The real cause of burnout isn't your employee (and what to do about it)

Does this sound familiar? You invest in employee wellbeing, maybe you arrange a mindfulness course, and yet, absenteeism remains high. Talented colleagues are dropping out with burnout symptoms – a problem affecting over 1.3 million employees in the Netherlands. The frustration among HR and management is palpable. The costs of an absent employee, which can be as high as €250 to €400 per day, are adding up.

It's a persistent problem. And the hard truth is: most interventions fail because they focus on the wrong person.

The cause of burnout is rarely an individual failure. It is almost always a symptom of a deeper issue: an unhealthy team dynamic.

The 3 pillars of work-related stress that break teams

A burnout doesn't happen in a vacuum. It's fueled by the environment in which people have to perform daily. Research and experience consistently point to three main causes that stem directly from friction within a team.

1. High workload and stress This goes beyond just 'being busy.' It's a constant state of being overwhelmed by too many tasks, unrealistic deadlines, and a lack of focus. When a team doesn't collaborate efficiently, energy is wasted, and the pressure on individuals becomes unbearable.

2. Lack of autonomy and control Employees who feel they have little to no influence over their own work will disengage. This feeling of powerlessness is often caused by a lack of clarity, micromanagement, or a culture where personal input is not valued. The result is frustration and declining motivation.

3. An unhealthy work atmosphere This is the most toxic breeding ground for burnout. A lack of social support, unresolved conflicts, unclear expectations, or an unsafe atmosphere where people are afraid to give feedback all lead to chronic stress. Even your most perfectionistic and responsible employees are especially vulnerable to this.

Stop fixing people, start fixing teams

It's time for a fundamental shift in thinking: from friction to flow. We need to stop applying band-aids to individuals and start diagnosing and healing the team dynamics that cause the problems in the first place.

This is precisely why Nelson Workshops has transformed. We no longer sell individual training sessions. We are a strategic agency that solves the underlying causes of work-related stress and absenteeism at the team level. Our promise is clear: we reduce absenteeism and increase productivity by tackling the core of the problem at the team level.

Our method, 'The Nelson Way 2.0', is a guaranteed pathway to healthier, more productive teams:

1. Diagnosis: We always start with an in-depth analysis, like the "Team Stress Analysis," to identify the core of the dysfunctional dynamic and the specific burnout risk factors.

2. Match: Based on the diagnosis, we match the team with a specialist coach from our curated network of elite professionals who is an expert in restoring that exact team dynamic.

3. Result: We manage the entire process and focus on measurable improvements in team health and productivity, ensuring the breeding ground for stress and absenteeism is eliminated.

The first step: from guessing to knowing

Stop investing money and energy in solutions that don't address the real issue. The most valuable step you can take today is to get a crystal-clear diagnosis of what is really going on within your teams.

That's why our call-to-action is different. We don't ask you to buy a workshop; we ask you to let an expert thoroughly analyze your problem.

Schedule a no-obligation Team Stress Analysis

During this analysis, we will dive deep into your team's dynamics together. This immediately positions us as a strategic partner who first analyzes the problem thoroughly before proposing a solution. It's the logical, risk-free first step towards a sustainable solution.