Burn-out, absenteeism, overload… The real issue is no longer individual but organizational. Rethinking work planning is becoming a social and economic emergency.
Since mental health became a Great National Cause in 2025, it has been at the heart of all debates. However, the reality remains unrelenting: nearly 3 million employees are in a state of severe burnout*. Faced with this scourge, the company has for too long been content with cosmetic “bandages”, whether it be yoga classes, fruit baskets or the appointment of Chief Happiness Officers.
We are missing the point. Burnout is not a failure individual, it is the symptom of a system which no longer regulates effort. It is time to stop treating the consequences and finally tackle the root: the structural imbalance of working time and the fragility of managerial courage in the face of the culture of urgency.
Punitive planning: the manager’s blind spot
The findings of the Human Footprint Barometer are clear: 47% of employees are in psychological distress. Burn-out does not reflect personal fragility, but an organization running out of steam. Too many companies still practice, often by omission, “punitive planning” to the detriment of those most committed. These are the employees who are always called upon to replace at short notice, who have a series of dawn openings and late closings or endure inconsistent breaks. Over time, these are no longer operational adjustments, they are a mechanism of wear. These methods generate chronic inequity that exhausts the most reliable collaborators, whatever the sector of activity.
We have for too long favored silent heroism, cultivating a deleterious “it’s going to be okay”. This is a strategic error. The manager’s courage consists of knowing how to say no to unrealistic overload to protect the collective. The cost of absenteeism has exploded, reaching 117 billion euros in 2025 according to the Sapiens Institute. To stop the bleeding, the urgent need is for socially responsible planning. As a manager, I remain convinced that it is better to prevent through the framework than to try to cure through emergency treatment once the talent has collapsed.
The ethical algorithm serving sustainable performance
To succeed in this transformation, planning must cease to be an instrument of control and become a tool allowing employees to organize their lives. Because talents don’t run away from work, they run away from unpredictability.
When guided by social intention, the algorithm becomes an ethical safeguard. Unlike the manager, he is not subject to fatigue or bias. By objectifying decisions, technology protects against exhausting cycles.
This transparency is neither a gadget nor a monitoring tool, but a guarantee of health allowing imbalances to be detected before exhaustion, making planning the lever of consideration and sustainable performance.
Respecting working hours is now an economic imperative and the second criterion for attracting talent, just behind remuneration according to Apec**. Well-being and rest stimulate performance, they constitute a strategic asset rather than a burden.
So… At a time when artificial intelligence promises to optimize every minute of our organizations, a question arises: will we use technology to increase pressure or to breathe new life into work? This is where the ethical competence and responsibility of managers comes into play.
* Human Footprint Barometer / Ipsos2025
**Study 5 issues for executive employment, 2024 and 2025 editions
