It’s Time to Change the Conversation Around Workplace Wellbeing
We’ve all seen it before. An employee who always delivers, goes the extra mile and never lets the team down—until one day, they’re suddenly out. Burned out. Exhausted. Done.
And what do we say? “They should have taken a mental health day.”
But here’s the problem: When we frame recovery as a response to crisis, we’re already too late.
High performers don’t just deserve recovery—they need it to sustain their best work. Like elite athletes, our best employees don’t break because they’re weak—they break because they’ve been running at full intensity without structured recovery.
What Elite Athletes Have Taught Me About High Performance
Throughout my career as an Exercise Professional, I’ve observed that elite athletes, regardless of gender, prioritise structured recovery without hesitation.
No one questions why the All Blacks take recovery days. We don’t call it “injury prevention leave” or assume they’re mentally struggling. We accept that structured recovery is what allows them to sustain peak performance.
Elite athletes train hard and recover hard. On the other hand, workplaces expect employees to push hard—but when they hit exhaustion, they’re sent home to “rest up” before jumping back in. That’s not recovery—it’s damage control.
So here’s the question: If a sports coach stacked full-intensity training sessions without recovery, they’d be fired. Why do we allow the same thing in our workplaces?
Introducing Mental Recovery Days: A New Workplace Strategy
It’s time to move beyond “mental health days”—which often focus on crisis—to “mental recovery days”, a proactive strategy that supports high performance and long-term resilience.. This shift in perspective is not just a change in terminology, but a step towards a more enlightened and forward-thinking approach to workplace wellbeing.
Elite athletes understand that structured recovery is essential for sustaining peak performance. Athletes have periodisation cycles—planned work and rest phases that allow for sustainable performance. Your best employees need the same. Here’s how leaders can build Ebb & Flow into the workplace:
✅ Recognise recovery as essential, not optional – Don’t wait for burnout. Build recovery into the rhythm of work.
✅ Encourage active recovery – Short breaks between deep-focus work and flexible workloads after major projects.
✅ Model sustainable performance – Leaders set the tone. If you skip breaks and overwork, your team will, too.
✅ Offer mental recovery days – Not as a last resort, but as a performance optimisation tool.
The Business Case for Recovery
Sustaining high performance isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter. By adopting recovery strategies practiced by elite athletes, organisations can promote well-being and high performance among all team members. Structured recovery leads to:
✔ Higher engagement and retention – People stay where they feel valued.
✔ Better productivity and creativity – A recovered mind is a sharp mind.
✔ A stronger Employer Brand (EB) & EVP – Because top talent chooses workplaces that support sustainable success.
How Are You Treating Your Team?
Suppose we expect our employees to perform at the highest level. In that case, we must ask ourselves: Are we treating them like elite performers? This thought-provoking question is designed to engage and prompt reflection in every leader.
The best workplaces don’t wait for burnout—they prevent it. They don’t view recovery as a weakness—but as the key to long-term success.
It’s time to change the conversation. Your best people aren’t broken; they need recovery.
Is your workplace setting people up for sustainable success—or setting them up for a crash? Let’s start the conversation.
