When we work with organizations and coach individuals, we often discover burnout. Burnout effects a team’s productivity and drive. Here are signs of burnout and how to prevent it:

1. A top performer drops the ball… and it’s persisting. When performance is unusually low, something is wrong and it could be burnout. Share your concerns with your employee and let them know that you see a performance difference. Let them know that you’re available to talk and perhaps make changes.

2. Identify the difference between being tired and burnout. Tiredness relates to sleepiness and not being well rested. Burnout is an ongoing lack of motivation and energy, where it had existed before. Some employees genuinely do too much or don’t take a break. To prevent burnout, you might want to consider giving and/or requiring your employee to take time off especially if they have put in a lot of overtime.

3. Emotional outbursts. Blowing up over little things is a sign of burnout. Noticing if an employee is easily upset will help you identify burnout. Discussing this behavior and getting to the root of these outbursts is key. Let them know appropriate ways of expressing their feelings and that you’re willing to listen and possibly make changes, if they express themselves in a professional manner.

4. No enthusiasm. Every employee is different, and some employees might not “blow up” and have big emotional outbursts that are easy to spot. Being detached, uninvolved, and impassive are also signs of possible burnout. Your employee may feel their work doesn’t matter or that they won’t get recognized no matter how well they perform. This chronic feeling of a lack of recognition can create distress and burnout. No feedback is worse than criticism. People need to know what they are doing well, and how they can improve, to stay engaged and interested.

Burnout is common but with proper diagnosis and care it can be reduced.
(Stress Management Workshop by Dr. Mimi)