HR, legal professionals have highest burnout levels in Canada: survey

"In addition to being an increasingly worrying issue for professionals, burnout is a major challenge for employers as well," says Koula Vasilopoulos, senior managing director at Robert Half Canada, which did the survey.

"When employees are burned out due to heavy workloads and understaffed teams, businesses risk decreased productivity and morale, losing valued team members, and revenue loss due to falling behind on key timelines for critical projects."

More than 3 in 4 (75%) of frontline workers feel burned out, according to a previous UKG report.

Why do employees get burned out?

Nearly 2 in 5 (39%) of hiring managers say burnout among existing staff is a major challenge they face when unable to fill a necessary role, according to Robert Half. The firm conducted two surveys—in December 2024 and March 2025—with responses from 1,500 workers and 835 adults aged 18 and older across Canada, as well as 1,056 hiring managers at companies with more than 20 employees nationwide.

Burnout levels are highest among the following workers:

• Professionals in the legal and HR fields (59%)
• Working parents (51%)
• Millennial professionals (50%)

The top factors contributing to burnout include:

• Heavy workloads and long hours (39%)
• Emotional or mental fatigue from high-stress tasks (38%)
• Insufficient work-life balance (28%)
• Lack of management support or recognition (28%)
• Lack of professional growth opportunities (28%)

NIne in 10 workers feel burnout after accepting extra work, according to a previous report from LiveCareer.

Robert Half notes that burnout can lead to serious business consequences, including:

• Decreased productivity (40%)
• Delayed project timelines (34%)
• Higher turnover (30%)
• Lost revenue (24%).

How do you address burnout in the workplace?

Here are some indicators of burnout among employees, according to Jodette Cleary, chief people & culture officer at hipages, and Kim Hall, chief people, safety & environment officer at environmental solutions company, Veolia, on Randstad:

• emotional exhaustion
• decreased productivity
• a sense of detachment among team members

“People who were once proactive and detail-oriented started making small mistakes and missing deadlines,” Cleary explains.

According to Manulife, employers can also take the following measures to address burnout among workers:

• Lead by example and taking regular breaks,
• Have ongoing discussions with team members, and,
• Offer mental health benefits to support employee well-being.

To combat burnout, Robert Half suggests that employers do the following:

• Encourage time off or mental health days (34%)
• Hire permanent or contract professionals to ease workloads (33%)
• Help prioritize projects and manage timelines (30%)

"As burnout continues to rise, managers need to be proactively mitigating it, by working to fill gaps on the team, embracing flexible staffing solutions, encouraging time off, prioritizing workloads, and maintaining open communication about employee wellbeing," says Vasilopoulos.

Here are some other mental health strategies that employers can implement in the workplace.