The negative effects of workplace stress, overwork, and burnout are widely recognized by healthcare professionals, employers, and workers worldwide. Decades of research acknowledge both the need for and many benefits of creating a healthy work/life balance.
Known impacts
The mental health impacts of workplace stress and burnout include depression, anxiety, feelings of isolation, a decline in job satisfaction, and increasing feelings of disconnection from family members and friends. Troubling physical symptoms of workplace stress and burnout include fatigue, hypertension, difficulty concentrating, irritability, changes in eating and sleeping habits, headaches, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular issues.
Troubling new findings
Adding to this mountain of evidence is a recent study out of South Korea that is raising new alarm bells about the impact of overwork on the brain. The study set out to determine the cognitive and emotional impacts of overwork on 110 healthcare workers in two categories: overworked (who worked 52 or more hours a week) and non-overworked employees. The results reveal the impacts of overwork on the brain itself. The study found that “ …overworked individuals exhibited significant changes in brain regions associated with executive function and emotional regulation.” Moreover, findings suggest that overwork potentially impacts cognitive and emotional health.
In a June 2025 interview with Fox News, the study’s co-author Wanhyung Lee, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor at Chung-Ang University College of Medicine in Seoul, describes the study as “one of the first … to examine the relationship between prolonged working hours and structural brain changes.”
In light of the troubling findings, here’s a look at the realities of work/life balance today, and what we, as employees, can do — with regard to what we can control — to achieve a greater work/life balance and minimize the hurt and harm of workplace stress and burnout in our own lives.
Workers increasingly prioritize work/life balance
First, the good news! Increasingly, employees around the world are prioritizing a healthy work/life balance. Global HR consulting company Randstad’s Workmonitor 2025 report ranks work/life balance higher in importance than pay among its 26,000 survey participants from 35 countries.
For many employees, flexible post-pandemic workplaces are conducive to an improved work/life balance. Recent Gallup surveys found that in the U.S., 76 percent of full-time hybrid workers …and 85 percent of remote workers report improved work-life balance as one of the greatest benefits of remote work.
The prevalence of overwork
While positive trends point to increasing levels of healthy work/life balance, new research from Moodle indicates that 66 percent of US employees report experiencing burnout, “…feeling like they have more work to complete than time to do it, not having enough resources or the right tools to do their job properly, and taking on too much work due to labor shortages in their industry.”
There’s more. According to Pew research, close to half of American employees do not take full advantage of their allotted paid vacation days. Another troubling workplace reality is that productive employees are often saddled with increased workloads. Individuals and teams who work effectively and efficiently to deliver outstanding results are rewarded with increased workloads.
Furthermore, those who overwork are highly regarded by others, a fact embodied in the title of Workaholics, the Respectable Addicts, the 1990s best-selling book by clinical psychologist Dr. Barbara Killinger. The reported 48 percent of American workers who self-identify as workaholics (a widely-used self-descriptor not recognized by or included in the DSM5) struggle with deep-seated issues, including perfectionism, negative self-concept, people pleasing, role models from early childhood that modeled unhealthy work habits and values, and the need for external validation and the resulting negative emotional, physical, and social impacts of compulsive overwork.
Making work work for you
The key to creating and maintaining a healthy work/life balance is understanding what drives overwork in your life, and the priorities, strategies, and actions you can take to manage your workplace stressors and demands.
Six strategies to help improve work/life balance
As employees, there are things we can and cannot control in our working lives. Here are six strategies to help you identify what is within your control and how you can act in your best interest!
Build an awareness around what drives your need to overwork.
Work smarter. Prioritize your workplace tasks, goals, and responsibilities, and communicate with management when you’re struggling with unrealistic expectations and deadlines.
Talk to your employer about exploring hybrid work options.
Consider seeking an employer with a strong track record and a focus on employee wellbeing and work/life balance if your current employer is not responsive to your concerns.
Schedule downtime, and set healthy boundaries around workplace expectations, working hours, weekends, and other expectations.
Seek the help of a mental health professional if you are struggling with stress, burnout, or breaking entrenched habits of overwork.
To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
