Organisations have been urged to integrate workers’ well-being into their key performance indicators.

Experts argued that conducting regular staff wellness assessments and creating psychologically safe workplaces to curb burnout can boost productivity and strengthen corporate performance.

A Consultant Physician at Iwosan Euracare Family Medicine, Dr Babafemi Adenuga, stated this during the Chartered Institute of Directors (CIoD) Nigeria’s Walk for Life event in Lagos, with the theme ‘From Burnout to Bloom: Recharge, Reconnect and Restore.’

The event formed part of CIoD Nigeria‘s efforts to promote healthier workplaces and encourage directors and business leaders to prioritise wellness as a critical component of effective leadership and sustainable organisational success.

Adenuga described burnout as an occupational condition resulting from chronic workplace stress that is not effectively managed, warning that it has become a growing concern with far-reaching consequences for employees and organisations.

He explained that burnout goes beyond ordinary tiredness, affecting physical health, emotional well-being, and workplace productivity.

According to him, available data show that about 57 per cent of Nigerians experience daily stress, while between 30 and 50 per cent of workers face workplace-related mental health challenges.

He added that studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that about 49 per cent of doctors in Lagos experienced burnout.

Adenuga warned that prolonged burnout increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, weakens the immune system, impairs concentration and reduces professional effectiveness.

He identified persistent exhaustion, irritability, poor concentration, social withdrawal, increased dependence on stimulants, recurrent illnesses and declining workplace performance as common warning signs.

The physician attributed the high incidence of burnout in Nigeria to long commuting hours, poor infrastructure, economic pressures, toxic workplace cultures and societal attitudes that equate vulnerability with weakness.

He said recovery requires adequate sleep, healthy nutrition, regular exercise, meaningful social connections, effective stress management and clear work-life boundaries.

“Energy management is more important than time management. Sustainable success requires recovery, and strong leaders know when to rest,” he said.

Also speaking, Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Gbonjubola Abiru, said many professionals experiencing burnout often fail to recognise the condition because they overlook its early symptoms.

She identified poor sleep, unhealthy eating habits, irritability, social withdrawal and emotional exhaustion as early warning signs, urging workers to cultivate healthy habits, maintain strong social relationships and practise what she described as “mental hygiene” to preserve their mental and physical wellbeing.

President and Chairman of the Governing Council, CIoD Nigeria, Adetunji Oyebanji, lamented that many directors often ignore routine medical check-ups, adequate sleep, regular exercise and early signs of stress until their health deteriorates.

“Too often, directors postpone medical check-ups, neglect exercise, sacrifice sleep, and ignore the warning signs of stress until their health begins to fail. Leadership should never come at the expense of life itself,” he said.

According to him, directors shoulder enormous responsibilities, making decisions that impact organisations, employees, shareholders and society, stressing that such responsibilities can only be discharged effectively when leaders are physically fit and mentally resilient.

“We must recognise that healthy directors build healthy boards, and healthy boards build resilient institutions,” he said.

Oyebanji described the fitness walk as more than a recreational activity, saying it was a call for directors and leaders to embrace healthier lifestyles, manage stress deliberately and accord their personal wellbeing the same attention they give to corporate performance.

He reaffirmed CIoD Nigeria’s commitment to promoting excellence in corporate governance, noting that sustainable governance begins with healthy leaders.

“A director who is physically fit, mentally alert, and emotionally resilient is better equipped to provide sound judgment, strategic oversight and ethical leadership,” he added.