The issue of employee burnout has gotten more attention from employers in recent years than in the past, but there is still much work to be done to address the problem. Workplace mental health is a particularly pressing concern for employees from the Millennial and Gen Z generations, and these workers are still experiencing burnout in the workplace at an alarming rate. In the 2023 Deloitte Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, 46% of Gen Z and 39% of Millennial workers feel anxious or stressed most of or all of the time, and these figures are higher for employees from historically marginalized groups.
As a business leader, taking steps to address burnout in your team can have many positive benefits. Not only will it improve your overall employee retention, satisfaction, and engagement, but it can also boost your productivity and the quality of work that your employees produce. With that in mind, here are some steps that employers can take to address burnout in their teams.
Signs of burnout in employees
Burnout affects different people in different ways. This means there’s unfortunately no easy checklist you can follow to tell you definitively if an employee is burned out. However, there are some common signs that you can keep your eye out for.
The best way to spot burnout is to know how your employees usually act in the workplace and look for changes that indicate lower engagement, lower energy, or higher stress. For example, if an employee who’s usually the first one to show up to afterwork social get-togethers stops showing up to these gatherings, that could be a sign they’re burned out. On the other hand, a more introverted employee may skip these kinds of events regularly, so their absence isn’t necessarily a sign of a problem.
Other potential signs can include:
- An increase in missed shifts, call-offs, or late arrivals
- Exhaustion and fatigue
- More frequent illness
- Increased cynicism or disillusionment
- New or worsening depression or anxiety
- Changes in mood, like becoming more irritable or negative
- Decreased communication or social interaction with coworkers at work
- Physical symptoms like headaches, stomach trouble, or neck and body aches
If an employee is exhibiting one or more of these symptoms, it is possible that they are feeling burned out.
Steps to help burned out employees
Now that you know how to spot some of the signs of burnout, the next question you’re likely asking is: what do I do about it?
Just like with the symptoms, there is no one definitive burn-out cure that you can turn to every time. However, there are some steps you can take as a manager, boss, or leader to help employees who are experiencing it.
1. Open a dialogue about burnout.
Like other mental health concerns, burnout is often under-reported by employees who are afraid that admitting they’re struggling will be seen as a sign of weakness or inability to do their job. Creating a culture where employees feel safe and comfortable discussing burnout can help them get the support and help they need.
This can happen in both the public and private sense. Public discussions of burnout and its symptoms can help individuals identify the problem in themselves and coworkers, and you can also conduct employee wellness surveys to gauge the stress level and potential burnout in your team. If you notice an employee exhibiting signs of burnout, you can also take them aside for a private conversation about why they’re burned out and things you can do to help.
2. Review and adjust employee workloads.
When employees are overworked and don’t get enough time to rest and relax, that can contribute to or exacerbate burnout. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine showed strong correlation between working more than 40 hours a week and burnout.
If employees regularly put in overtime, or are expected to take work home or respond to messages after their shift, then this can put them on the path to burn out. The good news is, reducing the number of hours your team works can actually boost their productivity. There is significant evidence that working beyond 40 hours decreases work performance, resulting in more mistakes, worse workplace behavior, and higher absenteeism rates.
There are a lot of ways leaders can help. Adjusting schedules and workloads to ensure employees get enough time off is a good first step. In some cases, this may mean hiring additional staff that can relieve the workload burden on each member of the team. It also helps to avoid sending work-related messages during employees’ off time, ensuring that team members are able to use their PTO when they want and need to, and following up with chronic overworkers to ensure they’re not staying later than they should at the office.
3. Clarify employee roles and your expectations for them.
It’s stressful when you don’t know what is expected of you in a professional situation. Employees who are ambitious and dedicated want to meet their boss’ expectations. If they can’t tell what those are, they may drive themselves to overwork, or try to accomplish or prioritize too many tasks.
Ensure that all roles within your team have clear descriptions and metrics for how their performance will be evaluated. Follow this up by making sure employees understand these expectations and how to meet them through regular one-on-ones.
4. Ensure employees are doing fulfilling work.
Working too much isn’t the only thing that can lead to burnout. Doing work that’s unfulfilling, or that an employee feels doesn’t add value, can also contribute to these feelings, especially if they feel frustrated by a lack of career progress.
Pairing the right people with the right roles creates a healthier, more engaged workforce, and can also help to prevent burnout. Regularly talk to your employees about the type of work they enjoy and where they see themselves in the future. In some cases, changing to a new role can give an employee a renewed lease on their workplace life. Career advancement opportunities like mentorship and upskilling can also be effective in giving employees a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment that can make them more fulfilled.
5. Demonstrate healthy workplace behavior as the leader.
Employees look to their managers and leadership to see how they’re supposed to behave in the workplace. If their boss is always stressed out, working overtime, and sacrificing sleep for their job, this sends the message that is how you get ahead in the company—and that’s not the message you want to send to prevent burnout.
As you’re taking steps to help your team avoid and recover from burnout, don’t forget to turn that same lens on yourself. Show employees what it looks like to set healthy boundaries and maintain a healthy work/life balance. While a leader’s additional responsibilities can sometimes mean long weeks are unavoidable, don’t let that become a chronic, every week occurrence.
The bottom line is that a positive workplace culture starts with leadership, and you have the power to create this for your employees if you’re aware of burnout, its signs, and its root causes.
