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Senior Occupational Therapist, The Occupational Therapy Service
Region: North East | Website | LinkedIn | [email protected]
Lucy contributed regional insight for Resource Guru’s Burnout Risk Index in the State of (Over)working 2025 Report.
This could reflect a combination of cultural, economic, and organisational factors. In our experience, many organisations in the region, especially smaller or more community-rooted employers, tend to promote realistic expectations around work hours and value work-life balance. Commuting times can be long due to some areas being remote and rural and employers may be more sympathetic to a hybrid or working from home approach.
There may also be less pressure to conform to an ‘always-on’ culture that’s more prevalent in larger metropolitan centres like London.
Additionally, many businesses in this region are more open to flexible working, phased returns, and occupational health input, which can reduce the cumulative pressures that often lead to burnout.
The most concerning statistic for me is that 30 % of people feel uncomfortable saying no to additional work, even when at capacity. This points to a worrying culture of internalised pressure and fear of consequences, which is a known predictor of burnout. When employees don't feel able to set boundaries, they are far more likely to enter a cycle of chronic stress, which can lead to long-term mental health conditions and physical exhaustion, leading to increased absence and difficulty returning to their job demands.
Overworking and boundary erosion can be linked to musculoskeletal problems, sleep disruption and increased rates of anxiety and depression. In occupational therapy, we see how this plays out in everything from chronic pain and fatigue syndromes to workplace absence and disengagement. Paid work and daily occupation are linked—being stressed at work has an impact on all aspects of life including social activities and relationships outside of work.
The North East has done well to maintain relatively low burnout levels, but that doesn't mean we can be complacent. Continued emphasis on flexible working arrangements, regular supervision, and clear workload planning are essential. Businesses should invest in proactive independent occupational health support which provides meaningful advice, reasonable adjustments where necessary and acts as a conduit between employee and employer.
The room for improvement lies in formalising mental health strategies. Although the burnout risk is lower, 32 % of employees still feel their company doesn’t do anything to support mental health. That’s a critical area for targeted action: embedding wellbeing into policies. The Mind Wellness Action Plan is a good place to start: https://www.mind.org.uk/media/lbahso3x/mind-wellness-action-plan-workplace.pdf
Employers should use it to audit their own culture, compare it to the regional norm, and actively involve employees in co-designing solutions. Proactive and early referral to occupational health can help reduce burnout, the impact of stress, keep people well at work and improve productivity.
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