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If burnout seems more common these days, that’s because it is, according to talent solutions firm Robert Half Canada. This increase is not just because people are overworked.
According to Matt Dodson, head of client strategy at software platform Teamgage, burnout is just as much about disconnection and loneliness as it is about workload.
“We often talk about burnout as if it’s just about workload, but more often, it stems from something deeper; a sense of disconnection. That might be disconnection from purpose, from leadership or simply from each other,” he says.
Australia-based Mr. Dodson works closely with organizations around the world through Teamgage’s employee feedback platform, helping leaders uncover what’s really going on in their teams. He says it’s become clear that burnout can’t be solved with perks or one-off initiatives; it needs to be addressed by rebuilding human connection.
“Remote and hybrid work have reshaped how teams operate. Layoffs have left many dealing with survivor syndrome and ongoing anxiety,” Mr. Dodson says.
Add to that the pressure to reskill for artificial intelligence and keep up in a rapidly changing environment, and it’s no wonder people are feeling stretched thin.
But it’s not just about pressure – it’s about how that pressure is managed.
“When employees don’t feel these pressures are being recognized, it adds to a sense of isolation,” he says. “When people feel unseen, unheard or left to manage on their own, no number of well-meaning yoga apps or extra leave days will fix it.”
The signs of disconnection can be subtle: the person who doesn’t turn their camera on any more, the one who used to speak up and now stays silent or a team that starts missing goals not because of laziness but because they’ve checked out emotionally.
This kind of withdrawal is often mistaken for disengagement or low productivity, but Mr. Dodson says it runs deeper. “Disconnection can show up in many ways – fear or apathy to speak up, quiet quitting or a growing sense of emotional withdrawal. It’s not always loud or obvious.”
Many companies, he says, are still trying to solve burnout from the top down with sweeping wellness programs and mental health days. While well-intentioned, these don’t go far enough.
“If people return to the same disconnected team environment, you’re not healing the real wound,” he says.
So what does work? It starts with empowering front line managers, who are the people closest to the teams doing the work.
“Supporting your front line managers is key as they’re the heartbeat of your culture. With the right tools and routines, they can create safe spaces for regular team feedback and build clarity around goals and expectations,” he says.
When teams are encouraged to reflect, give feedback and be heard regularly, issues don’t build up in silence. Leaders don’t have to guess what’s going on, they can act early and intentionally.
“The future of work isn’t just shaped by technology, but by the trust you need to build and maintain along the way. Burnout is often a sign that trust is breaking down somewhere,” Mr. Dodson says.
And when that trust is restored? That’s when the real work begins again – with energy, clarity and connection.
Fast fact
Housebound hustle
56 per cent
That’s how many remote workers go entire weeks without leaving home, according to a survey from book summary app company Headway.
Career guidance
Pushback protocol
You’re in a meeting and your boss pitches an idea that sounds good, but you know it won’t work. How do you raise concerns without seeming resistant or putting the relationship at risk?
Experts say it’s important to consider the timing and setting of your feedback. It’s best to have these types of conversation with your boss in private, one-on-one settings. Frame your concerns as questions or suggestions rather than direct criticisms and provide evidence-based reasoning to support your perspective, which helps in maintaining a respectful dialogue.
Quoted
Weird works
“Weird is chasing an attractive man as he leaves the subway car. But, she says while you might not do that, we are all weird in different ways. Weird need not mean wacky. It’s a sign you have figured out who you are, a willingness to be authentic and sometimes break with convention. And it attracts attention. In a series of studies known as the red sneakers effect, it was found people confer higher status and competence to nonconforming rather than conforming individuals, like those who wear flamboyant sneakers. So being weird – in a smart way – can pay off,” writes Harvey Schachter in his recap of the book Wild Courage.
The book, written by former Google leader and career coach Jenny Wood, suggests that readers embrace the nine traits that make people uncomfortable such as being weird, selfless or shameless – the very ones that help you get seen, get heard and get ahead.
On our radar
Chequebooks closed
Canadian venture capital deals dropped to their lowest level since early 2020, with investors pulling back sharply in the first quarter. Early-stage startups were hit the hardest, with fewer getting funded, more turning to debt and not a single company making it to the public markets.