Burnout and high turnover aren’t simply just HR issues. They are stark indicators of deeper organizational challenges. When employees are continually handing in their resignations, feeling overwhelmed, and morale is slipping, the root cause typically lies in how work is allocated and managed.

Yet many businesses still act as though excessive stress is "just part of the job." They expect individuals to soldier on, managing heavy workloads indefinitely. What happens is that overburdened employees are more prone to mistakes, less engaged, and more likely to leave.

Instead of accelerating growth, companies end up in an endless cycle of hiring, training, and inevitably losing talent.

The good news is that burnout can be prevented. It’s not an unavoidable outcome. By implementing deliberate strategies – chief among them a structured approach to resource management – organizations can rebalance workloads, protect wellbeing, and reduce churn.

Workload management is the foundation of a healthy workforce

Most managers don’t set out to overload their teams. It often begins innocently: a pressing project arrives, deadlines tighten, and tasks multiply. People volunteer to absorb the extra work "just until things calm down," but that temporary arrangement becomes the new norm.

Before long, the same high-performing employees shoulder most of the extra load, while others remain under-utilized.

Over time, this imbalance leads to burnout. A 2021 Deloitte survey found that 77% of professionals have experienced burnout at their current job, and 91% say unrelenting stress negatively impacts the quality of their work. Feeling trapped under a never-ending backlog of tasks can swiftly degrade morale and productivity, driving employees to reconsider their tenure.

Without a formal resource management system, these warning signs go unheeded. By the time an employee resigns, you’re left with depleted team capacity, knowledge gaps, and the high costs associated with recruitment and onboarding. It’s no exaggeration that replacing a single employee can cost anywhere from 50% to 200% of their annual salary.

Employee wellbeing is a competitive advantage

There’s a persistent misconception that supporting work-life balance is a "soft" priority. In fact, a mounting body of research shows the opposite: companies that value employee wellbeing tend to outperform their competitors. For example, Gallup reports that engaged teams see 23% higher profitability and 18% lower turnover.

When employees feel they have a reasonable workload and the necessary support to do their jobs well, they’re not just present – they’re motivated. They produce higher-quality work, bring more creativity to problem-solving, and collaborate more effectively.

Meanwhile, companies that allow excessive strain to go unchecked suffer from heightened absenteeism, eroding morale, and escalated recruitment costs when valuable team members inevitably move on.

The real cost of ignoring burnout

Burnout manifests slowly, but its consequences are often dire. Employees might start by working a few extra hours "just to catch up." The average worker puts in an additional 4.5 hours a week. It’s not far from there to gradually slide into chronic exhaustion.

Burnout has been recognized as an occupational phenomenon by the World Health Organization since 2019. It’s characterized by feelings of energy depletion, increased mental distance from your job and reduced professional efficacy.

When exhaustion morphs into full-blown burnout, it doesn’t just impact the individual. Productivity plummets, mistakes increase, and frustration spreads across the team. In some cases, top performers are the first to exit, fearing they’ll stagnate or be perpetually overworked.

This cycle is costly for businesses. Beyond the cost of hiring a replacement, a revolving door of employees disrupts organizational knowledge, undermines team cohesion, and dampens overall momentum.

Left unaddressed, the ripple effects can stall growth and tarnish an organization’s reputation as a desirable place to work. And no business wants that on Glassdoor.

How smart resource management fixes the problem

Balancing workloads isn’t about simply hiring more people. It’s about using the employees you already have more effectively.

A robust resource management and planning platform provides real-time visibility into who is doing what, allowing managers to identify bottlenecks or workloads that have ballooned beyond sustainable limits.

Retain’s resource management software makes capacity planning simple by centralizing insights on projects, availability, and deadlines. Instead of hoping employees speak up about feeling overwhelmed, leaders can pre-emptively spot capacity issues and intervene by levelling, smoothing, reallocating and acting before burnout sets in.

Forecasting tools empower companies to plan for upcoming projects. Managers can anticipate demand, shift responsibilities as needed, and ensure that everyone shares work fairly.

The result is a more engaged workforce where individuals feel valued and in control. When people trust that their workload is equitable, they’re far less likely to look for opportunities elsewhere.

The bottom line: Balance over burnout

Burnout and high turnover don’t arise by accident. They’re the product of imbalance and unchecked workloads.

Organizations that fail to address these realities risk hemorrhaging talent, losing valuable organizational knowledge, and stunting long-term growth.

On the other hand, companies that invest in resource management see immediate and tangible benefits: enhanced employee satisfaction, more cohesive teams, and healthier bottom lines.

By ensuring that your workforce is distributed strategically rather than chaotically, you create an environment where people can excel without sacrificing their wellbeing.

The critical question is whether your organization will continue to let burnout erode potential – or step up with a strategy to address resource management challenges that keeps employees engaged, fulfilled, and eager to stay. In our humble opinion, a workforce that stays with you for a long time is the key to your company’s ongoing success.

This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: How Resource Management Can Help Organizations Reduce Workforce Burnout and Turnover