Reward Balance Over Burnout: Strategies for Staff Retention and Better Work-life Balance
- Kate Stitham
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
In many workplaces in the United States, the most celebrated employee is not the one with the best ideas, or the most collaborative, or the best at inspiring others, solving problems, or adapting to change. It’s often the person who arrives first, answers emails at midnight, never takes a vacation or sick day, and wears exhaustion like a badge of honor.
Underneath this pattern is a powerful narrative: overwork signals virtue, status, and success. This is about more than just a strong work ethic or a drive for productivity. It is ultimately about how work-related behaviors are moralized, who is seen as a “good” employee, what it means to be “dedicated,” and which sacrifices are praised or dismissed. This is what is known as a moral economy of overwork. It shapes everything from how people talk about work to how organizations evaluate leadership potential.
A moral economy of overwork is a value system in which overworking is seen as morally admirable, and behaviors like exhaustion, self-sacrifice, and being constantly busy or overwhelmed are rewarded with financial or tangible gains, social status, self worth, and a sense of righteousness.
How It Shows Up in the Workplace
You have probably heard this sentiment before, from a friend, colleague, or family member. Someone mentions only sleeping four hours to get a report done for a client in time for an upcoming launch. Another jokes about being “married to the job.” The humble brag where a friend confesses she’s miserable at work, but just can't give up the salary and perks of the position. These are all signals of a shared value system where burnout is conflated with importance.
Being too busy to rest, connect, or care for oneself is often framed not as a red flag, but as a measure of commitment or as a sign of the high prestige associated with the role or company. This is so imbedded in our society that not only do workplaces reward this behavior, through promotions, raises, or praise, but individuals seek out professions and organizations where this is standard. In some industries this is further perpetuated by a near constant sense of false urgency where arbitrary deadlines are given disproportionate weight and pressure. Those who opt for better work-life balance can be seen as less serious or less driven, even when their contributions are equally strong.
The Underlying Beliefs in a Moral Economy of Overwork
At the core of this value system are several intertwined beliefs that reinforce one another.
Quantity over efficiency: It is more important that you are available and doing something than that you are efficient or effective. Time spent resting or recharging is seen as wasted, while time spent working is valued, even if you are not being productive.
Suffering signals dedication: The more a person sacrifices for work, the more they are seen as committed, hardworking, or deserving.
Busyness conveys status: Being overbooked or unavailable is often interpreted as being in demand or important.
Urgency is always justified: There is no ability to challenge, question, or re-prioritize in the face of deadlines and demands, particularly from superiors and clients.
Work is identity: "What you do" is your dominant sense of self worth and where you are expected to derive purpose and meaning.
These values are reinforced by both individuals and systems. Ideas like restrictive leave policies or expectations around availability and responsiveness can be built explicitly into the policies of a workplace or implicitly understood from leadership actions. Consider the practice of using titles versus first names in a meeting. This is a very public way of role reinforcement which can reduce creativity and collaboration in discussions.
The Cost of Overwork
The costs of overwork are well-documented. According to the World Health Organization and International Labour Organization (2021), working more than 55 hours per week is associated with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of heart disease. These are not just marginal effects; chronic overwork is directly linked to serious health consequences.
Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer has studied the connection between workplace practices and health outcomes extensively. In his book, Dying for a Paycheck (2018), he argued that toxic workplaces may be one of the top five causes of death in the U.S. yet rarely receive the same scrutiny as physical safety protocols or medical care.
Psychological research has also linked overwork with reduced cognitive performance, lower creativity, and worse decision-making. In other words, the very behaviors associated with dedication may be undermining long-term success.
What Can We Do Instead?
Actionable Strategies for Staff Retention and a Healthier Workplace Culture
Shifting out of the moral economy of overwork doesn’t mean doing less. It means being more intentional about what success looks like and how it's rewarded. Cultivating a healthier workplace starts with addressing both the implicit signals and structures that sustain overwork.
Here are some actionable recommendations and strategies for staff retention, building morale, and cultivating work-life balance in your workplace:
Practice what you preach: A leader who urges employees to take vacation but never does so themselves sends a mixed message. When managers consistently stay late or answer emails at all hours, they unintentionally signal that this behavior is what earns promotions or respect. Workplace culture is shaped not just by what is said, but by what is modeled. Leaders must embody the balance they want to see.
Establish formal policies that support well-being: Telling people to prioritize their health or family is vague unless paired with clear policies, like: Normalize taking a mental health day or prioritizing family needs by creating one paid time off (PTO) category rather than sick days and "vacation". Mandate that employees use their PTO days annually. Cap overtime hours and provide comp time or flexible scheduling when work demands spike. Create explicit email protocols for reply times (say 24 hours) or "dark hours" to eliminate late-night reply pressures.
Reward sustainable work habits: Rather than promoting those who sacrifice personal boundaries, recognize employees who collaborate well, meet deadlines without burnout, and set limits that help their teams stay on track. Create systems that reward and track team success over the individual. When it comes to individual performance, highlight and reward healthy work habits in performance reviews and promotions, not just output.
Support life outside of work: It’s not enough to say that employees should “have hobbies.” Organizations can actively support this. For example, L.L. Bean offers outdoor recreation days, gear discounts, wellness programs, and even access to company campgrounds and group outings. These programs show an institutional commitment to the idea that life outside of work matters and that personal time isn’t a detriment to work performance; it’s a source of resilience that makes workers perform better and stay longer.
Rethink productivity metrics: Replace time-based or hyper-responsiveness metrics with outcome-based evaluations. Quality of work, innovation, and team contribution are better long-term indicators of success than how many hours someone appears to be working.
Make rest visible and respected: Talk openly about time off. Share when leaders are taking vacation, turning off devices, or prioritizing family. Create communication norms like no-meeting Fridays, clear working hours, and systems for asynchronous updates that signal respect for people’s time and attention.
When organizations back up their values with tangible action, employees are far more likely to trust that prioritizing balance won’t harm their careers. This shift isn’t just good for morale. It’s good for retention, innovation, and long-term organizational health.
Now More Than Ever
As the economy goes through turbulent times and businesses struggle with transitions, downsizing, new hires, and organizational restructuring, this culture of overwork can go into overdrive. The moral economy of overwork isn’t just a personal failing or individual burnout story. It’s a systemic model that equates self-sacrifice with value and busyness with success. But this model isn’t sustainable and will ultimately lead to far greater challenges down the line.
Workplaces that actively promote well-being, model balance from the top, and implement real policies to back those values are more likely to adapt through difficult times. When people are rested, trusted, and supported, they show up with more clarity, creativity, and commitment. That’s not a luxury. It’s a smart investment. As individuals, we can begin to question the stories we tell about work and worth. As organizations, we can write new ones.
Integrative Inquiry is a remote-based consulting firm that partners with organizations to help tackle this and other kinds of work culture challenges and change initiatives. Learn about what we can offer and why we do the work we do or reach out today.
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