The short answer
Protecting health at work includes mental health. Where there is a risk of exhaustion, examine workload and working conditions, agree on practical measures and organise follow-up. HR does not make diagnoses; any absence is coordinated separately with the insurers.
1. Look at what creates pressure
Psychosocial risks are not simply a matter of an individual's ability to cope. Work organisation and working conditions contribute to these risks; collective prevention is therefore part of the response. Offering personal training without reviewing the causes leaves part of the problem unresolved.
In your SME, start with the tasks actually required: simultaneous urgent demands, interruptions, conflicting objectives and a lack of backup. Bring management and the manager concerned together to discuss observable facts. Which tasks can be postponed? Who sets priorities when two clients demand the same availability?
2. Listen without opening a medical file
Arrange a calm discussion with a designated contact. Ask what makes work difficult, which tasks are manageable and what adjustments would help. Do not require a diagnosis or medical history before listening to a work-related difficulty. Medical assessment is the responsibility of healthcare professionals.
Agree on what can be shared to organise the team. Information about task allocation does not need to explain the person's health. Avoid group discussions that identify the person as the cause of the difficulties.
3. Turn the discussion into decisions
Write down a few actions whose implementation can be checked: remove a priority, arrange backup, limit out-of-hours requests or clarify a responsibility. Assign an owner and a follow-up date to each action. A general intention to communicate better is difficult to assess.
At the next review, check whether the workload has actually decreased and whether priority decisions have been upheld. If a task has simply been passed to another person who is already overloaded, the organisation still needs reviewing. Retain useful decisions without creating a file of judgements about individuals.
4. Coordinate an absence and prepare the next steps
Where incapacity is certified, keep administrative follow-up separate from prevention. The necessary dates, percentages and documents allow salary arrangements and the sickness daily allowance insurance contract to be examined. The word burnout alone is not enough to establish an occupational disease or guarantee cover.
Prepare discussions about a possible return to work with the appropriate contacts: tasks, working hours and backup arrangements to examine, without imposing a medical conclusion. Contact with the person should remain respectful and predictable. Also review which collective changes should be maintained after their return.
Frequently asked questions
Is resilience training enough?
It can provide support, but does not replace an examination of workload, priorities and working conditions. Link prevention to organisational decisions that are followed up.
Does HR need to know the diagnosis?
Not to organise tasks and the necessary administrative follow-up. Detailed medical information goes through authorised contacts, not a file shared with the team.
Is burnout automatically covered by sickness daily allowance insurance?
The term alone does not determine entitlement to a benefit. The insurer examines the incapacity and the contract terms; preventive follow-up remains a separate process.