Balancing workload and well-being in tax teams

Tight deadlines. Complex reporting. Constant change. For in-house tax teams, pressure is part of the job. But as expectations grow and resources stay tight, the risk of burnout becomes harder to ignore. 

High performance shouldn’t come at the expense of team health and morale. The best tax leaders understand that sustainable success depends on clear priorities, smart processes, and a culture that supports both people and productivity.

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Here’s how to manage workload effectively while helping your team stay engaged, healthy, and ready for what’s next.

The hidden cost of overwork

Tax work is high stakes. But constant overwork doesn’t lead to better outcomes. It makes things worse. 

A study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that working more than 52 hours a week leads to changes in brain regions responsible for decision-making, memory, and emotional regulation. In short, overworking reduces your ability to think clearly and perform well. 

And the impact isn’t just mental. Frontiers in Public Health reports that burnout directly correlates with lower output. Burned-out employees are less productive and more likely to leave. 

Five ways to balance workload and well-being in your tax team.

1. Prioritise what matters most
   Not everything is urgent, and not every task needs to be done by your team. Encourage open conversations about what really matters and help your team push back on low-impact requests.
2. Use technology to lighten the load
   Smart automation reduces repetitive tasks and frees up mental energy. A report by IT Revolution found that teams using automation effectively saw a 40% reduction in routine cognitive load.
   
   As one respondent in our In-house Tax Technology Report 2025 put it:
   
   “Hopefully AI will be able to do some of the work we do and give us more time to focus on strategy and advice.”
3. Protect downtime especially after peak periods
   Recovery isn’t a luxury. It’s essential. Use quiet periods to help the team reset, not just take on more work. Encourage breaks, annual leave, and healthy boundaries.
4. Lead by example
   Your actions shape the team culture. A study in Emerald Insight shows that leaders who actively support work-life balance see better team satisfaction and performance.
   
   Take holidays. Log off at a reasonable hour. Show that balance is valued, not just permitted.
5. Check in on people, not just projects
   One-to-ones should cover how your team is feeling, not just what they’re doing. Look out for signs of stress or disengagement, and respond early.
   
   Psychological safety matters. Teams that feel safe speaking up are 76% more engaged, 50% more productive, and 74% less likely to leave, according to The Influence Journal.

Building a culture that supports balance

A healthy tax team isn’t built overnight, but you can make balance part of the everyday. 

That means: 

• Planning around known peak periods 
• Building buffer time into deadlines 
• Using automation to ease routine work 
• Encouraging flexible work where possible 
• Cross-training so people can cover for each other 
• Reinforcing boundaries—not rewarding burnout

As Jonathan Scriven of LexisNexis puts it: 

“The most impactful tax professionals are finding creative ways to solve problems, structure solutions, and support fast-moving commercial decisions.” 

That kind of thinking doesn’t happen when people are running on fumes. It comes from teams that feel supported and focused.