Let’s be honest: Employee relations involves emotionally taxing work.
Every day, employee relations professionals navigate some of the most sensitive and challenging situations employees face — from accommodations requests to discrimination, harassment or retaliation reports and beyond. Employee relations teams provide guidance, support and perspective when it matters most, all while balancing organizational priorities and compliance requirements.
This work demands emotional intelligence, resilience and the ability to stay grounded and fair, but it can take a real toll if burnout isn’t addressed. And we think that in 2026, it’s high time to do so.
The demands on employee relations teams are growing, but resources haven’t kept pace. According to HR Acuity’s Employee Relations Benchmark Study, staffing levels have remained largely flat for more than six years, even as case complexity and employee expectations have continued to rise. That mismatch leaves many employee relations professionals stretched thin, working long hours and navigating high-stakes situations without sufficient support. Recognizing this trend and addressing it proactively is essential for sustaining a high-performing, resilient employee relations team that can meet the demands of today’s workplace.
Your Move: How to Tackle Employee Relations Burnout
Employee relations teams can’t sustain peak performance without proactive measures to address burnout. Here’s how to respond:
- Lean into Community: “Employee relations can be super stressful, and it can be very lonely work,” shares Rebecca Trotsky, Chief People Officer at HR Acuity. “When you have a community behind you that you can share with and learn from, you’re less likely to become burned out.” To get that support, employee relations practitioners can join the empowER™ community: A safe, supportive space to connect with peers who understand the challenges, exchange ideas, celebrate wins and tackle tough situations together. (Psst: It’s free and fast to join!)
- Embed self-care and resilience into employee relations operations: Integrate structured wellness practices into daily workflows, including mental health check-ins, access to counseling, mindfulness or reflection breaks and peer support programs. Consider offering a mental health day each quarter so employees don’t have to use PTO just to get a break. “Employee relations is uniquely positioned to model what that behavior should look like — helping teams identify, without guilt, opportunities to take time away from work — whether mini-breaks, personal development or actual time off,” says Sara Burkhalter, Lead ER Solutions Consultant at HR Acuity.
- Build clear progression paths: Provide transparent career ladders, skills development programs and recognition of achievements. Showing room for growth improves engagement, motivation and retention and helps employee relations teams feel their careers are advancing rather than stalled — even when there’s no headcount increase.
- Cross-train analysts and rotate high-intensity cases: Rotate ownership of complex cases and cross-train team members to share workload. This prevents overburdening individuals, builds versatility and strengthens the team overall.
- Monitor workload and stress indicators: Track metrics such as case volume, time-to-resolution and employee wellbeing signals. Adjust assignments proactively to prevent chronic stress and identify team members who may need additional support.
- Foster a supportive culture: Encourage open communication, empathy and psychological safety. Leaders should model balance and do their part to destigmatize asking for help.
By recognizing these signals and taking deliberate action, employee relations leaders can reduce burnout, protect their teams and maintain strong performance even under today’s unique pressures.
How HR Case Management Platforms Can Help Address Employee Relations Burnout
Addressing burnout in employee relations teams starts with reducing unnecessary friction and providing tools that support smarter, more efficient work. The right HR case management platform can make a real difference:
- Track key metrics effortlessly: HR case management software makes it simple to monitor workload indicators like case volume, issues per case and employee relations staffing ratios. These insights help quantify your team’s work and identify hot spots before they escalate — without the burden of manual tracking.
- Reduce administrative work: Some platforms, like HR Acuity, provide best-practice embedded workflows and templates, and allow issues from your speak-up hotline to flow directly into the system.
- Leverage defensible AI: AI tools can guide your team by helping build an investigation plan, generate case summaries, suggest tailored interview questions, and visualize data — all while keeping processes defensible. This supports your team without replacing their judgment.
Ready to see how HR Acuity can help your team handle issues more efficiently, reduce burnout and refocus on what matters most — strategy? Get a demo today.
