You’ve seen it: the employee who used to go above and beyond now does just enough. The team member who was once eager in meetings now stays quiet. The excitement that once filled your workplace has quietly faded into silence.

This isn’t about laziness. It’s not about entitlement either. It’s about disconnection.

Right now, more professionals are disengaging—not because they don’t want to work, but because something deeper is missing in their work environments. And the source of that shift often comes down to one thing: culture.

Culture Is More Than Office Perks

Company culture used to be summed up by fun Fridays, snack walls, and team-building retreats. But that version of culture is outdated.

Today, employees are asking better questions:

• Do I feel respected here?

• Can I speak up without fear?

• Does my work have purpose—or is it just output?

• Do I trust my leadership—or am I just surviving the week?

If the answer to those questions is “no,” it doesn’t matter how fancy the breakroom is—people will disengage. Or worse, they’ll quietly leave without ever resigning.

The Cost of a Disconnected Culture

Disengagement doesn’t always look dramatic. It often shows up in subtle ways:

• Missed deadlines

• Low participation

• A drop in collaboration

• Increased passive resistance

• Mental check-outs during meetings

And when this becomes the norm, organizations start feeling the impact—reduced innovation, higher turnover, and low morale across departments.

Even the best onboarding program can’t fix a workplace culture where people feel unseen or undervalued.

The Leadership Gap

One of the biggest contributors to culture breakdowns is inconsistent leadership. Not bad leadership—inconsistent leadership.

This happens when:

• Expectations shift weekly with no explanation

• Feedback is vague, delayed, or reactive

• Decisions are made without transparency

• Leaders say “we’re a team” but operate top-down

Employees crave clarity. They don’t need perfection, but they do need alignment. When leaders fail to model the culture they promote, trust erodes quickly.

Culture isn’t what’s written in the mission statement. It’s what people experience every day—especially when no one’s watching.

Psychological Safety Is the Foundation

One of the most powerful indicators of a strong culture is psychological safety—the belief that you can express ideas, concerns, and even failure without fear of judgment or retaliation.

Workplaces that encourage open communication—where people can disagree respectfully and share feedback without repercussions—tend to outperform others in creativity, retention, and satisfaction.

This doesn’t mean chaos. It means accountability paired with empathy. It means treating people like adults. It means having hard conversations with honesty, not hostility.

And most importantly, it means creating environments where people feel like they belong.

So What Does a Healthy Culture Actually Look Like?

Here are some signs of a workplace that’s getting it right:

• Clear expectations paired with autonomy

• Leaders who listen, not just talk

• Recognition that goes beyond metrics

• Real support for work-life boundaries

• Opportunities to grow without begging for them

• Space to disagree, reflect, and collaborate

These cultures don’t happen by accident—they are designed, nurtured, and protected over time.

What Organizations Can Do Today

Improving culture doesn’t require a full rebrand or a shiny new values poster. It starts with a few honest shifts:

1. Listen more than you report. Employee feedback shouldn’t live in a survey folder—it should inform decisions.

2. Lead with consistency. If you say “we value transparency,” practice it in meetings, emails, and day-to-day choices.

3. Make inclusion actionable. Don’t just talk about DEI—fund it, measure it, and make it part of how people are promoted.

4. Normalize rest and recovery. Burnout is not a badge of honor. Make balance part of your leadership example.

Small culture shifts ripple outward fast—especially when they come from the top.

Closing Note: The Culture We Create

People don’t disengage overnight. They slowly turn away from environments that stop speaking to their values.

But here’s the good news: culture isn’t fixed. It’s created moment by moment, conversation by conversation, leader by leader.

If you want a culture that attracts and retains real talent, focus less on how things look—and more on how people feel.

Because at the end of the day, most people aren’t asking for perfect. They’re asking for purpose, respect, and a place where they can show up fully and still feel like they belong.

When Andy Jassy succeeded Jeff Bezos as CEO of Amazon, in 2021, he stepped into one of the most scrutinized leadership roles in business. Yet under Jassy’s leadership, Amazon has not only sustained its momentum but accelerated. According to the company, revenues have grown by more than $230 billion during his four-year tenure, and it has made significant leaps in its delivery capabilities and use of AI.

Leading at Scale

In a wide-ranging conversation with HBR editor at large Adi Ignatius, Jassy reflects on what it takes to lead at scale. He discusses the importance of maintaining a customer-obsessed culture, even as the company grows and expands into new areas. Jassy also emphasizes the need for leaders to be willing to take risks and experiment with new ideas, in order to stay ahead of the competition.

Encouraging Risk-Taking

Jassy believes that encouraging risk-taking is essential for driving innovation and growth. He notes that Amazon’s culture of experimentation and willingness to take risks has allowed the company to make significant advances in areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. By giving employees the freedom to try new things and learn from their mistakes, Jassy aims to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship within the company.

Embracing AI

Jassy also discusses the importance of finding smart ways to embrace AI and other emerging technologies. He notes that Amazon has made significant investments in AI research and development, and is using machine learning algorithms to improve everything from customer service to supply chain management. By leveraging AI and other technologies, Jassy believes that Amazon can continue to drive growth and innovation, while also improving the customer experience.

Reinventing Corporate Culture

In addition to driving growth and innovation, Jassy is also focused on reinventing Amazon’s corporate culture. With more than a million employees, Amazon is one of the largest employers in the world, and Jassy recognizes the need to create a culture that is inclusive, diverse, and supportive of all employees. He notes that Amazon has made significant progress in areas such as diversity and inclusion, but acknowledges that there is still more work to be done.

Conclusion

Under Andy Jassy’s leadership, Amazon has continued to thrive and innovate. By emphasizing the importance of customer obsession, risk-taking, and innovation, Jassy has helped to drive growth and expansion at the company. As Amazon continues to evolve and grow, it will be interesting to see how Jassy’s leadership style and vision for the company shape its future.

FAQs

Q: What is Andy Jassy’s background and experience?
A: Andy Jassy is a veteran Amazon executive who previously led the company’s cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services.
Q: What are some of the key challenges facing Amazon under Jassy’s leadership?
A: Some of the key challenges facing Amazon include maintaining a customer-obsessed culture, driving innovation and growth, and navigating the complexities of a rapidly changing technological landscape.
Q: How is Amazon using AI and other emerging technologies?
A: Amazon is using AI and other emerging technologies to improve everything from customer service to supply chain management, and is making significant investments in AI research and development.
Q: What is Jassy’s vision for Amazon’s corporate culture?
A: Jassy is focused on creating a culture that is inclusive, diverse, and supportive of all employees, and has made significant progress in areas such as diversity and inclusion.

There was a time when burnout was treated as a personal issue—something employees needed to manage with a vacation, a meditation app, or better time management.

But in 2025, that perspective is shifting fast.

Companies are starting to recognize that burnout isn’t just an individual problem—it’s a systemic culture issue. And if it’s showing up in your workplace regularly, it’s not a fluke. It’s a red flag.

A Gallup survey earlier this year revealed that 58% of workers experience burnout at least sometimes, with nearly 1 in 4 saying they feel it “very often.” The data is clear: something in the way we work is broken—and it’s not just about workload.

Burnout Isn’t About “Too Much Work”—It’s About How Work Feels

It’s easy to assume burnout is simply the result of overwork. But research tells a more nuanced story. Employees report feeling burned out when they:

• Lack control over their work

• Feel unclear about expectations

• Don’t feel appreciated or recognized

• Are constantly navigating unclear priorities

• Work in environments that lack empathy or support

That’s not about hours. That’s about culture.

You can work 60 hours a week on a passion project and feel energized. Or work 35 hours in a toxic culture and feel completely depleted.

Signs Your Culture Is Fueling Burnout

If your organization is starting to feel the ripple effects of stress and disengagement, look beyond the surface. Here are five signs burnout may be woven into the culture:

1. “Always on” expectations
Team members feel pressure to respond instantly—even outside work hours. There’s no real boundary between work and life.

2. Recognition is rare or performative
Hard work is expected, not acknowledged. Celebrations are surface-level, and appreciation often comes only during performance review season.

3. Silence around mental health
No one talks openly about stress, therapy, or taking mental health days. Doing so might be seen as a sign of weakness.

4. High output, low support
Leaders demand excellence but don’t invest in training, feedback, or staffing. People are running on empty with no backup.

5. Turnover is brushed off
When people leave due to burnout or toxicity, leadership calls it “normal attrition” instead of addressing the real cause.

If any of these sound familiar, your team may be normalizing burnout—and normalizing it makes it harder to solve.

Culture Recovery Starts With Conversations

So how do you shift the culture?

It doesn’t begin with policy. It begins with honest dialogue—and the willingness to name what’s not working. Start by asking questions like:

• What would a healthy workday look like here?

• Where do we feel stretched too thin?

• Are we celebrating rest and recovery the way we celebrate hustle?

• What signals do we send about urgency, availability, and boundaries?

And most importantly—are leaders modeling what they want to see?

When leaders take time off, speak transparently about capacity, or decline back-to-back meetings, it gives others permission to do the same.

Rethinking Productivity in a Burnout Era

In a culture built on urgency, rest can look like resistance. But what if real productivity comes not from doing more—but from being more focused, more supported, and more human?

More companies are experimenting with:

• No-meeting Fridays

• Mental health stipends

• Workload forecasting to prevent crunch periods

• Building “recovery time” into project cycles

• Encouraging PTO with no guilt or pressure

These aren’t perks—they’re strategies for building sustainable teams.

The Role of Managers (and What Employees Can Do)

Managers are the culture carriers. They set the tone for how performance, balance, and support are defined.

For managers:
Ask how your team is doing—not just what they’re doing. Make room for check-ins that don’t revolve around deadlines. Be transparent about your own limits to model balance.

For employees:
Burnout doesn’t mean you’re weak—it means your environment needs adjustment. Advocate for yourself early, not when you’re already overwhelmed. Ask for clarity. Suggest solutions. And if you’re in a culture that punishes rest or honesty, it may be time to reassess your fit.

What Happens When Culture Shifts?

Organizations that take burnout seriously aren’t just protecting employee health—they’re investing in long-term performance.

When employees feel seen, supported, and allowed to be whole people—not just output machines—they don’t just stay longer. They create better, collaborate better, and lead better.

And in a world where burnout is everywhere, building a culture of care isn’t just nice—it’s a competitive advantage.

Because the most successful teams of tomorrow won’t be the ones that grind the hardest. They’ll be the ones that know how to pause, breathe, and still rise.