As a leader, you possess the role and power to maintain the well-being of your subordinates. By learning about the signs of exhaustion, it will be easier for you to spot them and find ways on how to avoid the burnout that leads to the total destruction of the employee.
As a leader, you possess the role and power to maintain the well-being of your subordinates. Employees are the most valuable assets of a company and anything that might be the cause of their office burnout can impede the overall success of your company. The signs of burnout can go unnoticed especially if the employee is bombarded with daily tasks that they do not even have the time to converse with co-workers.
By learning about the signs of exhaustion, it will be easier for you to spot them and find ways on how to avoid the burnout that leads to the total destruction of the employee. Regardless of whether you own or manage a mid-sized or large business, here are the signs of employee burnout.
Lack of Interest and Enthusiasm
Stress and burnout promote lag in work and performance. While stress at work can make a lot of employees proactive, burning out causes them to experience a lack of interest. A disengaged employee may continue to do their daily tasks, yet you will notice a change in the quality of work and efficiency. Find out the cause of their situation before it spirals out of control.
Increased Absenteeism Due to Sickness
Employees on the verge of experiencing burnout develop a form of mental, emotional, or physical symptoms. They resort to taking days off which becomes more and more frequent. Burnout employees think they obtain the rest they need by taking the day off but in reality, they are just escaping the office hours at work but not the deadlines. Once they go back to work, they are greeted by the piled-up tasks which will add up to their chronic stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed due to the workload.
Constantly Committing the Same Mistakes
Constantly forgetting about important meetings, missing deadlines, misplacing documents, losing files, or accidentally emailing the wrong person are common signs of employee burnout. If an employee committed the same mistake after being told over and over again, then it is time that you step in. Have a one-on-one counseling to remind the person of your expectations from when you gave them the chance to get the job. Constantly reminding them of their skills that got them inside the company can be a great way to help them regain their passion.
A supportive approach can help you find out their problem that affects their performance. Instead of giving them write-ups for displaying incompetence and unprofessionalism, successful wellness programs can assure them you are sincerely concerned with their welfare. This may possibly support them to regain momentum as well as learn how to balance work and life. Ultimately, eliminating chronic stress.
Development of Cynical Attitude
Developing cynicism is a sign that the employee’s passion for the job is slowly being exhausted. Their productivity levels decline, which greatly affects the overall productivity of your company. Moreover, an employee’s lack of passion can be the beginning of the cynical culture in the organization as cynicism is contagious. For instance, a cynical person will start to lose their trust in their co-workers and leaders. In return, their co-workers will give the same amount of trust as they receive from the person. With this, mistrust will pave its way into the roots and foundation of a team.
In addition to that, news about a company’s mismanagement of its employees quickly spread from one department to another. By having a transparent process and open communication with your subordinates, you build trust and regain employee loyalty. Take note: Being transparent alone may not entirely resolve employee burnout cases. Yet, it is a first good step to begin with.
Social and Emotional Exhaustion
An employee who may seem distant and often isolates themselves or avoids having long conversations with colleagues might be going through exhaustion or worse on the brink of a burnout. Never turn your cheek from them, thinking that it is just another bad day. A great leader will not wait for a small and barely noticeable issue to go unresolved. Instead, he or she knows that it is better to patch things up early on to prevent it from growing at such alarming heights. In addition to that, allowing it to accumulate more than it has can create a group of introverts in the office place which could destroy teamwork and unity.
Key Takeaway
In reality, the majority of employees who may be experiencing burnout will remain at work. They may or may not show symptoms of burnout, but once you notice a decline in their performance or a sudden shift in behavior, begin investigating as these could be the beginning of their burnout. By learning the early signs of exhaustion, you will be able to determine the right steps to take on how to avoid burnout. If you are beginning to observe the symptoms and cases unfolding in your organization, it is time to take a positive course of action.