Spot the signs of employee burnout (and overcome them)

The complex and constantly changing expectations of the modern workplace can lead to stress that’s positive. But it also contributes to employee burnout – a chronic state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive workplace stress.

Burnout isn’t the same thing as feeling tired after a long day. The Mayo Clinic describes it as a type of work-related stress that involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. Far more than an inconvenience to the company, employee burnout has multiple negative consequences that include:

• decreased engagement and productivity
• increased turnover
• increased healthcare costs
• increased legal risk, and ultimately
• an impact on the bottom line.

For example, Gallup concluded that burned-out employees are 13% less confident in their job performance and 2.6 times more likely to be actively looking for a different job.

In addition, a report by Workhuman estimated that turnover and lost productivity due to employee burnout – including recruiting and training replacements – has cost businesses at least $322 billion globally. The cost of voluntary turnover due to employee burnout impacts 15% to 20% of the payroll budget each year, the report said.

Gallup also found that from November 2021 all the way through June 2022, 30% of U.S. workers reported experiencing burnout on the job “always” or “very often.” Although that figure has since come down to about 26%, that’s still more than one out of every four employees who acknowledge that they’re burned out and are struggling mightily to perform their jobs.

For HR pros in the post-COVID world of work, recognizing the signs of burnout and implementing preventive measures are essential functions of your employee experience.

Look around and see if there are any of these in your workplace. The most common stressors and causes of burnout are:

1. unsustainable workload, juggling too many projects and long hours (54% of the 17,000 workers around the world polled by the Mercer Marsh Benefits Health on Demand 2023 survey said pressure at work is the top factor putting them at risk for burnout)
2. unfair treatment and lack of community or relationships (37% reported that a toxic company culture is putting them at risk for burnout)
3. unclear manager communication, lack of support and lack of recognition for exceptional effort (39% feel poor leadership could potentially drive them to employee burnout)
4. a perceived lack of control or autonomy, and
5. mismatched skills (a surefire way to stress somebody out is to ask them repeatedly to do something they’re not good at).

Warning signs of employee burnout

It wears many disguises, but there are some telltale warning signs of employee burnout which should raise red flags for HR and managers. Be on the lookout for burned-out employees, who will have some combination of the following:

Physical symptoms

• Chronic fatigue
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• General physical exhaustion, or
• Increased taking of sick days and susceptibility to illnesses like colds.

Employees who seem constantly drained may be at risk of burnout. Physical discomforts are often linked to chronic stress and can also be a warning sign. Frequent absences, even for seemingly minor ailments, could be due to burnout-induced health issues. Those who “very often” or “always” experience burnout at work are 63% more likely to take a sick day, according to Gallup. Always be on the lookout for physical symptoms of burnout in your employees. The sooner you are able to recognize those symptoms, the more likely it is that you will be able to prevent employee burnout from becoming a large-scale problem in your organization.

Emotional signs

• Increased irritability
• Cynicism
• Lack of motivation
• Emotional exhaustion, or
• Negativity and detachment from work.

While more subtle than the physical symptoms of burnout, a decline in employee well-being and mental health definitely shouldn’t be ignored. Team members suddenly exhibiting a short temper, reduced enthusiasm, apathy toward work or difficulty managing emotions could be burning out. Also watch for signs of emotional paralysis – when someone finds any work challenge seemingly insurmountable.

Behavioral indicators

• Decreased productivity and quality of their work
• Withdrawal from responsibilities and team activities
• Increased procrastination
• Making careless mistakes, and
• Disengagement.

Do you have people who used to be engaged, but now isolate themselves? When employee burnout hits, team members often demonstrate a drop in output and a lack of attention to detail. Difficulties with focusing, meeting deadlines and completing tasks effectively are big-time red flags for employee burnout.

Strategies to prevent employee burnout

While addressing employee burnout is critical, preventing it altogether should be your goal. Think of it as engaging in fire prevention rather that firefighting. It requires a proactive approach, and it also requires possibly rethinking policies and processes. But HR can’t do it alone. Because your managers are responsible for employee workloads and the work environment, and have a lot of power to prevent employee burnout, you’ll need their help to put these strategies into action:

Establishing healthy work habits

Employees can experience burnout if they feel like their work-life balance is off, or if they are dealing with stressful deadlines. Asking people to do more with less – for example, if there’s been a reduction in force – tends to hit workers with physically demanding jobs and those experiencing co-worker relationship problems hardest. Sometimes the work itself, and how it gets done, must change. To ward off job stress, encourage and promote:

• Time management techniques. Equip team members with techniques and tools for identifying and focusing on high-impact tasks (e.g., making a to-do list), avoiding multitasking and creating realistic timelines.
• Setting realistic goals. Unreasonable time constraints happen when managers are unaware of how long it takes to deliver high-quality work. Consider attending a workshop for setting achievable goals that offer a sense of accomplishment and keep employees from becoming overwhelmed. We recommend this one from Premier Learning Solutions, and
• Teamwork, prioritizing tasks and delegating tasks to co-workers when needed.

Promoting a positive work environment

There are some specific steps that you can take to reduce the risk of employee burnout. For example, by promoting a positive and healthy work environment. Coach your managers to encourage each team member, listen to their needs, ask for opinions and ideas, help them prepare for new, challenging projects and take an active role in helping them to help themselves by:

• Maintaining open communication through regular one-on-one check-ins, open-door policies and encouraging honest dialogue to create a safe space for employees to voice concerns. Stress can result when employees don’t have a good sense of what they’re doing or what their co-workers are doing.
• Empowering employees to take breaks and prioritize downtime. Encourage your employees to take breaks throughout the day, promote flexible work arrangements and discourage employees from working through lunch breaks.
• Cultivating a supportive team culture and career development opportunities. Foster collaboration, build trust and recognize individual and team achievements to reinforce a sense of belonging.
• Encouraging career development opportunities. Offer your employees skills training, mentorship programs and career growth pathways to keep employees engaged and motivated.

Providing resources and training

Beyond creating a supportive environment, encouraging self-care and providing employees with the following tools and resources to manage stress and prioritize their well-being can go a long way in retaining them:

• Stress management workshops. Equip employees with coping mechanisms like mindfulness, relaxation techniques or walking. Insurance provider Aetna introduced a mindfulness program gradually, and for employees who were hesitant to commit, they offered one-time workshops and daily 15-minute meditations and presentations done by guest speakers. For eight ways employers can reduce stress in the workplace, click here.
• Skill development programs. Invest in upskilling and reskilling opportunities that enhance job satisfaction and ward off feelings of career stagnation.
• Employee assistance programs. Offer confidential access to professionals who can provide guidance and support for personal challenges.
• Counseling and therapy. Make resources available for employees seeking professional help with stress, anxiety or other mental health concerns.

In an episode of the HRMorning podcast “Voices of HR,” Aimee Gindin, chief marketing officer of LifeSpeak Inc., said, “Educating managers about signs of mental health [struggles], signs of burnout, signs of stress that might be beyond what’s normal, and opening up dialogues with their teams is so important.”

“I start off every meeting where I ask everyone to share what color they are that day. Are they red, are they yellow, or are they green? … If they have something really personal going on for them and they … don’t want anyone to know the details, they can just say … ‘I’m having a red week and I need a little bit more support.’ Or someone who might be struggling with something, but they are totally comfortable [with] sharing, has the opportunity to go into detail if they want,” she said.

“But it gives the whole team an opportunity to understand where their team is at that day or that week. And for those who are green or those who are yellow, they can then know whatever’s going on with the rest of [their] team. ‘I can support those that might be struggling.’ Opening up the opportunity for people to share at whatever level they’re comfortable with is such an easy way for managers and leaders to have an open and safe culture within their team without getting into the psychological, clinical components of whatever they’re dealing with.”

In addition to providing an employee assistance program, Gindin recommended starting a variety of employee resource groups.

According to a survey commissioned by the American Psychological Association, 81% of working adults said that how their employer supports mental health will be an important consideration for when they look for work in the future.

When asked to pick from a list of a dozen possible support options that they’d like to see employers offer, flexible work hours was the most popular (41%), followed by a workplace culture that “respects time off” (34%), the ability to work remotely (33%) and a four-day workweek (31%).

Don’t forget about executive burnout

Employee burnout doesn’t just affect frontline workers. Deloitte discovered that nearly 70% of C-suite executives said they’re seriously considering leaving their companies in favor of a role that better supports their well-being.

If this is true in your organization, it’s time to have a serious conversation about the state of your well-being benefits program. Because if the top brass isn’t functioning to the best of their ability, every employee in your organization could potentially suffer, either directly or indirectly.

In fact, it’s important for managers to lead by example and show that they’re prioritizing their own well-being, which sets healthy boundaries and sends a powerful message to their teams.

Turning employee burnout around

Because 62% of workers would be more likely to stay with their company if it better supported their well-being, according to Deloitte, encouraging these behaviors can positively impact the well-being of your workforce, improving productivity and retention:

• Starting and stopping work at a reasonable time
• Working 40 or fewer hours a week (Gallup analytics indicate employee burnout risk increases when employees exceed an average of 50 hours per week)
• Avoiding sending a late-night or weekend email
• Using paid vacation time
• Taking a lunch break of at least 30 minutes, and
• Promoting wellness, including getting adequate sleep, healthy life practices (exercise, balanced diet, etc.) and dedicating time to activities that provide happiness.

Some additional tips to combat employee burnout

To set your organization up for success, consider taking these steps as well:

Gather employee feedback. Conduct surveys and focus groups to understand specific needs and concerns around employee burnout. Instead of a single, generic survey for everybody, try segmenting your employees based on department, role, seniority, etc., and create targeted surveys with relevant questions for each group. Ask a mix of closed-ended and open-ended questions about workload, work-life balance, recognition, support and organizational culture. In focus group settings, consider encouraging the moderators to discuss potential solutions and areas for improvement based on the discussion.

Celebrate good work. Recognize and reward employees for their hard work. For some fresh ideas on reimagining rewards and recognition for today’s workforce, click here.

Bottom line

Employee burnout is a problem that needs to be taken seriously. By recognizing the signs, implementing preventive strategies and creating a supportive environment, HR can mitigate the risk of burnout and build a resilient workforce that thrives. Employee burnout is a complex issue with far-reaching consequences, but it’s avoidable if you take proactive steps today to safeguard your employees’ well-being. Remember, happy, healthy and engaged employees are the foundation of any successful organization.