Burnout in top performers: When Hard Work Backfires

Founding Momentum, by Malika Boukhelifa, PhD

Picture this: Your top performer just landed the promotion they have been chasing for three years. Instead of celebration, they stare blankly at the congratulations email, feeling... nothing. Just exhaustion. This scenario plays out in offices worldwide every day, revealing a painful truth beneath our culture's narrative about hard work.

There is a common story we tell ourselves about hard work: the idea that the more we push, the closer we get to success and that sacrifice, long hours, and relentless effort are the keys to harvesting the fruits of our hard work. But there is a hidden and painful truth beneath this narrative. Often, the person who works the hardest is the one who burns out and misses out on enjoying the very success he or she earned.

Hard Work and Burnout Go Hand in Hand

We all agree that hard work is a virtue. It is often praised and celebrated. We are amazed by those who take on extra hours, who volunteer for tough challenges, and who never seem to stop. But sadly, hard work and burnout are closely intertwined, especially for the most driven and competent people: your top performers.

The Real Cost of Total Dedication

It is important to outline that hard work is not just about putting in hours. It is also about giving everything you have emotionally, thinking constantly about a project or work, and caring deeply. It is about total dedication both mentally and physically. When the demand for those "human resources" becomes constant, we run on an empty tank. That is when the system collapses.

Hard work is a virtue. But when overused, it can silently drain the very energy it is meant to celebrate.

When the Fruit of Labor Goes Unharvested

The cruel irony of working to exhaustion is that you might "win" but be too numb to feel it. Indeed, you might finally get the promotion, the recognition, and the success you have been chasing, but when the moment comes, you feel... nothing. Just tired. Empty.

The Ultimate Betrayal

Here is an even crueler twist: you are so mentally and physically exhausted that you cannot function anymore. You need time off, maybe medical leave. And while you are trying to recover, someone else swoops in to "help finish the project." That colleague gets the credit when your project launches successfully, and maybe even the promotion you worked toward for years.

Imagine pouring your heart and soul into a career or a mission, only to arrive at the finish line physically and mentally exhausted.

Burnout steals more than energy. It steals presence. It makes joy inaccessible.

The Vital Few: Burnout Targets the Most Valuable Employees

For employees, burnout is not entirely their fault. It is important to clarify that burnout is not only an individual loss or problem. It is also a problem for the organization.

The 80/20 Rule in Action

Here is the truth: most organizations follow the Pareto rule (80/20), which means that roughly 20 percent of employees produce 80 percent of the value, according to Koch's 80/20 Principle. This group, known as the "Vital Few," includes your innovators, quiet leaders, over-deliverers, and deeply committed professionals at all levels.

These 20 percent are also the most at risk of burnout, as recent Forbes research shows. Why? Because they care. Because they are dedicated. Because they take on more than they are asked. Because they do not want to disappoint. They are stretched thin. And what made them great becomes the very source of their downfall.

If you are recognizing yourself or your team in this description, you're not alone. I help professionals and companies break this cycle every day. Let us explore how.

When Excellence Becomes Failure

These bright employees gradually stop shining. Like a candle, they melt slowly until they are all consumed, and their spark is lost.

The Organizational Response Crisis

The consequences can be hard both on the company and the employees: Burned-out employees show up late, take more sick leave, become disengaged, or lose all enthusiasm. In addition to the loss of productivity, companies' responses are not always adequate. They often misinterpret burnout as laziness, weakness, or negativity.

The employees' sudden inability to overperform is seen as incompetence. It is as if these superheroes are quickly losing their magic power, making them useless. In some instances, instead of offering help, these high performers are hit with more kryptonite:

• Passed over for promotions.

• Disconnected from critical projects.

• Quietly pushed out or let go.

The Ripple Effect

It is a vicious cycle for both the employees and for the company. Once they are gone, organizations often realize they have lost a keystone. And that is not all. Their absence is not only expensive (new recruitment, onboarding, lost expertise); it also triggers waves of disengagement across the other teams.

If one person is clearly drowning, and leadership ignores it, or worse, rewards the burnout behavior, it sends a message of fear and mistrust to everyone else. Employee disengagement now affects 62% of the global workforce, according to Gallup.

Burnout is a big risk for any organization. If left untreated or improperly treated, it can take down the entire company. The entire team watches how you respond.

What you do and how you care matters. Loyalty depends on it.

Understanding the scope of this crisis requires looking at the hard numbers. The financial and human costs of burnout paint a stark picture of just how devastating this issue has become.

The Numbers of Burnout

Burnout is not just an emotional issue. It is a costly, measurable economic loss for both businesses and individuals.

For Organizations:

• 50%–200% of salary: cost to replace a high performer, according to SHRM research

• $190 billion/year: stress-related healthcare costs in the U.S., per systematic review studies

• $4,000–$21,000 per employee/year, totaling ~$5 million for a 1,000-person company, based on recent Forbes analysis and American Journal of Preventive Medicine research

For Individuals:

• 12–15% annual income loss due to burnout, per CEPR economic research

• 50% higher medical costs due to stress-related illness, studies show

• 1–3 years to recover from severe burnout, according to physician burnout research

This is a lose–lose situation: Companies lose high-value contributors. Individuals face identity crises, financial instability, and long recovery. Workplace culture erodes. Trust, loyalty, and safety suffer.

Burnout Hits Industries Differently

Burnout impacts a wide range of industries and professions differently, but the underlying story remains consistent. Healthcare workers, tech developers, teachers, consultants, caregivers, each face unique stressors that lead to burnout. This broad scope is well documented in psychiatric literature, identifying burnout as a complex syndrome across sectors.

Industry-Specific Challenges

Healthcare: Nurses and doctors are burning out at record rates. Often life and death are at stake, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as medical education research documents.

Tech: "Coding fatigue" is real. Constant pressure to innovate and meet deadlines drives many away from development careers.

Finance: 80+ hour workweeks during deal seasons are normal. The "two-year burnout" has become cultural.

Teaching & Consulting: Rising workloads, shrinking support, and relentless urgency make burnout frequent.

Caregiving: Many silently suffer burnout while caring for disabled or elderly loved ones, often with minimal resources or recognition.

The details differ, but the pattern is clear: the people who care the most are the ones who break first.

A Better Way Forward

It does not have to be this way. For most "vital few," their work is not the problem, but rather the environment, the workload, and leadership's emotional intelligence and understanding. Hardworking people and caregivers deserve better. So, what actionable steps can be taken?

What Individuals Can Do:

• Educate yourself about burnout. Learn to recognize the symptoms.

• Pause and listen. To your body, mind, and loved ones' complaints or concerns.

• Prioritize rest and recovery as you would performance.

• Keep your "oxygen tank" full: exercise, spend time outdoors, be present.

• Learn to say no, with confidence and without guilt.

  
  

Remember: A healthier "you" works, cares, and enjoys better.

What Organizations Must Do:

• Train managers, team leaders, and employees to recognize burnout and respond with care.

• Promote sustainable workloads.

• Create and enforce real mental health and leave policies.

• Build a wellbeing-oriented culture.

• Celebrate contribution, not exhaustion.

Energize your people. Help them shine not burning out.

Start the Conversation

If this resonated (whether you recognize yourself, a colleague, or your team), let us connect. I collaborate with individuals and organizations to prevent burnout, rebuild engagement, and help teams thrive without burning out.

📩 foundingmomentum.com/contact Schedule a consultation, invite me to speak, or explore coaching options. Together, we can cultivate a culture where hard work is sustainable, and success is truly shared.

References

1. Koch, R. (2011). The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More with Less. Hachette UK. The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less

2. Hayes, J. (2025). Employee Burnout: The Hidden Threat Costing Companies Millions. Forbes.

3. Gallup (2023). State of the Global Workplace.

4. Dyerly, R. (2025). The Myth of Replaceability: Preparing for the Loss of Key Employees. SHRM.

5. Salvagioni, D. A. J., et al. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLoS One, 12(10), e0185781.

6. Nekoei, A., Sigurdsson, J., & Wehr, D. (2024).  The economics of burnout | CEPR

7. Rotenstein, L. S., et al. (2018). Prevalence of burnout among physicians: a systematic review. JAMA, 320(11), 1131–1150.

8. Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111.

9. Dyrbye, L. N., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2016). A narrative review on burnout experienced by medical students and residents. Medical Education, 50(1), 132–149.

10. Martinez, M. F., et al. (2024). The Health and Economic Burden of Employee Burnout to U.S. Employers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 68(4), 645-655.