Why burnout peaks in September

Reward Gateway | Edenred’s latest Building Human Workplaces research shows employee wellbeing has worsened since 2023, with the share of workers frequently experiencing burnout rising from 23% to 28% and frequent stress climbing from 33% to 37%.

The calendar tells us when that pressure spikes hardest, and September is quietly becoming the most challenging month of the working year.

Why September hits hardest

Workplace productivity drops by about 20% during the summer, and employees can be up to 45% more distracted, perhaps because the joy of summer breaks and more time spent with family obviously becomes the bigger priority (as it should).

But research shows that the mood boost from a break, fades just days after you return, and September puts many of us back at our desks right when that low point hits. In fact, the better your holiday, the tougher the return; psychologists call this hedonic contrast.

So, when September arrives, it’s not just busier; it also brings with it a sudden change of pace after slower months, which can feel overwhelming. On top of that, the ‘going back to work’ or ‘back to normality’ feeling can pressure many people to start fresh hobbies or take on new challenges.

Behavioural scientists call this urge to make big changes the fresh start effect, and solid evidence supports it. For example, ONS data shows more people looking for new jobs in September.

UK job adverts rose by 7% between August and September 2025, with hiring up in 21 out of 26 job groups.

However, adding new responsibilities to a growing workload can leave many workers feeling drained, and without realising it, many people set themselves up to struggle professionally before October even arrives.

The hidden cost to employers

At times of stress – such as mounting workloads or close deadlines – physiologically, we have a ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction. Our cortisol and adrenaline levels can rise, blood pressure increases, and our heart rates and muscle tension increase.

Chronic stress happens when these episodes of acute stress become prolonged, or we’re subject to ongoing psychological demands (like extreme working hours).

Those struggling become tired, unmotivated, and unable to concentrate. This fatigue can then lead to a negative feedback loop. You feel less productive, then try to catch up by working longer, and then get less sleep.

Experts are starting to refer to this as quiet cracking – a particularly damaging form of disengagement, risking higher sick leave and silent turnover – when people choose to leave rather than raise concerns with their employers.

According to Inc columnist Jessica Stillman, quiet cracking is easier to understand by imagining cracks in a mask that are beginning to show. You’re still trying to keep it together and smile, but the strain and exhaustion is showing through just a bit. In reality, you feel close to collapse.

We’ve come to know this collapse as burnout – when the metaphorical mask completely shatters and is, effectively, now just a pile of broken shards. It’s fixable, but not immediately.

How employers can get ahead of it

Employers must consider how to support employees during peak stress months, from September onwards.

People who are quietly cracking and on the road to burnout often feel a mounting sense of helplessness, and if left unchecked, stress in the long term may lead to mental ill-health like anxiety, panic attacks and depression. In fact, poor mental health among UK workers is believed to cost employers around £51 billion per year.

The most important consideration for employers supporting their staff is clearly outlining working expectations. This means agreeing on working hours, capacity and contact hours – both in the office and working remotely.

People who understand exactly what is expected of them are better able to show resilience during stressful times, as they can ‘disconnect’ and relax outside their contactable hours.

In September specifically, you could even run a ‘workload amnesty’, prompting teams to cut low-value work to absorb the post-summer backlog and tackle the tasks that really matter.

Openly acknowledging that some tasks are higher priority, and that it’s OK not to do everything at once, empowers employees to make decisions that support their wellbeing without fear of being reprimanded for not having everything done immediately.

Every team member should feel valued, know their opinion matters, be heard, and understand their purpose and how they contribute to the team and the wider organisation.

Managers should always listen and try to understand their team’s needs and, where reasonable, adjust suit the individuals within the teams.

If you sense disengagement or a lack of enthusiasm among certain team members, consider initiating informal “stay conversations” ahead of peak recruitment months. These can be a great way to address potential concerns early.

And if employees are supported and confident in speaking up, this means you are more likely to resolve issues before they become too overwhelming, which risks staff leaving because they’re unhappy and feel no one is willing to help them.

Sometimes, getting to the crux of what is causing disengagement can be successfully done through anonymous employee surveys, rather than waiting for people to raise concerns publicly, so this is worth considering if you are ready and willing to not only receive complete honesty, but also to try and address the real concerns once they are shared with you.

But what happens when someone is already feeling the impact of burnout in your organisation?

Well, in these cases, employers need to provide and let staff know about the range of options available within the workplace that can support them in terms of enhancement (e.g. Mental Health Awareness training), prevention (e.g. Resilience Training), and treatment (e.g. fast access to effective psychological treatment like EAPS or workplace counselling).

Having these options in place matters, but so does making sure people know they exist and feel able to use them without judgement.

If employers treat September as a reset by clarifying expectations, lightening the load where they can, and opening honest conversations before the cracks widen – they give their teams the best chance of moving into the final quarter of the year feeling uplifted rather than stretched.

Get September right, and you protect people’s wellbeing, productivity, and morale through the winter and beyond.

About Chris Britton

As People Experience Director, Chris leads all the employee lifecycle activities at employee benefits and engagement company, Reward Gateway | Edenred.

From attraction & recruitment, through to leadership, learning & performance, DE&I and wellbeing, Chris makes sure that all current and prospective RGER employees have the best possible experience.