Though the "burn-out" phenomenon – business owners and employees working themselves to the point of physical exhaustion and internal stress – was already well documented ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic's arrival to the world stage in March 2022, the health-centric crisis catapulted workers' enduring burn-out back into the spotlight. Between new remote work opportunities that eliminated the pressures of the daily commute and internal office interactions, and the mass exit from the U.S. workforce from tension-filled work environments monikered as "​​The Great Resignation", the Covid-19 pandemic catalyzed more and more working-age U.S. adults to shift their personal professional pathways with the purpose of putting their health and wellness back on priority.

While this trend toward wellbeing has been well-documented among the general workforce, that's not to say executive leadership and business owners are spared from the effects of continual burn-out; this chronic stress can erode a leader's confidence, charisma, and business acumen, natural abilities burdened underneath the weight of work-related pressure. This can then have undue negative results on their business's ultimate success, as the effects of burn-out can often trickle down from top management and seep into every corner of an enterprise's operations – including their employees. And considering that repeated burn-out can contribute to lowering a person's life expectancy, this issue clearly pervades well beyond the office space.

For entrepreneur Stephen Garden, the founder of cloud services giant Onica, combating burn-out by maintaining peak mental and physical wellness is one of the most important tasks an entrepreneur can take upon himself. Having built Onica into a $200 million empire with 12 global offices and 250 employees, Garden knows more than a thing or two about the stresses of developing a successful company.

Stephen Garden
Stephen Garden Stephen Garden

"The trouble was, I found a positive correlation between obsessively focusing on the business and the success of the business," said Garden. "It was also my favorite hobby, which caused me to want to spend all of my time working. One fallacy I believed was that, at some point, things in the business would get easier and I'd be able to live in a more well-rounded manner. Unsurprisingly, this never happened. I wasted a long time working towards that strategy, so I'd highly recommend avoiding that approach."

After selling Onica to Rackspace Technology in 2019, Garden reassessed his situation and adjusted his recreational time in turn in hopes of living the most fruitful and well-rounded life possible. Utilizing this post-Onica timeframe to focus on eating better, lowering stress, losing weight, improving sleep, and developing rewarding hobbies outside of the business world – like his passion for boxing – the only regret Garden has about seizing the fate of his health back into his own hands is not having done so earlier in his career.

"My first piece of advice would be to as quickly as possible prioritize a routine that forces you to take your mind off the business while getting some exercise in; for me, this was taking up boxing and working with a professional trainer," continues Garden. "I highly recommend approaching your health and wellness with the same mindset and importance as you approach your business. I believe you'll not only feel better, but your business will actually perform better as a result."

As office culture kicks back into full gear as the return to the office continues, workers and leaders across all areas of a company's operations can benefit from heeding Garden's words and putting additional attention in combating burn-out, creating a happier and healthier workforce along the way.