Employee burnout is real and has been on the rise in recent years.
In fact, after the pandemic, a Deloitte survey found that 64% of employees felt excessive stress and fatigue at work. This is the main reason for his 2021 retirement.
Employee burnout is also an obvious barrier to high productivity and productivity for many companies.
but how do you know Signs of employee burnout?
Also, how do you deal with job burnout as a good manager?
In this article, we’ll discuss seven signs of a burnt-out employee and offer some ways to support them. It also answers some frequently asked questions about employee burnout.
let’s start.
7 common signs of employee burnout
Employee burnout doesn’t just mean a temporary break from workplace stress.
The World Health Organization describes it as a workplace condition that can affect all aspects of an employee’s job performance, including energy, motivation and professional competence.
Early detection of job burnout is necessary to keep employees productive and engaged.
Common employee burnout symptoms include:
1. Leaving
Employees who no longer enjoy their work show signs of disengagement. This is an early symptom of burnout.
how low employee engagement Look at the workplace?
Employees who feel demotivated during work hours may:
- Stop participating in team meetings.
- Avoid joining new projects.
- Do not return emails or phone calls.
- Indicates low feedback retention.
An overall lack of enthusiasm for work indicates that employees are demotivated due to burnout.
2. Declining productivity and performance
When employees feel burnt out, their work loses purpose and can be less productive.
But lost productivity isn’t the only side effect of burnout, it’s also the quality of your work. If you find employees doing poor quality work at a slower than normal pace, this could be a warning sign of workplace burnout.
3. Increased absenteeism
Often, all a burnt-out employee wants to do is run away. An employee under such stress may take extra vacation days or take more than one day of unnecessary sick leave.
Employees who do this typically hope that a short break from work will restore productivity and reduce fatigue and stress levels.
Unfortunately, job burnout is a more serious condition that isn’t easily remedied by taking time off.
If employees find themselves spending more time away from work than usual, this is an indication that they may be feeling burnt out.
4. Workplace conflict and cynicism
Conflicts and conflicts in the workplace are normal and should not be alarmed.
However, if you notice that your employees are regularly arguing with co-workers and acting unusually cynical, it could be due to work stress.
Common characteristics of burnout employees include increased irritability, excessive anger, and being easily provoked at work. Take note of these mental health traits to help you deal with burnout before things get worse.
HR professionals can interact one-on-one with conflicting employees to unbiasedly understand the causes of disputes.
5. Highly sensitive to feedback
Negative responses to feedback are closely related to cynical attitudes.
You are expected to receive constructive criticism at work and ideally should not elicit an overly sensitive response.
But burnout employees, already feeling stressed and unmotivated at work, may react negatively when told their work is falling short of their goals. You may feel that you are being treated unfairly.
Employees who respond defensively (rather than receptively) to constructive criticism may indicate job burnout.
Managers who provide feedback should talk to such employees and try to identify the reasons for burnout. HR professionals can also help resolve employee stress.
6. Leaving the Company
A common symptom of burnout is employees feeling unworthy of the company and leaving as a defense mechanism.
Burnt-out employees often feel that they have little to offer the company.
If you find that your employees are constantly oblivious to office events, disinterested in company performance, and not paying 100% attention to their tasks, this could be a sign of job burnout. I have.
7. Appearance of physical symptoms
Emotional exhaustion and stress can affect more than just mental health.
As such, employees who are under stress from working long hours may begin to experience a range of symptoms. physical symptoms.
Common physical symptoms of burnout include:
- Exhausted.
- Panic attack.
- Constant nausea.
- Anorexia.
- significant weight loss.
- A persistent cold.
- headache.
more.
These symptoms don’t just threaten an individual employee’s performance at work. It can also negatively affect the health of co-workers.
Have you noticed any of these signs of burnout?
If yes, it’s time to take action.
good manager You should know how to deal with workplace burnout.
Let’s take a look at some ways you can optimize your workplace to help your employees cope with burnout.
3 effective ways to deal with employee burnout
Dealing with burnout is not something individual employees can do alone. They will need support to deal with the stressors of a full-time job.
Try implementing some of these helpful workplace techniques to reduce the burden of burnout and increase employee engagement.
1. Show gratitude often
Employee burnout often occurs when employees feel undervalued or their work is unimportant.
As a manager, you need to make sure every employee feels like an important team member. Employees who feel their work is important are far less likely to experience burnout at work.
Simple things like thanking an employee for completing work on time or praising the quality of their work can go a long way in making them feel valued.
2. Give burnt-out employees time off
Just waking up every day and working long hours burns everyone out.
To overcome it, employees have to stop working completely over time. You can use this break to spend time with friends and family, or take a vacation to reset your mind.
By setting aside free time, employees are more likely to produce quality work when they return.
It can be helpful to ask employees who are showing signs of burnout if they need time off or sick.
This can improve employee morale and make them value the position they hold.
3. Implement productivity management software in the workplace
One of the most important things you can do for a stressed employee is to help them manage their workload and time.
productivity management software like time doctor We can help you with that. It also helps you be more productive and spend your time efficiently.
What is Time Doctor?
Time Doctor is powerful employee productivity and performance management software used by small businesses like Thrive Market and large companies like Ericsson. It helps you manage both in-office and remote employees.
the tool has interactive timer This helps employees track the time spent on tasks. This allows managers and employees to:
- Track how they spend their time.
- See which projects are taking up the most time.
- Make sure your employees get enough breaks.
more.
Gaining insight into how employees manage their time can provide valuable information as to why they are feeling burnt out. It helps you create workable schedules and prevent employee burnout without losing productivity or quality of work.
Best place?
Time Doctor is your manager work and life balance widget Helps detect and prevent employee burnout before it occurs.
This widget allows managers to see which employees are working.
- More time than you need each day.
- Too many extra shifts.
- slower than other colleagues.
- over the weekend.
Understanding these work metrics helps managers understand employee work trends. You can then step in and set clear expectations about working hours. These steps can significantly reduce your risk of burnout.
look at this Introducing the Work-Life Balance Widget Learn more about how to effectively manage burnout.
want to know more about employee burnout management?See our guide employee cause burnout and how to control it.
Let’s take a look at some frequently asked questions about employee burnout.
Two Frequently Asked Questions About Employee Burnout
Here are answers to some of the most common questions about chronic workplace stress and burnout.
1. What are the common causes of employee burnout?
Understanding what causes burnout can help managers take preventative measures from the start.
Common causes of burnout include:
- Unclear expectations.
- heavy workload.
- Toxic work environment.
- physical and emotional exhaustion.
- Be micromanaged.
- Lack of support from managers and colleagues.
- Mistreatment from upper management.
As a manager, you should aim to minimize these causes in your workplace to prevent unnecessary burnout.
2. How can managers create workplaces that prevent burnout?
The work environment is a common risk factor for burnout and chronic stress.
To prevent that, you should:
- Create a workplace that acknowledges that burnout can occur. To prevent burnout, ask HR leaders to have open conversations with employees about work-related stress, mental health, and workload.
- Communicate how employees can manage chronic stress, such as maintaining a healthy work-life balance, meditation, and self-care in their personal lives. Consider setting up wellness programs for struggling employees.
- Encourage employees to see their HR leader or visit a medical professional, such as a psychologist, to help them maintain their mental health so they feel heard.
A supportive workplace that openly acknowledges burnout and sets clear expectations improves employee morale.
Such an open and friendly corporate culture can foster healthy and happy employees.
summary
It is important for managers and leaders to pay attention to employee behavior and needs in the workplace. You should be aware of burnout symptoms such as turnover, increased absenteeism, and decreased productivity to identify struggling employees.
Once you get the signs of burnout right, you can take action and help your employees get back on their feet.
Building a healthy company culture with productivity software like Time Doctor is a good start.
So why not try 14-day free trial of Time Doctor How to experience its benefits for yourself?
Liam Martin is the co-founder of Time Doctor. This software helps you be more productive and keep track of what your team is working on even when you’re working from home.
