We’re used to thinking that burnout happens when people disconnect, disengage, or underperform. But what if the people most at risk are the ones who seem the busiest, the most involved, the most "on it"?
In 2025, HR leaders across the UK and EU saw a rise in what psychologists now call “hidden burnout” - a form of emotional exhaustion that affects high-performing, highly engaged employees. Now in 2026, recognising this risk is becoming critical to team health and retention.
⚠️ The quiet cost of overcommitment
Many managers associate burnout with obvious symptoms: absenteeism, missed deadlines, withdrawal. But some of the most at-risk team members show none of these.
Instead, they:
- Join every meeting
- Over-contribute in discussions
- Take on “just one more task”
- Are the first to respond in group chats
From the outside, it looks like motivation. Internally, it may be unsustainable pressure to hold everything together - especially in hybrid and remote teams where visibility often becomes currency.
📊 2025: a year of exhaustion behind the numbers
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), stress and burnout remained the top cause of long-term sickness absence in the UK throughout 2025 (CIPD).
At the same time, Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace found that while global engagement rose slightly, 44% of employees reported feeling stressed during the workday - a trend that persisted into 2026.
The problem? High engagement can mask high strain.
🤯 Why the “best” performers are burning out
There are a few psychological reasons behind this pattern:
- Responsibility bias: Engaged employees are more likely to say yes - even when overworked.
- Visibility pressure: In hybrid settings, those who want to be seen as reliable often overextend.
- Lack of boundaries: “Passion for the mission” can blur the line between effort and overload.
- Cultural silence: Many fear speaking up about stress because they’re seen as role models.
🛑 What teams can do about it
Recognising hidden burnout isn’t just about protecting individual well-being - it’s a business-critical issue.
Unchecked, it leads to:
- Sudden resignations from unexpected people
- Team instability
- Decline in decision quality
- Loss of institutional knowledge
So what can help?
- Regularly check engagement trends over time, not just raw participation
- Normalise conversations about workload and emotional fatigue
- Introduce real recovery - not just pizza parties or “self-care” emails
- Watch for over-functioning, not just underperformance
🔍 Burnout often shows up last in metrics - and first in human signals. That’s why HR teams and leaders need ways to detect early warning signs before someone reaches a breaking point. Tools like Ulla don’t solve burnout, but they help teams notice patterns early and support people before the damage is done.