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6 Signs Your Employees Are Burnt Out and What to Do About It

By | Sierra Powell

It is no secret that businesses Thrive off of production and revenue. However, in their quest to get both, they often have employees who experience some form of burnout. That could be deadline burnout, environment burnout, culture burnout, or other types of burnout. Regardless, production and revenue can come to a halt due to burnout.

Continue reading to discover what burnout is, what causes burnout, six signs and symptoms employers can look for, and what employers can do to Stave off employee burnout.

What is Burnout and What Are the Causes

Burnout is a medical condition that happens when an employee’s daily occupation causes mental and or physical health deterioration. It includes the employee’s perception that their role at work is creating stress either due to the actual job or the job environment.

Burnout can also be the result of personal issues which make focusing on the job or occupation more strenuous. That can include situations such as a child’s poor behavior in school, a death in the family, or even a financial situation that an employee is experiencing. Most work-related burnout is due to:

  • Unrealistic expectations and deadlines
  • Unusually heavy workload
  • dealing with new tasks or subjects
  • Having unapproachable managers or supervisors

Recognizing the Signs of Employee Burnout

Burnout isn’t something that happens overnight. Instead, it takes weeks, months, and sometimes years for the overworked or stressed-out employee to begin to show signs. However, as an HR professional, business owner, department manager, or any employee working in a supervisory position of authority, it is essential to have a connection with employees that make signs of burnout more recognizable.

Some signs of burnout include:

  1. Anxiety
  2. Low mood/listlessness/detachment
  3. Lack of creativity
  4. Fatigue
  5. Absenteeism
  6. Lack of purpose/lack of commitment

These six items are just the tip of the iceberg for signs of people affected by burnout However, there are so many different symptoms that are not mutually exclusive which could make this list endless. the point is however, there are a lot of symptoms, the psychological listed above as well as a physical, such as:

  • Headaches
  • Hypertension
  • Short or quick temper
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Muscle tension

What Employers Can Do About Employee Burnout

Businesses need to develop practices and policies that help identify when employees are dealing with burnout. Recognizing symptoms also gives them a head start for doing something about burnout before it is too advanced. Some ways that managers and HR professionals can do that is by:

Advocating for Employees

A business is only as strong as its employees. That is why advocating for resources and helping employees is beneficial to reducing burnout. For instance, employers can implement a workplace wellness program that offers proactive employee wellness solutions.

It is also vital for managers to employees to take time off for their well-being. Advocating and encouraging time off is vital for a healthy workplace.

Regularly Meeting with Employees

Ensure that employees get some one-on-one time with their supervisor or manager. That will help them get to know each other better. Also, conduct coaching sessions, recommend mentors and celebrate accomplishments.

Encourage Transparency

Having regular meetings with team members will help keep them on the same page and ensure that everyone is inclusive. When a problem arises that takes time to solve, share it with the group so that the resolution becomes policy or procedure.

Additional Ways to Reduce Burnout

In addition to the methods listed above, businesses can stave off burnout by taking measures to reduce the risk of it happening. Some of those measures include:

  • Encourage frequent breaks
  • Adjust work hours when necessary
  • Measure predictive time
  • Get temporary help

Conclusion

As you have read, businesses thrive off of production and revenue. However, in getting the revenue, employees may experience a form of burnout. Whether it is a deadline, culture, or other type, employees can become physically or psychologically ill due to burnout. Six signs of burnout are listed above.

While it is most vital to keep burnout from happening in your office, there are solutions that employers can offer if it does happen.

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