If half of the workers who have sacrificed their health said they wouldn’t do it again, why are we still building workplaces that demand it?

That’s one question prompted by The Price of Success: Navigating the Trade-Offs That Shape Career Growth, a recent SHRM research report that explores what professionals give up to get ahead — and whether it’s worth it in hindsight — and identifies organizational strategies to support workers.

Nearly half of the U.S. workers surveyed said they’ve experienced negative impacts on their physical health (47%) and mental health (45%) as a direct result of career advancement. More than 1 in 3 admitted they had neglected their health in pursuit of success — and nearly 3 in 5 said they wouldn’t make that trade-off again. These are lessons many people learn the hard way, despite mounting evidence that the consequences can be devastating. It’s time to stop treating wellness like a renewable resource.

The fact that many workers said they wouldn’t make those choices again indicates “a shift in the way employees view workplace culture, where well-being is being prioritized over the traditional notion of advancement at any cost,” explained SHRM researcher Sally Windisch, who worked on the report.

SHRM Research: The Price of Success: Navigating the Trade-Offs That Shape Career Growth

And yet, many workplaces still reinforce behaviors that lead to burnout. Washington, D.C.-based executive coach Amanda Miller Littlejohn has seen how cultural norms, economic pressures, and identity dynamics all feed the same story: that work comes first, no matter the cost.

“Candidly, burnout behaviors are rewarded not only in workplaces but in family systems and in our culture at large. We have normalized overworking as a means to stand out, get ahead, prove our value, and get a sense of our own worth for decades,” said Littlejohn, who wrote The Rest Revolution (Wiley, 2024).

She also points to inexperience and delayed consequences. “A lot of people abuse their ability to overwork in their youth because the impacts of back-burnering your health, hobbies, and key relationships are not immediately evident,” Littlejohn said.

“Human nature dictates that we are more motivated to solve a problem than prevent it,” she added.

But this isn’t happening in a vacuum. “We have, as a society, prioritized actions that immediately generate productivity and profits over those that don’t,” she said.

Littlejohn often sees this dynamic amplified among high-achievers from certain backgrounds.  

“If you identify as a high-performer with a marginalized identity, you may feel you have to work twice as hard just to be seen as competent,” she said. “That belief often comes from social conditioning, but it gets reinforced by experience. Overwork becomes self-preservation.”

Economic insecurity is another driver. “People who’ve come from fragile financial circumstances often overwork because they fear losing the stability they’ve worked so hard for,” she said.  

The result? Some of the most dedicated employees suffer in silence.  

“When someone never says ‘no,’ it’s easy to assume they can handle it,” Littlejohn said. “But they might be over-performing because they don’t feel safe enough to set boundaries.”

She’s also observed people who insist “that you can afford to deprioritize and backburner what matters for an extended season.”  

Littlejohn learned that lesson the hard way. After the birth of her child, she skipped maternity leave.

“I’ve seen firsthand how neglecting the things that make you feel like yourself, taking your health for granted, and failing to make time for the people who make up your support system tends to catch up with you in the long run,” she said.

SHRM’s research found that those are choices professionals continue to make.  

“The most common personal sacrifices workers report making to advance their careers include working longer hours than they prefer, spending less time on leisure activities and hobbies, and spending less time with loved ones,” Windisch said.

Spot Warning Signs — and Intervene

Burnout is one potential consequence of these trade-offs, but it’s not inevitable. Kandi Wiens, author of Burnout Immunity (Harper Business, 2024) and a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, explained that burnout is a diagnosable psychological syndrome primarily caused by chronic, unmanaged workplace stress. Its hallmarks include emotional exhaustion, growing cynicism, and a diminished sense of professional confidence.

But burnout isn’t just about how much stress you’re under — it’s about how equipped you are to respond.  

“Some people experience high levels of stress and don’t burn out,” Wiens said. These people tend to focus on what they can control and use their emotional intelligence — awareness, regulation, and resilience — to navigate pressure more productively.

That kind of resilience isn’t innate; it’s learned. “Two of the most important things a manager can do are to treat employees like humans first and to role-model what it looks like to manage stress in a healthy way,” Wiens said.  

In other words, resilient leaders create resilient teams.

“The more we surround ourselves with people who react positively to stress, the more we learn from their behavior,” Wiens said. The inverse is also true: Stress-based autopilot spreads fast, and burnout can be contagious.

While you won’t find burnout in the DSM-5, it is recognized by the World Health Organization as an "occupational phenomenon." Left unaddressed, it can take a serious toll. Wiens experienced that first-hand when her own burnout escalated into a hypertensive emergency. “I almost had a stroke,” she said.

She’s far from the only one who has experienced physical consequences.  

“Everybody somatizes stress differently,” Wiens said, explaining “that means how our body takes [stress] in and responds to it.” In her research, she’s observed it manifest as digestive issues, heart-related problems, headaches and migraines, and sleep disturbances.

Wiens is in the camp of researchers who think “burnout really is a result of all stress that we encounter in our lives.” After all, “if we have a lot of home-life stress, that diminishes our capacity for work stress and makes our work stress feel even more stressful.” That’s consistent with SHRM’s findings about the impact of caregiving on careers.

For HR leaders, that means moving past surface-level interventions and truly understanding what’s happening in the organization.  

Toolkit: Creating a Mental-Health-Friendly Workplace

“If you’re seeing widespread burnout across a department or team, it’s likely not about individual weaknesses,” Wiens said. “It’s about culture, workload, fairness, or compensation. You need to investigate before you can intervene.”

To assess your own burnout risk factors, Wiens suggested asking yourself: “What’s my personality? How much distraction can I handle? And is this the type of job that’s going to be distracting me all the time? What is it within the work environment that is a mismatch — not aligned with what I want and need?”  

She’s wary of prescriptive or one-size-fits-all recommendations.  

“Everybody’s different, and everybody’s stress is different — and everybody’s past experiences with stress is different,” Wiens said. “So what may work really well for you may not do anything for me.”  

For example, a sensory deprivation chamber may be extremely helpful for those who struggle with overstimulation but could be a nightmare for someone who is claustrophobic.

Recognize When Success Starts to Hurt

Burnout rarely happens in isolation. Wiens described two “close cousins” that often go unrecognized but feed the same cycle of depletion: sacrifice syndrome and hurry syndrome. These mindsets often get mistaken for drive or dedication but can silently erode well-being over time.

Sacrifice syndrome surfaces when people consistently trade their personal values — such as health, relationships, or identity — for professional gain. “It’s deeply personal,” Wiens said. Someone might say their family is their top priority, but if every choice they make favors work over connection, that dissonance creates stress that lingers.

Hurry sickness is another hidden drain. It often afflicts high-performing, Type-A employees who see busyness as a proxy for status or success. They're constantly rushing, multitasking, and operating with a sense of urgency that never lets up. Wiens noted that factors such as globalization, long commutes, and the pressure to stay perpetually “on” all intensify this risk.

SHRM’s data affirms these patterns. But not all workers are affected equally.  

“Women were significantly more likely to say they’ve worked longer hours than they prefer and neglected their self-care or family time,” Windisch said. She also noted that leaders — those at the director level or above — were more likely to have delayed personal goals in favor of professional ones.

Clearly, this isn’t just about stress; it’s about what we incentivize. As employees move up the career ladder, SHRM found that their priorities shift: Financial rewards and work/life integration begin to take a backseat, while leadership opportunities and influence become more important. Organizations that fail to realign support structures with these shifting motivations risk losing talent.

What HR Can Do Right Now

Diagnose Before You Intervene: Use burnout risk assessments, workload reviews, and cultural audits to uncover the real drivers of stress.

Don’t Confuse Silence with Satisfaction: If no one’s raising concerns, ask why. A lack of feedback might signal fear, not fulfillment.

Reinforce Well-Being at Every Level: Tailor support based on stage and responsibility level. What helps early-career employees thrive won’t be enough for directors shouldering invisible burdens.

Pass the Playbook: Mentors and sponsors can provide career guidance while sharing about the trade-offs that they themselves have made and how they navigate those challenges.

Reward Rest: Recognize outcomes, not hours. Build in seasonal cycles of recovery, not just annual paid time off.

Model What You Want to See: Train leaders to show what healthy stress management looks like in practice. People learn what’s acceptable by watching those above them.