5 Clear tell-tale signs that an employee may be nearing a burnout.
There are a range of symptoms that an individual may experience as they are nearing burnout. Some of these can be feelings of hopelessness, a sense of disengagement or ineffectiveness in their job, or just a heaviness at the thought of having to get out of bed and face another day. While these symptoms are pretty tell-tale, it may not be so obvious to an employer or manager that the employee is feeling these things. It’s more than likely that the employee would engage in emotional labor — when we intentionally suppress our feelings to put on a happy face — which can actually make burnout even worse.
How then can an employer know if one of their employees is close to the edge?
Here are five tell-tale behaviors that can offer a clue that they might need a break.
1. Clear personality shift. You may see someone who was an over-achiever suddenly not very interested in achievement. Or someone who was a team player that doesn’t want to participate. Someone who may have been very even-keeled and non-confrontational may be suddenly aggressive or short-tempered. Obviously, one bad mood or down day does not a burnout make. The key here is a consistent shift in behavior. If you notice over three weeks a steady change in the person’s behavioral patterns — to the point of noting “that’s not like them to act like that..” then you may have a burnout case on your hands.
2. Lower energy levels. When we have been maintaining daily stress levels high for an extended period, we mess with our cortisol response and our adrenal glands. What this means is that the kick of cortisol that we need to get out of bed in the morning isn’t available to us. It’s at such a high level that the body plateaus it to protect itself. This is why you get out of bed in the morning and you’re already tired. If you notice someone who is consistently low-key and subdued in the office, their stress levels may have hit a fever pitch.
3. Disengaged or Acquiescent. When we’re in a healthy space it’s natural to feel enthusiasm and excitement about new projects, or future goals or ambitions. When were are nearing burnout, our emotional energy is so low that we are focusing everything we have on getting through the day. This means that we might show lower levels of enthusiasm about things that might normally excite us, or we can just agree with whatever plan is being proposed because we don’t have the mental energy to think anything new all the way through. If you find a once invigorated employee frequently saying “Sure, yeah, whatever…that sounds great” chances are their motivational and energetic reserves are empty.
4. Slow Mental Processes. So much of what is written about burnout talks about the psychological dynamics of the response. Some may even dismiss it as a weakness. The truth is that there is serious damage that happens to both the body’s hormonal systems as well as the structure and connectivity of the brain. A recent study showed in individuals suffering from daily chronic stress, there was a reduction in the size of the brain and there was impaired connectivity. This means that we might not be able to finish a thought, we might not be able to have new ideas, we may find ourselves frequently stumped. We can find our mental abilities dulled. This is not an illusion, it’s a direct result of what’s happening in the brain. If you have an employee that was once mentally sharp as a tack and is now struggling with words, ideas or plans it’s likely that they’re suffering from hidden burnout.
5. Complaints galore. If you notice that an employee has grown increasingly cynical and is frequently complaining about the work, their colleagues, the context of the office, and or frequently noting out things that aren’t fair — this is someone that is likely on their way to more serious burnout. Of course, everyone at some point can easily find something to complain about at work. Here we are talking about a seeming inability to make this employee happy. It will almost seem as if they are determined to be unhappy. This is simply because they are not able to muster up enough energy to do what they know needs to be done to make a difference. The sense of internal helplessness can manifest as excessive complaining.
Burnout is becoming a very serious issue in the workplace today, that can lead to vital employees having to take extended periods of time off to recover. Coming back from a burnout can take months, even years. This means that the best cure is prevention. Providing assistance to employees to be able to recognize their stress triggers and effectively diffuse their reactions is one of the most important ways employers can safeguard their people.
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My burnout story: I was a successful award-winning advertising executive for one of the largest companies in the world. One day, out of nowhere, I woke up and I lost sight in my right eye. After 10 days in the hospital, a few years, and endless diagnostic tests, my doctors finally concluded that it was a stress-related burnout episode. This is why doctors call stress the silent killer. After going back to school to study the Neuroscience of moods, I found a way to help organizations protect their people and their bottom line. Moodally was born. Want to know Moodally and the science behind mood can do to help your organization? Get in touch today!
