When companies rolled out hybrid work models, the pitch was simple: skip the commute, choose your hours, work from home some days, the office on others. It sounded ideal. And for some, it really is. Yet, a growing number of employees report feeling more exhausted than ever, not because tasks have piled up, but because the day never really ends.

One late-night email. One quick call after dinner. All of a sudden, it feels like your day has no clear boundaries. You might be home, but mentally, the office is still there. And that’s exactly what research is pointing toward.

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Boundaries Matter More Than Workload

It’s a common misconception that burnout is about volume. Studies suggest the bigger culprit in hybrid settings is the erosion of boundaries. A 2025 article in the International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies found that hybrid workers reported elevated stress levels, primarily due to work spilling into their personal time, rather than because they were handling heavier workloads (IRJEMS, 2025).

While flexible schedules theoretically give employees control, many end up working longer hours because they can. That extra freedom becomes an invisible chain. You may gain autonomy, but you also gain the pressure to prove you’re using it, or worse, to fill every free moment with work.

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Even shorter interruptions at home, such as checking a chat during breakfast or reviewing a document on the couch, accumulate. Without clear start and stop points, our brains never fully disengage.

Why Hybrid Work Feels Draining

Hybrid work introduces pressures that aren’t obvious at first glance:

• Always reachable. Notifications don’t respect physical boundaries. The kitchen table, the sofa, and even the bedroom, these spaces can double as offices.
• Mental switching. Moving between home and office environments takes energy. Each context requires focus, adjustment, and reorientation.
• Identity overlap. Your roles blur: parent, partner, friend, employee. The lines of who you are at any given time shrink.
• Work intensification. The time saved from commuting often gets filled with more tasks. The flexibility that’s supposed to reduce stress ironically extends the workday.

Research in Indonesia even found that hybrid employees experienced higher burnout than onsite workers when boundaries weren’t actively maintained (Him Journals, 2023). The model itself isn’t inherently stressful; it’s the absence of separation that creates strain.

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Burnout Without Overtime

It’s a curious fact: you can work the same number of hours as before and still feel exhausted. That’s because hybrid burnout is less about how much you do and more about how continuous your work feels.

The Journal of Vocational Behaviour (2024) reported that emotional exhaustion rises in hybrid employees even when hours don’t increase, simply because work consistently intrudes into mental space. Teachers, as described in Frontiers in Education (2024), experienced the same cycle: work tasks encroach on family life, and then home demands creep back into work hours. It’s a feedback loop, and it drains energy far more than the actual work tasks.

Numbers That Put It in Perspective

• In the UK, 75 per cent of hybrid workers reported that their burnout had decreased compared to full office arrangements, but for the remaining 25 per cent, unclear boundaries were the primary cause (Economic Times HR, 2024).
• German research (2024) demonstrated that hybrid employees with structured autonomy, characterised by clear work hours and defined off-time, reported lower levels of burnout. Those without clear boundaries saw little benefit (Emerald, 2024).

Clearly, it’s not hybrid work itself causing exhaustion; it’s the lack of intentional separation.

Practical Steps to Reclaim Balance

Hybrid work can be effective, but only if boundaries are actively maintained. Here’s how:

1. Start-and-stop rituals. Simple routines, such as closing your laptop, leaving your workspace, or taking a short walk, signal to your brain that the workday is over.

2. Organisational norms. Teams benefit from clear policies, such as no emails after 7 PM or protected meeting-free blocks. It’s easier to disconnect when everyone is on the same page.

3. Consistent schedules. Home vs. office days should follow a predictable rhythm. Your brain adjusts more easily when routines are consistent.

4. Transparent communication. Tell your manager and colleagues when you’ll respond and when you won’t. It eliminates guilt and reduces pressure to be constantly available.

5. Tech discipline. Silence nonessential notifications, batch email checks, and resist logging in late at night. Your devices should serve you, not the other way round.

Even small changes can have a big impact. People with structured autonomy experience less burnout, emphasising that how you work matters as much as how much you work.

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A Cultural Shift Is Needed

The responsibility for protecting boundaries doesn’t fall solely on employees. Organisations must foster a culture that respects downtime, encourages reasonable expectations, and models balanced behaviour. Flexibility only works when it’s paired with respect for personal time. Otherwise, hybrid work risks becoming an always-on trap disguised as freedom.

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Hybrid work can be liberating, or it can quietly erode your energy. The difference isn’t in the model itself; it’s in the boundaries you and your organisation set. Burnout today isn’t about having too much to do. It’s about never having a point where you stop.

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