My zero-burnout goal: how I built a burnout prevention system for my team

Burnout is one of the biggest risks in the tech industry. For instance, a 2023 survey by JetBrains found that 73% of developers have experienced burnout at some point in their careers. Additionally, a 2021 study by Haystack Analytics reported that 83% of software developers felt burnout from work.

Yet, it often goes unnoticed until it is too late. Long hours, constant deadlines, and the pressure to deliver can push even the best engineers to their limits. I gave myself a zero-burnout goal for my team and decided to take a proactive approach. Instead of waiting until someone was overwhelmed, I built a system to monitor burnout risks and advocate for well-being before things spiraled out of control.

It all started with a funny but serious workshop. I gathered my team and asked, “What should I do as a manager to make sure at least one of you burns out?”

They laughed at first. Then the ideas started flowing. Force last-minute crunch time. Cancel vacations. Send messages at night expecting answers. Overbook the roadmap. Ignore stress signals. Never acknowledge hard work. The list went on, and suddenly, it was clear—we all knew exactly what leads to burnout. The challenge was avoiding it.

That discussion was a wake-up call. If my team could so easily list the behaviours that cause burnout, then I had no excuse as a manager not to take action. So, we sat down together and created a team wellness charter to set expectations, define responsibilities, and commit to a culture that prioritizes well-being.

Creating a team wellness charter

I wanted this to be something we built together, not something I imposed. We agreed that preventing burnout is not just my job as a manager, it is a shared responsibility. Every team member has a role to play in creating a work environment where people feel supported.

The team wellness mission we came up with was simple:

Well-being is a top priority for all members of our team. Our goal is to create a culture that minimizes symptoms of burnout. We support and empower each other to improve and maintain overall health by making wellness part of our team’s values.

From that mission, we set some clear burnout prevention goals:

We aimed for 100% participation in our wellness survey every month, so that we always had an accurate picture of how people were feeling. We committed to monitoring burnout symptoms over time to spot trends and take action before things got worse. Most importantly, everyone on the team took ownership of maintaining a healthy work environment. That meant leading by example, whether by respecting work hours, encouraging breaks, or checking in on each other.

Defining roles in burnout prevention

Burnout prevention is a team effort, but I knew my role as a manager was crucial. If I did not set the tone, nothing would change.

As part of the charter, I committed to sending out a Burnout Prevention Pulse Check survey at the end of every month, collecting the results and reviewing them before 1:1 meetings, bringing up burnout concerns proactively if survey results showed rising stress levels, and ensuring work-life balance is respected, including enforcing company policies on disconnecting after hours.

The rest of the team also had responsibilities: Respecting boundaries and not pressuring each other to respond to work messages after hours, using scheduling tools to manage work-related communication, being transparent when feeling overwhelmed and asking for support when needed, and holding each other accountable for following our agreed-upon wellness policies.

To keep this system effective, we also agreed to review the wellness charter once per quarter to ensure it was still relevant and helpful.

Tracking burnout with a monthly survey

With the wellness charter in place, we needed a way to measure burnout symptoms consistently. Otherwise, it would be just another document sitting in a shared folder, forgotten.

I created a monthly burnout survey using Microsoft Forms, with 10 questions designed to track key symptoms of burnout. Each question had a scale from 1 (rarely) to 5 (all the time), allowing us to spot early warning signs before they became serious.

Everyone on the team agreed to fill out the survey anonymously. This was important. People needed to feel safe sharing their struggles without worrying about judgment.

When I first sent out the survey, I was honestly unsure if people would take it seriously. But the engagement rate was surprisingly high. Engineers appreciated having a private space to express stress levels without fear of looking weak or unmotivated.

How I used the survey results to take action

Collecting data was only the first step. The real value came from what we did with it. Each month, I compiled the survey responses and tracked trends over time. If multiple engineers reported high exhaustion levels or increased stress, it was a signal that something needed to change.

I used this data to start conversations, both in team meetings and in 1:1s. Instead of waiting for someone to say, “I am burned out,” I could start the conversation with, “I noticed stress levels have been creeping up, what is going on?”

Sometimes, the issue was workload-related, and we needed to reprioritize tasks. Other times, engineers were feeling pressure outside of work, and they just needed reassurance that it was okay to take a break.

This survey also helped normalize burnout discussions. Engineers started bringing up their concerns before they escalated. That alone made a massive difference.

Reinforcing the importance of taking breaks

One of the biggest struggles in preventing burnout is getting engineers to actually use their time off. Even with wellness days available, people hesitate. They feel guilty. They worry about work piling up. As part of our team wellness culture, I remind my team regularly:

“If the sun is shining and you want to go for a hike, do it. If you need a day to reset, take it. Your work will still be here tomorrow.”

Taking care of yourself is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

What engineering managers can do to prevent burnout

Managers set the tone for how teams handle stress. A zero-burnout goal is not about waiting until someone is overwhelmed and then telling them to take a break. It is about building a culture that actively prevents burnout before it starts.

That means:

• Checking in regularly instead of assuming everything is fine.
• Normalizing conversations about stress so that engineers feel safe speaking up.
• Encouraging real breaks instead of rewarding overwork.
• Adjusting workloads proactively instead of waiting until someone is drowning.

Burnout is common in tech, but it does not have to be inevitable. With structured tracking, open conversations, and a culture that values work-life balance, burnout can be reduced or even prevented.

The most effective teams are not the ones that work the longest hours. They are the ones that protect their energy, work sustainably, and support each other. A zero-burnout goal might seem ambitious, but with the right mindset and actions, it is absolutely achievable.