What Are the Signs of Burnout and How Can Supervisors Help Employees?

Signs that I have noticed are employees who begin to disengage and in many instances have become cynical. Employees may also begin to miss days, and the quality of work decreases.

Lack of productivity and poor performance and increased irritability are some of the key signs of burnout. As a manager, if you notice that an employee's work performance is slipping, then this is your chance to use empathy and have a conversation. You can together come up with a game plan to address the burnout, whether that be taking some time off or goal planning to allow them to feel in control.

It's tough. I think a lot of managers may be experiencing it themselves. They may not have the bandwidth to see it in their employees.

As a follow-up discussion, what are some suggestions of how to help employees overcome burnout once it is recognized? I've found in my line of business burnout [is] very common due to the constant high demand required of employees.

Rachael, if you can encourage them to step away for a day and take a breather, that is helpful but unfortunately often a temporary fix to the problem. You really need to find out why they are in burnout mode. I have found it beneficial to create ways to help them conquer the workload, if that is the main reason for the stress. If high demand is the stressor, then partner them up with someone [who] can be a source of support when the waves are getting too high and rough. I worked with a team partner for years. We each had our own accounts, but we shared information and shared those daily experiences. If either one of us was drowning, we immediately knew it because we were so in tune with each other. I could jump in and take ownership of an issue that was tossed at her, and she would do the same for me. Point is, we were in it together but we did not step on each other's toes. We were able to effectively manage an ever-increasing workload and keep each other sane. It was one of the greatest experiences of my professional career.

This situation need not occur. My team is a family for whom I care, and [I] respect their dignity. Since the inception of our work-from-home period, I have engaged in more frequent check-ins with my team and individually. We begin with non-work-related discussion to emphasize that I regard their self-care more highly than mere work product. I encourage each member to flex their days to best accommodate their own individual family & household rhythms to reduce unnecessary stress. Thus, some may work more early mornings or midnights, with intervals of walks, swimming, errands, checking on older relatives. 100% retention, strong engagement, continued investment in professional development, and increased productivity have resulted.