The performance pressure trap: when ambition tips into overdrive

Year after year, the number of people on long-term sick leave due to burnout and other work-related complaints keeps rising (RIZIV). Behind those figures are not abstract files, but people with careers in which they often functioned well for a long time, carried a lot of responsibility and kept growing in their role. A woman I spoke to told me something similar: productive and dedicated for years, always willing to go the extra mile, until at some point it simply stopped working.

Her story shows something that comes up often in practice: more pressure does not always lead to better performance. Ambition can tip into overdrive, where the constant call for "more" wears you down instead of motivating you. Psychology calls this the Yerkes-Dodson law: a certain amount of tension can help, but too much pressure eventually backfires.

What makes this dynamic extra tricky is that, in conversations about performance pressure, responsibility often gets passed back and forth. Employers point to employees who should guard their boundaries better, and employees point to a work context that is structurally too heavy. The solution rarely lies with one party.

In this blog I look at what individuals, managers and organizations can do to make that pressure easier to manage.

Getting started yourself: how to keep your performance pressure healthy

Healthy ambition starts with self-knowledge. A certain level of challenge can motivate you, but when the bar keeps rising without recovery, healthy ambition tips into overdrive.

1. Learn to judge your own capacity better

Take an honest look at what you can carry. Not only at what you can handle technically, but also at what stays achievable in the longer term. Which tasks give you energy, and which are starting to pinch? If you have worked in a high gear for a long time, you can get used to a pace that is no longer sustainable.

2. Feel and recognize the warning signs

Sleeping worse, getting irritated more quickly, struggling to concentrate or feeling that you are always playing catch-up are important signs. The question is not only "How do I feel?", but also "What is my body or mind trying to tell me?"

3. Dare to state your boundaries

Feeling your boundaries is one thing, saying them out loud is at least as important. Saying in time what is achievable is often much more professional than carrying on until things go wrong. For example: "My workload is full right now" or "I want to do this well, but then something else has to move."

4. Sharpen your own priorities

Not everything is equally important or urgent. Distinguish between what really has priority and what is mostly 'always more' without added value. That way you avoid unnecessary pressure and perfectionism.

5. Make recovery a fixed part of your working day

Short breaks, a quick walk or breathing consciously give you lasting energy. Recovery is a necessity, not a luxury.

Marie Noppe

Over to organizations and managers: making workload healthy

Organizations and managers create the context in which employees perform. They decide not only what is expected, but above all how workload is experienced. If you want to make sustainable performance possible, you also have to look at the way work is organized and managed.

1. Build a culture of trust

Make room for open conversations about workload, feasibility and energy, without judgement. Ask regularly: "How are you really doing?"

2. Set realistic expectations

If deadlines, targets and workload stay structurally too high, talking about wellbeing soon feels hollow. Not everything can always be faster or more. Help people choose, cut and focus on what is achievable.

3. Take early signs of overload seriously

Watch out for withdrawal, tension or lower performance. Stepping in early prevents a lot of suffering.

4. Lead by example

What you do yourself carries a lot of weight. Take breaks, do not always reply straight away and respect your own boundaries. That makes it safe for others to do the same.

5. Focus on sustainable performance

Organizations are responsible not only for targets, but also for the conditions in which those targets have to be met. Regularly ask yourself and your team: "How do we make sure everyone can keep performing in a healthy way?"

Shared responsibility and collaboration

Performance pressure is neither an individual problem nor only an organizational one. It arises from the interaction between personal ambition, the professional context and working relationships. That is why it is crucial that employees and organizations tackle it together.

Dialogue is the foundation here: regular, open and without taboos. It is about understanding and looking for workable solutions together, rather than about blame. When employees state their boundaries, that gives valuable information about how workable tasks and expectations are. Organizations and managers have the responsibility to take these signals seriously.

Measurability and agreements make it practical: what does sustainable work mean in this role? Which goals are achievable within a reasonable time? What does a healthy workload look like in practice? When these rules are clear, sustainable performance becomes a concrete shared mission instead of a vague ideal.

With prevention as a routine (regular conversations, early detection and joint reflection), you stop performance pressure from ending in burnout. Sometimes the answer is not doing more, but setting boundaries together: that is the strongest choice.

Conclusion

Performance pressure affects all of us: employees, managers, organizations and everyone who helps build a healthy work culture. It asks each of us for the courage to respect boundaries, take responsibility and keep communicating openly with each other. Only together can we create an environment where everyone can keep growing and performing with enjoyment, energy and resilience.

On 9 June 2026 we are organizing a free webinar on performance pressure. Sign up here.

Are you seeing more and more signs of performance pressure or absence in your organization? We are happy to think with you about how organizations can pick up these signs early and support employees in time. Book a conversation using the button below.