You can’t “self-care” your way out of burnout.

I’ve worked with leaders who think burnout is an employee issue.
They offer yoga.
They hand out gift cards.
They roll out a new wellness initiative.
And their people are still drowning.
Because burnout isn’t solved with perks.
It’s solved with culture.
In healthcare, I’ve seen this up close.
Doctors, nurses, administrators — professionals trained to save lives — running on
empty.
Not because they’re weak.
But because they’re working in systems that don’t give them time, support, or
respect.
Burnout isn’t about how tough you are.
It’s about whether the structure you work in is sustainable.
Most of the time, it isn’t.
When we measured burnout in one organization, the results were brutal:
People didn’t feel heard.
They didn’t feel valued.
They didn’t feel safe.
Here’s what changed things:
Hard conversations.
Training leaders to listen.
Creating psychological safety.
Making respect non-negotiable
Burnout isn’t a vibe.
It’s a data point.
And the numbers are telling you exactly where to look.
If you’re serious about retention, engagement, and trust, stop asking your people
to “take better care of themselves.”
Start taking care of them.
Hard truth…I know.
Dr. Cristina “No Bandaids on Bullet Wounds” Filippo