Burnout in Senior Leaders: What the Research Says

The Scale of the Problem

Burnout among senior leaders in the UK has become a significant workplace health issue. The CIPD's annual Good Work Index consistently reports high levels of work-related stress, overwork, and emotional exhaustion among managers and senior professionals. Post-pandemic data suggests the situation worsened during the years of disruption and has not fully recovered. For senior leaders, the problem is compounded by the expectation, often internalised rather than externally imposed, that they should be the ones holding everything together.

Why Senior Leaders Are Particularly Vulnerable

Senior leaders face a set of stressors that are qualitatively different from those at other levels. They carry responsibility for results they cannot fully control. They manage the anxieties of their teams while managing their own. They are often isolated, unable to share the real pressures they face with the people who report to them, and unwilling to show vulnerability to their peers. The loneliness of senior leadership is real, and it is a significant burnout risk factor. Peter experienced burnout himself on 16 September 2025, not as an abstract concept, but as something that stopped him entirely after 40 years of high performance. Recovery was possible, but it required honesty about what had happened and structured support to find a sustainable way forward.