since 2018- but people still thought, "If I'm burnt out, I must be weak. It's my fault". Then came 2020 through 2022 when burnout hit the mainstream, everyone was talking about it, and in 2025, the landscape shifted again.

[00:01:52] Hybrid work was supposed to free us up, but instead it blurred every boundary. People are always on. AI tools are meant to reduce workload, but now professionals feel like they're running to keep up with the machine. Economic pressure and widespread layoffs mean doing the work of two people is just the new normal.

[00:02:14] Burnout hasn't gone away, it's become baked into the system. So, let's look at who's carrying the heaviest load right now. Executives and leaders -still pretending they're fine while carrying impossible shareholder and stakeholder pressure. Middle managers -the meat in the sandwich squeezed from above and below, often the hardest hit. High achievers -in corporate roles battling imposter syndrome and quietly fearing being replaced by tech. Healthcare professionals -still reeling, still at crisis levels of pressure, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, burnout, and suicide.

[00:03:01] A Forbes study in 2025 found 66% of employees report being burnt out. Two out of three people. Another survey puts the number even higher -82% at risk of burnout this year. Mental Health UK burnout report 2025 suggested 91% of adults experienced high or extreme stress last year.

[00:03:28] And it's not just stress, it's full body burnout.

[00:03:32] The Times reported that 85% of workers experience, physical burnout, symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and headaches. Nearly half have already taken time off because of it. And among younger professionals it's worse: 94% of 25 to 34 year olds say they've hit burnout symptoms. Pretty much everybody, isn't it?

[00:04:00] But you know, that's where we start, but it's not all doom. Some progress is happening.

[00:04:08] Mental health isn't such a taboo subject these days. Leaders are more willing to admit they're struggling and more approachable to discuss team members struggles. Coaching, therapy and wellbeing support are more accessible, although arguably some measures are still not really moving the needle.

[00:04:28] People are quicker to recognize this isn't sustainable instead of grinding themselves into the ground for years. And of course, some companies are experimenting with real solutions. Four day work weeks, results-only work environments, more autonomy. All of that is movement.

[00:04:48] The recent talent LMS survey found that 54% of workers were occasionally or frequently unhappy at work, which improves on 2024 figures and 62% of employees say their managers listen to their concerns. In the Australian Institute of Health and Safety 2025 survey wellbeing is up 14%, productivity up 8% year on year. And this is very promising because productivity actually drives better wellbeing.

[00:05:27] So now let's look at, okay what's still not working? Let's not sugarcoat it. We are still failing in some big ways. Companies still throw perks at the problem -yoga apps, free snacks- but don't change the workload or the toxic culture. Overwork is still glorified, "busy" is still a badge of honor.

[00:05:50] People are waiting until crisis point before they reach out for help, and younger generations are being hammered. In the UK, only 33% of workers under 25 say they can switch off when they need to, compared to almost half of older workers. Comfort with telling your boss you're struggling has collapsed from 75% last year to just 56% this year.

[00:06:16] That's not a generational gap. It's a generational red flag.

[00:06:21] And then there's the phenomenon of Quiet Cracking, where people stay in their jobs but mentally check out. But didn't we used to call this Quiet Quitting?

[00:06:32] Over half of US workers now say they experience it regularly. They haven't resigned on paper, but they've resigned in spirit, which is disturbing.

[00:06:43] Also, because burnout leads to 2.5 times the feelings of isolation, this generates reduced wellbeing, reduced productivity, and poorer job retention in the 2025 Gallagher survey.

[00:06:59] We see trends of employees in burnout split into three groups: 34% of people are Thrivers, of whom 25% are still burning out, 58% are Survivors, 33% burning out and 8% are Strugglers, 60% burning out. Most of the thriving group, by the way, are able to make and sustain positive change. Most in the latter two groups are thinking about, but not making, any change at all.

[00:07:33] So here's how those groups shake down.

[00:07:35] Thrivers are mostly senior leaders and what they want is more professional development, flexible work arrangements, clarity of expectations, leadership support, and belonging.

[00:07:49] Survivors, who are mostly team members, want flexible work arrangements, extra holiday, base salary, bullying protection and leadership support.

[00:08:01] And Strugglers who are mostly the frontline leaders want extra holiday, flexible work arrangements, base salary, bullying protection, and the safety to speak up.

[00:08:14] Perhaps you identify which group that you fall into?

[00:08:18] Let's be blunt. Burnout isn't just tragic. It's also expensive. The Fortune 2025 report suggests that burnout costs US companies 438 billion in lost productivity per year, and (from old 2019 data) an additional 190 billion in healthcare costs every year. I haven't got an updated figure on that one.

[00:08:47] Really, burnout isn't a personal weakness, it's a systemic failure that's draining organizations, economies and families. Those surveys suggest that leadership is the biggest lever we have at the organizational level to help with burnout, protecting workers from harm, developing human leadership, people-centric cultures, strong team bonding,

[00:09:15] and pathways to personal growth.

[00:09:17] A Forbes article "Feed the right wolf: How leaders are Fighting Burnout in 2025" suggests that the Cherokee fable of the two wolves applies here. A grandfather tells his grandson, inside every person two wolves are in constant battle. One represents fear, anger, greed, and ego. The other stands for peace, kindness, humility, and compassion. When asked, which one wins, the grandfather replies "the one you feed".

[00:09:51] Leaders have the power to feed one of those two wolves in their workplace culture.

[00:09:57] One wolf thrives on unhealthy competition, internal politics, and self-serving behaviors. It feeds on endless meetings, superficial initiatives, and mind numbing bureaucracy that sucks the life out of employees.

[00:10:15] The other wolf embodies collaboration, purpose, and simplicity. It fuels meaningful work, genuine connection, and a collective mission that energizes people instead of draining them.

[00:10:28] This is precisely my take on leadership and culture, and it's why I teach emotional intelligence to empower leaders with these humanistic skills. This turns of course, to then empower and uplift both leaders and their teams, resulting in better performance and innovation, reduce conflict, stress and turnover, and of course, higher profits.

[00:10:52] It's the ultimate win-win.

[00:10:56] As leaders, we shape our work culture. With each decision, we either build trust or we chip away at it.

[00:11:04] Forbes highlights, killing stupid rules, defining meaningful work, and making time for deep work as reducing burnout, deciding which values to amplify.

[00:11:15] Interestingly, Microsoft are continuing to implement a four day work week across their organization and seeing 27% drop in stress and 35% boost in productivity.

[00:11:28] And here's my perspective. At a personal level, burnout in 2025 isn't just depletion. It's a signal. It's like life tapping you on the shoulder saying "this way isn't working anymore". Yes, the numbers are grim, but the opportunity is huge. Because burnout forces transformation. It strips away what doesn't work and makes space for something new.

[00:11:54] If you let it, burnout can be the doorway into more energy, more joy, more purpose, more leadership.

[00:12:03] So my invitation to you is this. Take a brutally honest look at where you are right now. Ask yourself, is this sustainable? Am I actually living the life I want? Then decide what you want 2026 to look like for you at work as a human, as a leader, and also for your family.

[00:12:26] You don't have to wait for your organization, your boss, or the economy to change. You can choose differently anytime you like. For a better 2026, the time to act is now. It takes three months to sustainably recover from burnout and create a life you love.

[00:12:44] So here's a stage of burnout in 2025. It's still rampant. It's still costly, but it's also more visible and more understood and more recoverable than ever before. The danger isn't really burnout itself. The danger is ignoring it until it steals your career, your relationships, and your joy.

[00:13:05] But here's the good news. You can change the story. 2025 could be the year you stop running on fumes and start living with energy, passion, and purpose again, ready for an epic 2026 with you at the helm of your own destiny.

[00:13:24] And that's what I'd love to see for you.

[00:13:27] I invite you to demand a different future.

[00:13:30] Come and talk to me about your hopes and dreams, and what separates you from them right now. I run a three month coaching program that guarantees burnout recovery, and will put you and your career on a sound trajectory for 2026.

[00:13:48] Book an appointment to talk with me at dexrandall.com.

[00:13:54] And if you felt inspired by this episode, please do share it with others who also need this message of hope and action.

[00:14:03] And tune in next week for more ideas to expand your work future.