As a business leader, it’s your responsibility and job to ensure that your employees are engaged and happy with their work at all times. Of course, as any long-term manager or executive will know, that’s not always possible. People sometimes need to take a step back from the job, and they can ultimately feel burned out.
So, what are the signs that your employees have burned out? Is there anything you can do about it? Let’s have a look.
Big drop in performance
Variations in performance are something that is human and expected from day to day from your employees. They’re not going to have their best day every day, and every sensible and mature business leader knows this. If you see a significant and sustained performance drop, it could be a sign that your employees are experiencing significant burnout.
For example, you probably know a normally meticulous employee who starts churning out uncharacteristic typos and making mistakes regarding project deadlines. They might also be skipping steps in their operational workflow. Procrastination, or tasks that used to take the morning but now drag on all day, could also be a sign of burnout. Employees might be literally exhausted or unable to make the types of decisions that they’d ordinarily make, preventing them from working efficiently. Finally, you might encounter employees who used to be proactive and pitch ideas but are now just putting in the bare minimum. This type is the most dangerous because they’re doing everything they can to not get fired while basically being absent from work.
Cynicism
Another sign that employees are dealing with burnout is a rise in the level of cynicism. If you notice shifts in the way people interact with their teams, it could be a way to psychologically distance themselves from their work and other members of your organisation.
One of the most enduring signs of cynicism is social withdrawal. Employees have stopped turning up to meetings or skip team lunches, often feeling burned out and not wanting to continue interacting with other people. You might also notice that workers become more sensitive to criticism, usually because their emotional reserves have been depleted. Even minor feedback or corrections can result in major outbursts, defensiveness, or tears.
One way to avoid this sort of issue is to conduct an employee engagement survey. These are a good way to quantify the level of burnout and cynicism that’s present in your organisation, so you can work on figuring out what to do with it. Once you understand the situation, you’re in a better position to know where the organisation as a whole is going wrong and how you can improve as a team.
Exhaustion
You might also want to look for signs of exhaustion. When an employee feels chronically stressed, it can take a heavy physical toll on them. They might feel fatigued often and look visibly exhausted, or mention how tired they are. They may also be using caffeine just to try to get through the day. Out-of-hours work habits are another sign of a burned-out and tired employee. Workers who are stressed and physically exhausted sometimes tend to work more hours rather than fewer because they can get less done during regular office hours in the week. Signs of burned-out employees include:
- People who are sending emails at 2:00 a.m. or working through the weekend
- They are often drowning in tasks and unable to catch up
- Last-minute sick days and frequent mental health days
These tell you that workers need more space but are unable to get it during their regular routine.
Changes in patterns of work
The hallmark of burned-out employees is a change in their baseline pattern of work. Over a few months, you should learn what it’s like to be with a specific colleague and how they operate. If you notice them significantly drifting from this standard operating behaviour, it’s a big sign that they’re probably burned out and need some help.
Usually, a naturally quiet employee staying quiet isn’t a warning sign. If you have an enthusiastic and gregarious worker who suddenly seems distant and withdrawn, that can indicate a serious problem. It suggests a profound state change in their internal emotional state that they’re unable to manage without adjusting their behaviour.
Recognise this type of pattern in your office, then provide people who believe they might be experiencing burnout some space to come forward and speak with managers and other professionals on the team.
It’s worth remembering that burnout isn’t a specific behaviour, but usually a change in the way that somebody feels or how they operate. Some employees are quite happy coming to the office, working nine or ten hours a day, and then leaving without having said much to anyone. Introverts and highly introspective people often operate this way, but extroverts are much more likely to engage with others and become team players. These people are valuable to have in your organisation as well, and when their behaviour changes, it’s often a sign that something’s gone significantly wrong for them.
Actions against the company
When employees take action against the interests of the company, that’s a tell-tale sign that burnout has occurred. They may also have personal vendettas or beef with members of staff and management.
Dealing with this issue quickly is essential because disgruntled employees can cause a lot of brand damage over time. They can also infect other team members with their negative energy, interrupt workflows, miss deadlines, and create various other types of chaos.
If employees are feeling cynical and wondering what the point of their work is because they’re trying so hard but not getting anywhere, then it’s a sure sign that burnout is a problem for them right now. As a manager, you need to be on top of these issues when they occur. Once burnout becomes established, it can affect the performance of the firm as a whole.
So there you have it: some signs your employees are feeling burned out and strategies you can use to deal with it.
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