In public service environments, burnout doesn’t usually stem from individual failure or a lack of care. It’s often the result of people doing important work in systems under pressure.
Whether it’s in higher education, health and social care, or local government, leaders are balancing:
In that environment, even the most committed teams can start to feel stretched, not just in workload, but in motivation, energy, and connection.
According to Gallup, burnout often comes not just from the volume of work, but from how people experience it, especially when they feel undervalued, disconnected, or out of control.
That’s why strengthening culture - through trust, respect and strengths-based leadership—matters more than ever.
Burnout doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it sounds like:
Or it shows up as:
And often, the people who care the most are the ones at highest risk.
When teams are under sustained pressure, protecting energy isn’t a luxury — it’s essential.
A strengths-based approach, rooted in positive psychology, helps create a culture where people can:
Read: What Is a Strengths-Based Approach?
Strengths aren’t just about what people are good at — they’re about what gives people energy. And energy, when protected and shared, is a powerful buffer against burnout.
Start by making it normal to ask:
“What gave you energy this week?”
“What’s starting to feel heavy?”
“Where do you feel most useful and least stretched?”
This doesn’t require new systems. It’s about noticing what lifts people — and what might need adjusting.
A higher education team we worked with now runs short monthly “energy snapshots.” Over time, it’s helped them rebalance tasks more sustainably.
In fast-moving teams, it’s easy to focus on delivery. But trust — especially psychological safety — is built through small, consistent behaviours:
Try a simple team prompt every couple of weeks:
“Something that helped me feel supported this month”
“Something I appreciated from the team”
“One thing I’d like us to keep doing”
Read: Building Trust at Work: Small Actions, Big Shifts
You might not be able to redesign every job. But you can find ways to better match people’s strengths with how they contribute.
This might mean:
Research from Gallup shows employees who use their strengths daily are 57% less likely to experience burnout.
Read: How to Motivate an Unmotivated Team
“We’re not pretending everything’s easy — but we’ve built a rhythm where people feel supported to keep going,” shared one team lead in local government.
How Strengthify Supports Sustainable Team Culture
At Strengthify, we work with public sector teams to create the kind of culture that strengthens people, even when circumstances are tough.
Our workshops and programmes help teams:
Join a Discovery Workshop or talk to us about strengths-aligned support. We'll help you create the conditions where teams can thrive, not just cope.
Burnout isn’t always a sign of weakness. Often, it’s a sign of effort without the right support.
By making space for strengths, energy and trust — even in small ways — you help your team stay connected to what matters.
A team that understands and respects each other’s strengths is better placed to carry the load together — and carry it well.
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