What 'high performance' culture is costing your organisation
Page Published Date:
June 15, 2026
Ask most leaders what a high-performing team looks like, and you'll hear about results, pace, and output. Ask them how they identify top performers in practice, and the answer often sounds different.
At a recent panel event hosted by The Safe Step and The Next Step at PwC's Barangaroo offices, Jo Cairns, Chief People Officer at Team Global Express, described a talent review where a leader had flagged certain people as top performers. The basis? They worked the longest hours and were online at weekends.
That framing was challenged directly:
"High performance should be defined by outcomes. Not by the way people deliver it."
What does the data say about burnout in Australia?
According to the State of Workplace Burnout 2025 report (AIHS), burnout rates in Australia sit at 43%, up 17% from the previous year.
In professional services, finance, law, and consulting, high workload intensity has become normalised. The risk profile that creates is significant: sustained demand without adequate recovery is a psychosocial hazard under current WHS obligations, whether or not it ever surfaces as a claim.
A 2024 survey of media, marketing and creative professionals found burnout rates of 70% in those industries. The same survey found that 51% of business leaders were unaware of recent psychosocial hazards legislation, and only 22% had a clear plan for it.
What does 'high performance' actually cover for?
Danielle Odd, Director of Wellbeing, Health and Safety at PwC, has had this conversation repeatedly — with legal teams, executive leaders, and her own CEO.
"I do think what I hear a lot, and not just from this place but from others, is: 'But we're a high-performing team.
But we're a high-performing organisation.' And quite often I find myself saying: so what does that mean?"
The answer, when examined closely, usually comes back to hours. Not quality of work, not quality of decisions, not sustainable output over a career, just working hours.
Dave Burroughs, Chief Mental Health Officer at Westpac and Principal Psychologist at Australian Psychology Services, drew the comparison to elite athletes. Rest and recovery are built into a high-performing athlete's programme. The same logic applies to any team expected to perform at a high level over time.
Margherita Maini, Managing Director of Culture, Leadership and Talent at PwC, put it plainly:
"High performance is a label we apply to working long hours and working continuously. We need to break down that ego."
Which industries and organisations are furthest behind?
Professional services, finance, law, consulting, technology and healthcare are consistently identified as sectors where high-performance burnout is most prevalent. SafeWork NSW's Psychological Health and Safety Strategy 2024–2026 specifically targets healthcare, education, and public administration for increased compliance activity, with organisations of 200 or more workers already subject to psychosocial WHS checks during inspector visits.
Dave was direct about the maturity gap at the panel:
"It’s very rare to find one that I'd say is at a high level of maturity. And don't associate a big brand with maturity!"
What does this mean for safety professionals?
Under current WHS obligations, excessive job demands are a psychosocial hazard. A culture that celebrates overwork, equates availability with value, or defines performance through hours worked is perpetuating that hazard and the regulatory and reputational exposure that comes with it.
Redefining what high performance means in your organisation is as much a risk control conversation as a culture one. Safety professionals have a role in making that case.
If you'd like to talk through how your organisation is approaching this, get in touch with The Safe Step.
