Remote work burnout: Key signs and solutions

Remote work has transformed jobs — democratizing opportunities, enabling productivity without physical presence, and opening doors to global hiring. Skipping the commute and blending work with the comfort of home feels liberating, empowering, and dynamic to employees.

But still, the model has drawbacks — Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report* finds that while remote employees are more engaged, fewer are thriving (36%) compared to in — person workers (42%). The lack of face to face interactions and supportive co-worker relationships has driven remote workers to anxiety, stress, depression and burnout. 

To solve this issue, companies are creating virtual social spaces to foster connections and introducing more flexible policies like flexible parental or unlimited time off policy. In this article, we learn more about these ideas, drawing actionable insights from our conversations with:  

• Anna Volkova, Head of People & Culture, HiBob
• Anna Meyer, Global Head of People, Acceldata
• Priyanka Jain, HR Manager, Multiplier
• Hebba Youssef, Chief People Officer, Workweek 
• Erin Grau, Co-founder & COO @ Charter

The state of remote work burnout in 2025

Remote work — where employees can work from home or anywhere outside the office — has quickly become the norm. Gallup reports that 93% of employees in remote-capable roles prefer remote work.  Meanwhile, companies can unlock a global talent pool, allowing them to hire the best people anywhere in the world despite the global talent crunch. 

But alongside these benefits comes a major challenge: burnout. The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome caused by chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. It shows up in three ways: exhaustion and energy loss, growing detachment or cynicism toward one’s job, and a decline in professional effectiveness. 

In remote settings, where the line between work and personal life often blurs, these symptoms can surface more quickly — making burnout a pressing issue for both employees and organizations.

Remote work has left many — especially Gen Z and millennials — feeling more isolated, less recognized, and mentally stretched. Ringover’s study shows nearly 8 in 10 Gen Z workers feel lonely at times, partly due to limited in-person mentorship early in their careers.

The comfort of home has often turned into “infinite workdays” with late-night meetings and round-the-clock demands from global teams. Microsoft highlights this shift: meetings after 8 p.m. are up 16%, and nearly a third of employees are still checking emails at 10 p.m.

The impact is undeniable. Forbes reports that 66% of American workers now feel burned out  — the highest ever recorded. Younger employees are carrying the heaviest load, with over 80% of those under 35 reporting burnout, compared to just half of older workers. 

Causes of remote work burnout

Remote employees often face unique challenges that gradually lower engagement and raise burnout risk. Anna Meyer summed it up well in our recent webinar: “Global workforces mean global time zones and a lot of strain on family and sleep and health and all sorts of burden that this puts on people that isn’t ideal.” 

Other key contributors include:

• Limited interaction: Remote employees miss the informal conversations and social bonds of office life. Over time, this lack of human connection leads to feelings of isolation and disconnection.
• Zoom fatigue: Back-to-back video calls demand constant focus and reduce opportunities for real breaks. This mental strain quickly drains energy and motivation.
• Blurred work–life boundaries: Without a clear separation between work and home, employees slip into “always-on” schedules. The inability to switch off creates stress and hampers recovery time.

Signs of remote work burnout

Burnout doesn’t always happen all at once; it usually begins with small, subtle signs that can grow over time. This includes: 

• Emotional detachment: Employees may sound cynical, distant, or less enthusiastic in meetings. This detachment often signals that they no longer feel connected to their work or team.
• Low energy and fatigue: Sluggishness, or complaints of exhaustion — despite adequate rest — point to deeper emotional and physical strain.
• Declining productivity: Missed deadlines, poor focus, or difficulty making decisions reflect how burnout undermines performance and output quality.
• Withdrawal from communication: Employees may turn off cameras, delay responses, or avoid collaboration altogether. This retreat reduces teamwork and weakens workplace cohesion.

Companies need to stay alert, recognize these signs early, and work proactively to address remote work burnout. 

Steps for HR to reduce remote work burnout

To address isolation, misaligned expectations, and rising stress, HR can implement targeted policies, mental health programs, and flexible practices that boost well-being, engagement, and resilience across distributed teams. 

1. Fostering psychological safety 

Psychological safety means employees can share ideas and voice concerns without fear of embarrassment or retaliation. HR can foster this through sensitivity training, clear work–life boundaries, and mindful meeting practices.

Respecting employees’ local cultures while reinforcing shared company values helps create a sense of commonality across global teams. As Lourdes Fernandes noted in a recent webinar, “Companies must design experiences around the individual where they are — in their home, with their family, in their cultural context.” 

2. Flexible work policies 

HR can ease burnout and drive equity by designing flexible policies like flexible hours, compressed workweeks, meeting-free days, and the right to disconnect. 

For women, these policies are especially powerful in balancing caregiving with careers and reducing the “motherhood penalty.” Claudia Goldin’s research shows that much of the gender pay gap stems from inflexible jobs that reward long, rigid hours. When work is structured more flexibly, women no longer have to trade pay for balance, and career paths become more equal. 

As Erin Grau put it in the insightful Beyond Borders talk, designing roles for flexibility benefits everyone — “this is the tide that rises all boats.” HR can take this further by expanding remote and location-independent roles, giving women greater access to growth opportunities worldwide. 

Pro-tip: An Employer of Record helps companies hire talent across the globe without setting up a local entity.

3. Encouraging mental health discussion

HR should empower employees to overcome the fear of stigma around mental health issues and seeking help. Partnering with an EOR that integrates strong wellness services can help in the case of global teams. For example, Multiplier works with Intellect to offer one-on-one coaching, therapy, a multilingual self-care app, distress support, screenings, and webinars. 

By embedding these services into global employment, HR teams get a scalable, culturally attuned solution that strengthens mental health without extra onboarding steps. 

4. Leveraging AI 

HR can leverage AI tools like Microsoft Viva Insights or ActivTrak to detect early signs of burnout by analyzing workload, meeting patterns, after-hours activity, and collaboration trends. Sudden spikes in late-night work, excessive meetings, or reduced engagement can trigger timely interventions. 

When paired with culturally sensitive mental health support, AI enables HR to monitor progress, measure intervention impact, and design reintegration plans that balance workload, flexibility, and psychological safety, helping employees recover effectively while maintaining engagement.

Steps for leaders to reduce remote work burnout

In remote teams, leaders are the bridge between employees and the organization. By embodying its culture, noticing early signs of disengagement, and fostering growth-focused conversations, they keep people connected and motivated.

1. Model an open and honest culture

In a remote setup, leadership isn’t just about managing tasks — it’s about creating a culture where employees feel safe to share ideas and know their contributions matter. As Anna Volkova noted in a recent webinar, “Leaders cast such a big shadow. If they’re not equipped to be culture carriers — communicating vision, recognizing people, making async work work — then everything else can crumble.”

That’s why leaders must also show vulnerability. As Dr. Oliver Suendermann asked in our webinar on mental health in the workplace, “If managers can’t be vulnerable, how can employees?” When leaders model openness, they create space for collaboration and trust, both of which are essential to sustaining engagement.

2. Implement upskilling & reskilling initiatives

Employees can easily feel burned out when they aren’t given space to grow or experiment. As Youssef noted in our recent Beyond Borders session, burnout often comes from “doing the same repetitive task, being stuck, doing the same work over and over again, never getting a chance to iterate it.” 

As such, leaders can prevent this issue by fostering continuous learning, offering new challenges, and emphasizing growth. This keeps employees engaged while building essential skills like agility, adaptability, and problem-solving for an AI-driven workplace.

Continuous learning breaks the cycle – and the need for it is urgent. Anna Volkova points out that “60% of today’s skills are potentially becoming irrelevant due to AI.” Upskilling and reskilling equip employees to work confidently with new technologies and translate what they know into what’s next, rather than fearing displacement.

3. Supporting the HR team

All of the tips we’ve offered so far are important, but one thing is unavoidably true – it’s easy for employees to be burned out when HR is too. As Hebba Youssef said, “It’s hard to serve your company when you yourself aren’t being served and you yourself are also tired.”

Leaders can break HR burnout by cutting the busywork. Automating payroll, compliance, and routine admin frees HR to focus on what really matters — people and culture. As Youssef says, “I don’t want to send one more offer letter or answer one more question about a policy. I want to be doing deep strategic work — like exploring how to upskill employees in the age of AI.” 

Giving HR that space unlocks their ability to drive growth instead of just managing paperwork.