Burnout at work isn’t new. Neither is distress.

What’s new is that we can’t pretend it will just pass anymore.

We talk a lot about mental health.
We talk about disconnecting.
We talk about well-being.

But we can’t keep doing what we used to do. We can’t keep responding with more structure, more rules, more controls, hoping that will solve what’s really going on.

STOP.

What if, instead of piling on more “solutions,” we did a real, full review — a deep, honest 360 — to look at what, inside our organisations, is still driving burnout?

A signal we can’t ignore

According to a Léger survey conducted for Quebec’s Order of Chartered Human Resources Professionals (2025), 44% of Quebec workers say they feel pressure to stay connected outside their normal working hours. InfoBref

Not because they love working too much.
Not because they don’t know how to manage their time.

But because something in the way work is set up makes it hard to truly disconnect.

When nearly one person out of two feels pressure to stay connected, that’s not an individual issue. It’s a deeper signal. A signal that goes beyond one workplace. A signal about our collective relationship with work.

The wrong problem we keep staring at

For years, we’ve tried to improve things — and I don’t doubt the sincerity behind it.

But we keep looking at the problem from the same angle.

We talk about

• Resilience.
• Motivation.
• Stress management.
• Employee support.

Meanwhile, we maintain working conditions that keep people on alert, even when they’re no longer at work.

The problem isn’t a lack of effort from individuals. The problem is the angle we keep using.

We reach for more structure, more oversight, more control… instead of freeing human functioning.

The real full-picture view

When we look honestly at how organisations operate, the same inconsistencies show up.

Again.
And again.

Roles that stay unclear — and keep changing — without ever being properly redefined.

Contradictory expectations:
– be autonomous, but always ask permission;
– take initiative, but don’t step outside the lines;
– be engaged, but don’t disrupt.

Values posted on the walls… but not reflected in decisions or everyday behaviours. Because culture isn’t what’s written. It’s what we can actually observe.

Structures designed for efficiency that create overload, friction, and rigidity — because people were never placed at the centre of the design.

And organisations that keep asking people to adapt.
Again.
Always.

So the real question becomes:
👉 Have we reached the breaking point? How far can adaptation go before it breaks people?

When people adapt too much, they burn out

After adapting for too long, something eventually gives.

Mental fatigue.
A constant stress that’s hard to name.
Tension between colleagues.
Energy dropping — even in the most committed people.

Then, slowly:

• Loss of meaning,
• Irritability,
• Withdrawal.

This isn’t a lack of willpower.

It’s a mismatch between people and organisations designed without truly accounting for how humans function.

Organisations built mainly for the head — knowledge, efficiency, control — not for human beings who function with a head, a heart, and an instinct for action.

A reflection that’s old… and still painfully current

More than 12 years ago, in my book Défi d’entreprise : Croître en équilibre (Business Challenge: Balancing Business Growth), these imbalances were already visible.

Tools multiply.
Trends shift.

But the problems remain and the impact on people is still the same.

Richard’s story (true story)

Richard loved sales, knew sales, performed in sales. But he was constantly forcing his way of functioning — without realizing it.

His conative assessment revealed a natural talent in systems analysis, far from a sales role.

Richard had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue fifteen years earlier.

One year after our meeting:

• he had changed roles,
• he was no longer exhausted,
• he had energy,
• he had a personal life again.

Richard had applied to SPCTE for a Sales Director position.

I called him knowing I wouldn’t hire him.
I told him plainly:
“If I hire you in sales, I’m going to make you sick.”

I met him anyway.
Because human alignment matters more than titles and organisational needs.

Staying on the same path is no longer an option

Organisations don’t lack good intentions.

But trying to improve things without addressing these inconsistencies means asking people to keep adapting… until they burn out.

Doing a real, complete review — a true 360 —means rethinking the design of work itself: roles, structures, and the real place we give to people.

Alignment isn’t a luxury.
It’s a condition for health, performance, and long-term sustainability.

STOP.

People shouldn’t be the ones who keep adapting.
Organisations designed without them in mind are the ones that must now renew themselves.