From Burnout to Balance: Creating a Healthier Way to Work

Flexible and remote working have given us greater freedom over when and where we work, but they can also make it harder to know when the working day actually ends. 

So, what does a healthier way to work look like, and how can we create better boundaries without losing the flexibility we value? 

How big is workplace stress in the UK? 

The latest figures demonstrate just how significant work-related stress has become. 

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), an estimated 964,000 workers in Great Britain experienced work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25. These conditions accounted for 52% of all work-related ill health. 

These figures highlight an important point: workplace wellbeing isn't simply about feeling happier at work. Stress and poor mental health can have a very real impact on people's ability to work well and sustainably.  

Why is burnout so common? 

The way we work has changed dramatically. 

Technology allows us to work from almost anywhere, while hybrid and remote working have given millions of people greater flexibility. But the same tools that make flexible working possible can also make it difficult to switch off. 

For many of us, work can now follow us everywhere: 

• Emails answered outside working hours 

• Constant notifications and messages 

• Back-to-back video calls with little breathing space 

• Working from the same room where we relax in the evening 

• Feeling the need to be constantly available 

  
  

Over time, the line between being at work and simply being at home can disappear. 

The problem isn't flexible working itself. It's what happens when flexibility comes without boundaries. 

What are the signs of an unhealthy work-life balance? 

Burnout isn't simply feeling tired after a busy week. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by exhaustion, increased mental distance or negativity towards your job, and reduced professional effectiveness. 

Before reaching that point, there can be smaller signs that the way we're working needs attention. Regularly working beyond planned hours, struggling to switch off, losing concentration, skipping breaks or feeling that there's always something else that needs doing can all suggest that your working routine needs a rethink. 

Recognising those patterns can be an opportunity to consider how, and sometimes  where, we work. 

The hidden cost of always being available 

Being constantly connected doesn't necessarily make us more productive. 

Without proper breaks and boundaries, it becomes harder to protect the focused time needed for good-quality work. Concentration can suffer, motivation can drop and the working day can gradually become longer without necessarily becoming more productive. 

The wider impact is significant. In 2024/25, work-related stress, depression and anxiety resulted in an estimated 22.1 million working days lost in Great Britain, accounting for 62% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health. 

But the impact isn't only measured in days away from work. Before someone reaches the point of taking time off, prolonged stress can affect concentration, motivation and the ability to do their best work. 

A healthier approach therefore isn't about doing less. It's about creating the conditions that allow us to work well and sustain it. 

From burnout to balance: what actually helps? 

Creating a healthier way to work doesn't necessarily require a dramatic lifestyle overhaul. 

Small, intentional changes can make the working day feel much more manageable: 

• Set a clear start and finish time 

• Take proper breaks away from your screen 

• Create periods of focused work without notifications 

• Avoid treating every message as urgent 

• Schedule downtime as deliberately as meetings 

• Create physical separation between work and home where possible 

• Make time for social interaction during the working week 

The aim isn't to build the ‘perfect’ routine. It's to create enough structure that work has a beginning and an end. 

Can changing where you work improve work-life balance? 

For some people, one of the simplest ways to create clearer boundaries is to change their working environment. 

When your kitchen table, sofa or spare bedroom becomes your permanent workplace, the physical distinction between work and home can disappear. A separate workspace can help create a useful transition: you arrive to work, focus while you're there and leave at the end of the day. 

That doesn't necessarily mean returning to a traditional office five days a week. 

For freelancers, founders and remote workers, a coworking space can provide a useful third space between home and the office, somewhere designed for work, but with greater flexibility over when and how you use it. 

It can also address another challenge of working independently: isolation. Being around other people, even when you're working on completely different things, can bring back some of the everyday social interaction that's easily lost when working from home. 

Building wellbeing into the working day 

Wellbeing shouldn't only happen once you've finished work. 

A sustainable working routine creates space for it throughout the day. That might mean taking lunch away from the laptop, going for a walk, talking to someone over coffee or simply moving somewhere different for half an hour. 

The working environment can make those habits easier. 

At The Fold, we've created different types of workspace for different parts of the working day, from hot desks and cosy hideaways to private meeting rooms, all within the calming surroundings of a renovated 19th-century church. 

It's not about prescribing one "right" way to work. It's about having the freedom to choose an environment that supports what you need to achieve that day, while being part of a wider working community. 

A healthier way forward 

There is no single solution to workplace burnout, and changing workspace alone won't solve excessive workloads, poor management or other underlying causes of chronic workplace stress. 

But for many people, there are aspects of working life that we can control. 

We can protect our time more carefully. We can take breaks without feeling guilty about them. We can turn off notifications. We can create clearer boundaries between our professional and personal lives. And we can think more deliberately about the environments in which we do our best work. 

Moving from burnout towards balance isn't about becoming less ambitious or productive. 

It's about creating a way of working that you can sustain. 

And sometimes, one of the simplest changes is knowing when it's time to close the laptop, leave work behind and properly switch off.