Your Best People Aren't Burning Out. They're Just in the Wrong Job.

Based on research from MIT Sloan Management Review and Business Insider.

Here’s something nobody talks about: most people who leave good companies aren’t burned out. They’re just doing the wrong kind of work.

Not the wrong job title. Not the wrong company. The wrong KIND of work for how they’re wired.

And your engagement survey? It completely misses this.

Only 21% of workers feel engaged right now. But here’s the interesting part: most of the other 79% aren’t lazy. They’re not checked out. They’re working their tails off in jobs that drain them.

Your survey asks “Are you satisfied?”

It should be asking “Does your daily work match how you naturally work?”

Big difference.

Here’s What Actually Happens

Your engineer is great at solving technical problems. Put them in a room with code, they’re happy. Put them in back-to-back stakeholder meetings? They’re dying inside.

Your project manager loves coordinating people. Give them a team to rally, they light up. Stick them alone with spreadsheets all day? They’re drained by lunch.

Both are doing their jobs. Both are hitting their goals. Both are slowly running out of gas.

This isn’t burnout. This is mismatch.

Companies see the symptoms and think “Let’s do a wellness program!” or “More flexibility!” or “Pizza Fridays!”

Meanwhile, the real problem sits there unchanged: the daily work doesn’t fit how these people are wired.

When someone finally quits, it costs you 15-25% of their salary to replace them. Plus the lost knowledge. Plus the disruption. Plus months getting someone new up to speed.

But here’s the part that stings: they were mismatched for months before they left. Your engagement survey showed them as “satisfied” because they were still performing. What it missed was that performing in the wrong environment was emptying their tank every single day.

Why This Matters More Right Now

80% of employees struggle to focus when the world feels chaotic. Productivity drops 15-20% when there’s political mess, social upheaval, or just general anxiety in the air.

But here’s what shows up in the data: people who were already mismatched struggle way more. They don’t have any reserves left. They were already running on fumes.

People in jobs that match their style? They handle external stress better. Not because they’re stronger. Because they’re not fighting their job AND the world at the same time.

Your survey asking “How satisfied are you?” can’t see any of this.

So What Do You Actually Do?

Most advice focuses on one thing. Reduce workload. Add benefits. Fix the culture.

That helps a little. But it misses the point.

You need three things working together. When all three line up, people don’t just avoid burnout. They actually thrive.

The Three Things That Actually Work

1. Does Their Daily Work Match Their Style?

Not their skills. Their STYLE.

Some people get energy from hands-on problem solving. Others from creating new things. Some from working with people. Others from working with data or systems or ideas.

Here’s the kicker: 47% of people have blended styles. Your engineer might be part technical, part creative. That’s not weird. That’s normal.

When someone’s daily work matches their style, they get energy FROM it. When it doesn’t? Every day feels like pushing a boulder uphill.

Real example: Engineer who loves solving problems gets stuck in meetings all day. They have the SKILLS for meetings. But meetings drain them because it’s the wrong TYPE of work for their style.

The fix: Sometimes you can restructure how they spend their time. Sometimes you need to be honest that they’re in the wrong role.

Ask yourself: Do I know what kind of work energizes each person on my team? Not what they’re good at. What gives them energy?

2. Do They Have More Resources Than Demands?

Simple math: Resources - Demands = Energy

Every job has demands (stuff that drains you) and resources (stuff that recharges you).

Resources aren’t just tools or money. They’re things like:

• Control over how you do your work
• Support when you’re stuck
• Clear priorities (not everything being urgent)
• Time to think, not just react
• Learning opportunities
• Recognition

Here’s what happens: Demands pile up. Someone quits, their work gets split. Deadlines compress. Projects multiply.

Resources shrink. Budget cuts. Training gets postponed. One-on-ones get cancelled.

Even people in jobs that match their style will drain out if the math doesn’t work.

The key thing: This changes constantly. Someone energized last quarter might be running on fumes now because the demands shifted.

That’s why checking once a year is useless.

Ask yourself: What’s actually on my team’s plates right now? What resources have disappeared without me noticing?

3. Can They Actually Be Honest With You?

This is the glue that holds everything together.

You could have perfect style match and great resources. But if people don’t feel safe speaking up, none of it matters.

Psychological safety means:

• They can disagree without getting shut down
• They can admit mistakes without getting punished
• They can ask questions without looking dumb
• They can be themselves

Why this completes the picture:

Without safety, people won’t tell you their work doesn’t match their style. They’ll just quietly drain out.

Without safety, people won’t speak up when demands exceed resources. They’ll just push through until they break.

Without safety, all your check-ins are just theater. People tell you what you want to hear, not what’s actually happening.

Connect this to the external chaos: Remember that 80% struggling during upheaval? Teams with high safety handle it way better. Because people can actually say “I’m struggling to focus” instead of pretending everything’s fine.

Quick test: When’s the last time someone on your team disagreed with you? Admitted a mistake before you found it? Asked for help?

If you can’t remember, that’s your answer about safety.

Why You Need All Three (Not Just One)

Most solutions focus on one thing:

• “Reduce workload!” (demands only)
• “Fix engagement!” (satisfaction only)
• “Improve culture!” (belonging only)

That helps a little. But it’s not enough.

You need all three:

Work matches your style → You get energy from what you do

Resources exceed demands → Your battery stays charged

Team feels safe → You can actually be honest and grow

When all three line up, people thrive. When one is missing, people leave.

Your engagement survey is measuring unhappiness. It should be measuring mismatch.

What to Do This Week

Pick one person who seems less energized lately. Schedule 30 minutes. Ask three questions:

1. “What type of work energizes you? What drains you?” (checking style match)
2. “Do you have what you need to do your job well?” (checking resources)
3. “Do you feel comfortable speaking up when something’s not working?” (checking safety)

Then just listen. Don’t fix everything right away. Don’t defend. Just understand if their environment matches how they’re wired.

This month:

• Figure out each person’s actual work style
• Check their demands versus resources
• Notice who speaks up and who doesn’t

This quarter:

• Track all three things monthly (not once a year)
• Make one change based on what you learn
• Make these check-ins normal, not special

The Real Deal

Your team doesn’t need another survey. They need you to see if their environment matches how they’re wired.

This isn’t about preventing burnout. It’s about creating the right match.

When work fits someone’s style, when resources exceed demands, and when teams feel safe? People thrive. And people who thrive stay.

The numbers:

• 47% of people have blended work styles (mismatch is common)
• Teams with high safety see 75% fewer sick days
• Productivity drops 15-20% during chaos, but only where people can’t talk about it

What happens if you don’t fix this:

People quietly drain out. Your best ones leave. By the time your annual survey catches it, they’re already gone.

They won’t say “I left because my work didn’t match my style.” They’ll say “I found a better opportunity.”

The survey never saw it coming because it was measuring the wrong thing.

Start Small

This week: Check if one person’s environment matches how they’re wired. Ask those three questions. Just listen.

That’s it. That’s how you start.

The leaders who get this don’t have better burnout programs. They understand that great people leave when the environment doesn’t match their wiring.

Your job isn’t to measure how drained people are. It’s to design environments where they can work in their natural rhythm, with what they need, in a team that feels safe.

That’s what makes great people stay.

Where This Comes From

• MIT Sloan Management Review - Research on how 80% of employees struggle during external chaos
• Business Insider - Why surveys fail and what actually works
• 70+ years of research on work styles (RIASEC by John Holland)
• 200+ studies on the energy equation (Job Demands-Resources framework)
• Research on psychological safety and team performance (Amy Edmondson)