In the first installment of this series, we briefly explored the topic of stress and its connection to employee burnout as explained by Indeed, the job-search company. One important factor to note: burnout can happen to anyone, regardless of age or experience level. This means that not only might your workers be burned out, but they may be led by managers and directors who are similarly depleted. If some of these signs are visible, does our attention stop long enough on them to recognize the problem?
Let’s consider what burnout look like:
- Lack of interest or enthusiasm
- Disengagement
- Exhibiting a negative attitude
- Frequent tardiness or absences
- Producing inferior work
On any day, this can be all of us. The distinction with burnout is the pattern of sustained behaviors from this list in addition to productivity declines, disinterest in conversation and even slower movement.
Higher than average burnout rates occur for those in emergency response occupations, lawyers, and sales/retail folks. As if the environmental factors aren’t enough, unrealistic deadlines or schedules, not enough praise or recognition for exceptional performance, lack of autonomy on the job and ineffective leadership – not to mention senior leaders who may themselves be burned out – may send workers off the cliff of control.
It behooves us all as managers to objectively assess our staff. Whose behavior rings your warning bell? How plugged in are you to the issues that employees are dealing with, personally and professionally? Empathetic concern and dialogue may help a worker open up to you and admit a level of stress that’s negatively spilling over into the day-to-day. Read on a related topic here.
And then, read through some suggestions – also from Indeed – in Part Three of this series on what you can do to help your employees decompress, heal and return to full engagement.