A recent survey found that 91% of UK adults experienced high pressure or stress at ‘some point’ in 2024. When high pressure and stress go unaddressed in the workplace, it can lead to employee burnout, which can quickly spread across your organisation.
In the workplace, burnout can be caused by a lack of support or communication from managers, a poor work-life balance, trying to manage impossible workloads and meet tight deadlines, receiving unfair treatment, or dealing with external stress.
Burnout isn’t a diagnosable medical condition; it’s described as an ‘occupational phenomenon’ by the World Health Organization. However, burnout can affect an employee’s physical and mental health, which is why it is often confused with stress or depression.
Employees who are experiencing burnout are more likely to be absent, negative, disengaged, and unproductive at work, which can be damaging to your organisation. This is why you should know how to spot employee burnout before it’s too late and the overall workplace culture is affected.
This article will explore how to spot employee burnout before it spreads across your organisation.
A Personality Shift
When employees experience burnout, their usual personality traits or attitudes negatively shift. It’s essential to look out for employees whose usual traits (calm, confident, or talkative) or attitudes towards tasks have changed.
For example, when an employee known for being cheerful and social starts to spend time alone and stops participating in social events, such as the staff Christmas party or after-work drinks.
Physical Symptoms
Unfortunately, employees experiencing burnout may actually struggle with physical symptoms, such as persistent headaches, loss of appetite, exhaustion, muscle tension, and ongoing coughs or flus.
It’s essential to look out for employees who have a decreased fitness level, rely on caffeine, have dark bags under their eyes from lack of sleep, or regularly take painkillers and skip meals. However, these physical symptoms may be harder to spot with remote employees.
We recommend checking in with employees who show physical symptoms of burnout and offering them Time Off in Lieu (TOIL). TOIL gives employees time off work as compensation for any overtime hours they have already worked, allowing them to rest and recover instead of receiving extra pay.
Increased Negativity
While every employee will complain about the workplace, their manager, or their workload from time to time, a consistent negative attitude is a sign of employee burnout. Employees who are becoming increasingly negative may:
- Perceive all feedback as criticism, rather than constructive and non-judgmental.
- Clash with colleagues with whom they usually get along, as they are becoming more irritable and frustrated.
- Regularly complain about the job or speak negatively about the organisation.
- Be unwilling to support or communicate with colleagues.
Missed Deadlines
If an employee is regularly missing deadlines, they may be struggling to keep on top of their workload due to burnout. This is because burnt-out employees often struggle with time management, leading them to underestimate task durations and procrastinate their to-do lists.
Poor Quality of Work
If the quality of an employee’s work is becoming mediocre, such as an assignment that lacks thoroughness, this is more likely due to burnout than a sudden loss of ability and skills.
Burnt-out employees often experience a decline in attention span (they may not pay attention during meetings), make frequent mistakes, and regularly forget simple instructions or details.
Increased Absenteeism
63% of burnt-out employees are more likely to take a sick day. So, if an employee is taking too many additional days off work, it is a clear warning sign of burnout. The same applies if the employee consistently arrives late or leaves early.
Increased absenteeism can disrupt workflows, damage team morale and dynamics, affect productivity, and lead to additional costs for the organisation.
(Image Source: Genius)
Ready To Spot Burnout?
Employee burnout is a company issue. Spotting the signs before it’s too late is essential for protecting the employee’s health, morale, and productivity, as well as your organisation’s reputation and retention rate.
Once you’ve spotted burnout, take action straight away by ensuring managers are equipped to effectively support and communicate with employees; offering flexible working arrangements or TOIL; closely monitoring workloads and setting realistic deadlines; and providing employees with access to health and well-being programmes.
Author: Dmytro Spilka – Director & Founder, Solvid
Photo credit: StockCake
