Most leaders fill every hour, jump between meetings and end the day mentally fried. Their calendar may look productive, but that doesn’t mean they are.
At Google, LinkedIn and Salesforce, energy is treated like a finite resource that needs to be managed with intention, not squeezed for every last drop.
Energy Matters More Than Time
The perception that long working hours equate to commitment and dedication is a deeply ingrained generational sentiment, often referred to as “workism.” This perspective was largely driven by previous generations, notably Baby Boomers and Generation X.
The good news is that this mindset is fading, and for good reason. Studies have found that working longer hours does not improve performance. In many cases, it leads to declines in memory, reasoning and cognitive function. The historic Whitehall II Study found that:
Working more than 55 hours per week was associated with lower cognitive performance.
Longer hours predicted declines in reasoning ability over time.
Returning to this foundational knowledge, leaders at organizations like Google are reframing performance around a simple idea: Sustained output requires sustained energy. Without it, focus slips, decision-making weakens and creativity drops.
A chief medical officer at Google revealed how the company prevents burnout in an internal talk during Fortune’s Workplace Innovation Summit.
“You don’t need to be able to diagnose that a person has depression or anxiety or whatever the case may be, but you have to be able to recognize when somebody on your team is struggling and know how to direct them in a way that’s safe and effective,” said Sohini Stone, Google’s chief medical officer for global employee health.
Google Makes Recovery Part of the Job
Google’s approach to energy management is built into the environment itself. The goal is not to remind people to rest, but to make it easy and normal. Employees have access to wellness spaces, fitness centers and quiet areas designed for mental resets. These may seem like indulgences, but they are treated as tools that support better work.
Mindfulness programs are another layer at Google. The company has long invested in initiatives that teach employees how to manage stress and attention. Programs like “Search Inside Yourself” and “gPause” help employees build emotional intelligence and improve focus.
Managers are also trained to recognize early signs of burnout. This is a top priority at Google because many employees push through exhaustion. When leaders actively check in and encourage recovery, it changes behavior across the team.
You don’t need a campus full of perks to apply the same principle. What matters is intention:
Build short recovery windows into your day
Step away before your energy crashes, not after
Pay attention to patterns, not just deadlines
Recovery works best when it’s proactive. Waiting until you’re exhausted is already too late.
LinkedIn Protects Focus Relentlessly
Protecting focus has become a priority across numerous teams, especially as research continues to link constant interruptions to lower productivity and higher stress. LinkedIn tackles focus by insisting on recovery first, with a goal to reduce unnecessary energy drain.
One of the most visible examples they implemented through their LiftUp! program was the use of no-meeting days. Entire days are left open so employees can focus without interruption. That single shift reduces context switching, which can be one of the biggest hidden drains on mental energy.
This tactic is happening across various organizations. Companies like Asana have implemented strategies like “no meeting Wednesdays” specifically to create uninterrupted focus time for deep work.
Now think about your own workday for a moment. A meeting here, a quick Slack message there, an email that pulls your attention away. It feels manageable in the moment, but over time, it fragments your thinking and leaves you drained without clear output.
You can apply this same approach:
Group meetings into specific days or time blocks
Protect at least one stretch of deep work each day
Limit unnecessary check-ins that break focus
Think of it this way: Focus is not about getting more done, it’s about using less energy to do it.
Salesforce Gives People Control Over Their Energy
Salesforce centers its strategy on autonomy. In other words, people manage their energy better when they have a say in how they work.
Employees are given well-being budgets that they can use for what actually supports them. That might be therapy, fitness programs or mindfulness tools. Instead of offering one-size-fits-all solutions, Salesforce allows employees to choose what works.
Mental health days are also normalized at Salesforce. Taking time to reset is not seen as falling behind because it’s part of staying effective over the long term.
Through its hybrid work guidelines, Salesforce helps employees structure their work in ways that align with their energy patterns. Some people do their best thinking early in the morning, while others hit their stride later in the day. Salesforce’s flexibility model can make room for that.
Microbreaks are encouraged throughout the day at Salesforce, too. These are short pauses that prevent burnout from building in the first place. They may seem small, but they add up. Research has shown that short breaks between tasks can reduce stress and restore focus, making it easier to approach the next meeting with a clear head.
You may not control company policy, but you can create more autonomy in your own routine:
Take note when your energy is highest and protect that time
Set a timer for short breaks before fatigue builds
Choose recovery habits that work for you
Control leads to better decisions, and better decisions protect your energy and output.
The Bottom Line
Among working-age adults, 66% of workers in the U.S. are experiencing some form of burnout. Many companies still treat well-being as an add-on, a perk or a one-off initiative.
Zoom out, and there’s a clear pattern across Google, LinkedIn, and Salesforce: Recovery is integrated, and energy follows. Recovery is not something you hope happens if there’s time left over; it’s scheduled and treated as part of the job.
Companies protecting their employees’ well-being embed it into operations. They design work in a way that reduces unnecessary strain instead of asking people to push through it.
The result is not only happier teams but better decision-making, consistent performance and work that holds up over time.
Featured image from PeopleImages/Shutterstock
