This is true even if the company has a noble mission and a higher purpose beyond profit. Several weeks ago, I attended a conference held by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, which was founded by Paul Newman. More than 30 chief executives from such companies as Allstate, Western Union, the American International Group and Merck spent the morning sharing the often ambitious initiatives they had started. It was inspiring and a cause for optimism that many chief executives were recognizing their responsibility for more than the financial interests of their shareholders.

At the same time, it’s not realistic to expect employees to invest in a higher purpose if their employers aren’t meeting their core needs. I can think of several companies that have a mission to make a positive difference in the world, but essentially do so on the backs of their employees. “Oppression by purpose” is the way an employee at one of these companies recently described it to me.

I’ve observed a parallel phenomenon among employees who work in mission-driven organizations like hospitals, schools and social service agencies. These people are highly inspired to go above and beyond in their work on behalf of others, but they’re rarely supported by their own organizations in taking care of themselves. Over time, many begin to suffer from a syndrome called “compassion fatigue” — another version of “willing but not able.”

Several years ago, I listened as the chief executive of a huge global company opened a gathering of his leaders by describing how he had recently flown home from another country and arrived in the United States at 4 a.m. Rather than heading home after a week on the road, he told his audience, with visible pride, he decided to go directly to the office, so he could accomplish a few more hours of work before others arrived. And that’s what he did. This executive was plainly fully engaged, but at what cost — not just to himself over time, but in the message he was sending to everyone else in his organization?

What companies really need to measure is not how engaged their employees are, but rather how consistently energized they feel. That means focusing not just on inspiring them and giving them opportunities to truly add value in the world, but also on caring for them and providing sufficient time to rest and refuel.

In 2005, Eugene O’Kelly, then the chief executive of the accounting firm KPMG, was told he had a brain tumor. In the final months of his life, he wrote a book called “Chasing Daylight,” reconsidering the life he had lived.

“What if I hadn’t worked so hard?” Mr. O’Kelly asked.“What if, aside from doing my job and doing it well, I had actually used the bully pulpit of my position to be a role model for balance? Had I done so intentionally, who’s to say that, besides having more time with my family, I wouldn’t also have been even more focused at work? More creative? More productive?”