Employee burnout is a fact of doing business. Or is it? Studies have shown that most employees face a time of job fatigue. Many of them solve this problem by finding another job. Even if they do stay on the job they are not likely to be your best performers. What would the world be like if employers took this opportunity to re-engage employees and help them remember why they liked their job in the first place? Here are the signs of employee burn out and ways you can fight against it.
Their Mind is Elsewhere.
Your employee might still be making it to work on time and putting in their 8 hours, but are they any more than just a warm body? These employees have the mindset that just being at work is enough of the battle and give up there. They don’t care anymore about productivity and often find ways to look busy but not do the work. Talk to the employees about their morale. What are they missing and is there anything you can do to make it better. Find projects that can engage them and make them excited about being there.
Socializing has Gone Up.
You certainly want your employees to get along and talk with each other on the job, but there is a time when it becomes overwhelming. Often times employees will take what they refer to as “stress breaks” to chat with other employees. This can cause dissatisfaction among previously satisfied employees. These chats are simple diversions for the burned out employee. If you notice this type of chattiness going on in the office it might be time to assess whether it is friendly or frustrated.
Overloaded.
It isn’t uncommon to give a lot of your work to your best employee. Obviously you believe they are capable of the job and that they do exceptional work. But often employees feel uncomfortable saying no and instead they take on more than they can handle and allow themselves to get stressed over the workload. If a former superstar is starting to fall consider looking at their daily task load and considering whether or not they need additional help – not because they can’t do it but because they are getting burned out.
