Dear HR Agony Aunt: Burnout or Business Critical?
Published on: 27/10/2026
Issues Covered:
Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.
Crystel Robbin Rynne CEO, HRLocker
Crystel Robbin Rynne CEO, HRLocker
Crysteel HR Locker

Crystel Robbins Rynne is CEO of HRLocker, Ireland's leading HR software platform, trusted by over 100,000 users across 55 countries. With more than a decade at HRLocker, Crystel has led the company through significant growth and expansion across Ireland and the UK.

A passionate advocate for HR compliance and employee experience, Crystel is a regular speaker and commentator on employment law, data protection, and people management. She has particular expertise in helping SMEs navigate the practical realities of GDPR, data retention, and compliance.

Crystel holds a BA in Psychology & Sociology from the University of Limerick, a Master's from NUI Galway, and a Postgraduate Certificate in International Selling from TU Dublin. She sits on the Appraisals Committee for Guaranteed Irish and was shortlisted for the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2025.

Q. Employees tell us they're exhausted despite the wellbeing support we've put in place, and many say workload is the real issue. How can HR influence meaningful change when leaders are balancing employee wellbeing with commercial pressures?

Your employees have already told you what they think the problem is. The workload. A meditation app will not help someone doing two jobs in the hours of one. I'd love to know what wellbeing support you've put in place. If it's online yoga once a month, that's not a wellbeing programme.

Let's be honest, life is tough at the moment! We've had a difficult few years: Covid, inflation and now AI changing how nearly all of our jobs work. Let me tell

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Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 27/10/2026