Always On
The Hidden Cost of a Connected World
Economic Cost
Burnout is no longer just a personal crisis, it's an economic one. In 2024 alone, poor mental health and work-related stress are estimated to have cost the UK economy over £100 billion, with employers bearing a staggering £51 billion of that burden.
Connected World
In today’s hyper-connected world, the line between work and personal life has blurred, leading to a surge in burnout across the UK workforce. This phenomenon not only affects individual wellbeing but also imposes a significant economic burden.
Burnout is no longer a catchphrase or a badge of honour, it’s becoming an epidemic. In the UK, the cost of workplace burnout is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Behind these figures are human stories. People like “Laura” (not her real name), a former senior marketing professional who described her collapse under the weight of back-to-back meetings, digital overload, and a culture of constant availability.
Choosing Life
After years in a high-pressure corporate marketing role, “Laura” found herself unravelling. “I just felt like I wasn’t functioning, really,” she says. “Everything became about work. I didn’t have the time and energy, or the capacity to look after myself.”
Laura’s story isn’t unusual. But what stands out is her honesty, the emotional cost of reaching a breaking point, and the brave leap she took toward reclaiming her life.
In her senior role, days were defined by “back-to-back meetings, inbox management, firefighting.” She had long relied on work as a coping mechanism: “I have some experiences of trauma in my life, and work was always the place I could go when everything else was going wrong.”
But eventually, the armour cracked.
What helped Laura was hearing from others. “I spoke to people who had experienced burnout or a big career change, it’s powerful to feel seen and heard. Burnout is very cohering. You think, ‘Why can’t I just get on with it like everyone else?’”
Her path forward wasn’t instant. “It took me a full year after burnout to decide I wanted to leave.” The decision to go freelance was part healing, part necessity. “I don’t want the life of always on, always available. I want to create my own boundaries.”
Today, she works as a freelance writer, speaker, and content creator. The stress hasn’t disappeared, but it’s on her own terms. “It’s a pressure of my choosing. And that’s been really confidence-building.”
When asked about employer support, Laura is diplomatic but clear: “The company ultimately tried. But it was very dehumanised, and focused on protocol, not people.”
The most helpful resource came from outside, a government program offering work-related mental health support. “That helped me rebuild my self-confidence enough to say, ‘I don’t want this anymore.’”
Laura urges people to talk to those they trust. “Even if they’re not in your work life - people who really know you can help you get perspective.”
Most importantly, don’t rush. “There’s such a strong desire to fix it instantly, but you need time to figure out what kind of change you actually want to make.”
She leaves others with a piece of advice that helped guide her transformation:
“If you make the space for opportunities, they will arrive.”
It requires trust in yourself and in the unknown but, as Laura shows, it can lead you to a version of life where work no longer consumes your identity, and self-worth isn’t tethered to productivity.
Expert Views
“Burnout is not confined to the workplace; its ripple effects are evident in every corner of life.”
“Burnout is not a personal failing - it’s a signal that something in the system is broken. Recovery starts when we stop blaming ourselves and start addressing the environment we work in.”
“Don’t wait till it’s too late. You don’t have to go it alone. It’s okay to ask for help - even if nobody knows you’re doing it.”
“Burnout is not just about workload - it’s about moral injury, lack of support, and feeling unheard. Addressing these issues requires organisational commitment to staff well-being.”
Burnout Prevention
Lessons from a Burnout Prevention Coach, Wendela Elsen. Wendela knows what pressure feels like. Having started in corporate and professional services, she now works as a burnout prevention coach helping others recognise the warning signs and build tools to avoid collapse.
“People don’t want to hear that their symptoms are emotional,” Wendela says. “They go to the doctor wanting something to fix. But things like headaches, stomach aches, chronic pain - these are signs.”
Burnout doesn’t always scream. Often it whispers. Wendela outlines early symptoms she sees repeatedly, including trouble sleeping, digestive issues, chronic pain, brain fog, and withdrawing emotionally.
“These are not weaknesses,” she stresses. “They are signals. And they mean it’s time to act.”
In high-stress sectors like law, finance, and consulting, burnout is often seen as a badge of honour. “There’s this mindset of, I want this job, I need to cope. I can’t change anything. So, I just keep going.”
But Wendela urges a shift in mindset from coping to conscious prevention.
“Nobody needs to know you’re saying no. But saying no is probably one of the hardest things. Especially when you feel guilty, for leaving work early, for asking for help, for not being ‘on’ all the time.”
She teaches practical, low-effort strategies like:
Mindfulness: “Be mindful on your commute - just that small reset can help.”
Breathing exercises: “Three minutes of focused breath can reset your nervous system.”
EFT tapping: “It helps people release stuck emotions, especially guilt. There’s one tapping sequence I teach that calms the system in three minutes flat.”
These tools don’t require hours of meditation or lifestyle overhauls, just intention, consistency, and self-permission.
Wendela sees a common barrier, especially in high-performing women: “We’ve spent our lives being capable. Asking for help feels like failure.”
Even when companies offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) or in-house support, uptake is low. “The problem isn’t access, it’s the culture. You can have the best services, but if people are afraid to admit they’re struggling, they won’t use them.”
Wendela offers a blunt truth: “If you want to keep it secret, you have to keep it secret from yourself. And that’s where the danger lies.”
She believes companies must go beyond ticking boxes. Real change comes from leadership modelling vulnerability and normalising support-seeking.
Her advice?
Normalise check-ins: make regular emotional health conversations part of team life.
Train managers to spot subtle signs like absenteeism, isolation, or performance dips.
Create psychological safety: employees should feel safe admitting they’re overwhelmed.
Mindfulness & Breathing
In this episode Chantelle van den Berg, founder of Balancing in Motion, shares effective tools to combat burnout, focusing on breathing techniques and the use of essential oils. She emphasises the importance of finding calm in everyday life, even amidst chaos, and provides practical methods for stress relief that can be integrated into daily routines.
Ask for Help
“Burnout isn’t a personal failure - it’s a structural one. And it’s the strong, not the weak, who ask for help.”
— Wendela Elsen, Burnout Prevention Coach