Christine Mabile knows all too well the impact of a poor work-life balance. 

In a past life, she was a competitive swimmer who went on to coach swimming and diving at the college level, helping to lead programs at colleges including Boise State, Whitworth, the College of Idaho and the University of Missouri. 

“I burned myself out in a job I loved,” she said. 

These days, Mabile is an employee wellness coordinator for Kootenai Health. It’s a role that offers her the healthy work-life balance she needs and allows her to support her colleagues across the organization in achieving the same. 

Heading into a new year, the concept of work-life balance and its role in avoiding burnout remains a top issue for employers and employees alike, according to data gathered by the global HR platform Remote.

In 2025, Remote conducted a study of the 60 countries with the largest economies in the world, measuring factors like paid leave, sick pay, maternity policies, minimum wage, healthcare, working hours and overall safety. Each country was ranked out of 100. 

New Zealand topped the list for the third year in a row, with an overall index of 86.59. The country didn’t rank No. 1 in every area the study assessed, but scored well across the board, including areas like annual leave, minimum wage and public happiness. 

The U.S., meanwhile, ranked 59 out of 60. That’s the second-to-worst work-life balance among the countries included in the study. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. 

Kootenai Health, North Idaho’s largest employer, offers a range of wellness benefits, programs and resources to employees. These include free one-on-one fitness and nutrition coaching, subsidized gym memberships and even greatly discounted massage therapy. 

“Work-life balance encompasses different parts of wellness, not just physical fitness,” Mabile said. 

That’s why Kootenai Health employees can also take advantage of benefits like free mental health and financial counseling, as well as seminars and learning opportunities. 

Throughout the year, employees can participate in walking series that are meant to get them out of their work environment and into the fresh air with colleagues to recharge. 

“It’s really popular,” Mabile said. 

Derek Andersen, manager of employee health and wellness at Kootenai Health, said leadership is trained on the signs of burnout and how to help employees avoid it.  

“I have definitely seen burnout and lots of conversations about it,” he said. 

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is an occupational phenomenon (not a medical condition) “conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” 

Burnout is characterized by three symptoms: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativity or cynicism related to one’s job and reduced personal efficacy. 

For many of Andersen’s 14 years with Kootenai Health, he was a nurse. He’s seen and experienced firsthand the strain that healthcare employees are under. Managing this stress and promoting a healthy work-life balance is beneficial to all. 

“For our outcomes and for patients to have great care, we want our employees to be able to focus on work when they’re at work,” he said. “We want them emotionally present, as well.”  

There’s also a practical incentive for employers to embrace policies promoting a good work-life balance.  

“We want to retain employees,” Andersen said. “It costs money to onboard and bring on new people.” 

Benefits like those offered by Kootenai Health go a long way toward combating burnout and increasing employee retention. Not all employers have the same resources, Mabile said, but even smaller employers can use the same principles. 

Mabile said managers should make a point of encouraging employees to take their breaks and lunches. Getting to know employees and checking in with them as people, not just staff, makes it easier to identify when someone is at risk of burning out. 

Simple, low-cost programs like Kootenai Health’s walking series can boost wellness and morale. But managers shouldn’t just encourage employees to practice self-care. They should make sure to allot the time and cultivate a culture where employees feel empowered to do so. 

Employers can also use tools like surveys to identify where employees want support and what will make a difference in their satisfaction. 

Mabile said all these elements come together to make Kootenai Health stronger. 

“We want our employees to stay and be happy,” she said. “We want to be able to provide the services that North Idaho needs.”