Employee burnout is one of the most common problems in the modern world. A report by Asana found that approximately 70% of people experienced burnout in 2021. 

Often employees need help understanding what is happening to them, why they have lost the desire to do their favorite job, and why colleagues and customers have become so annoying.

What is employee burnout? 

Psychologists define burnout as a syndrome that develops against the accumulation of negative emotions and stress, and leads to the exhaustion of employee resources. In simple words, professional burnout is a state in which an employee feels overwhelmed.

How to distinguish burnout from ordinary stress?

Burnout is a long and protracted process that matures and accumulates over a long time, then removes the employee from working conditions for a long time.

If the chronic stress associated with work lasts more than 3-6 months, it indicates emotional burnout. Signs of an overworked employee are manifested in increased fatigue and drowsiness, decreased concentration, and memory impairment. At first, it leads to small mistakes and inattention.

During the second stage, psychosomatic symptoms appear in the form of insomnia, chronic headaches, gastritis, pressure problems, etc. A person is almost always irritated, becomes closed and withdrawn, can be rude to customers, and has conflicts with colleagues. He loses motivation and interest in work.

In the third and last stage, an overwhelmed employee becomes apathetic, falls into a deep depression, completely loses interest in work and life in general, has no goals for the future, and does not see the meaning and value of life.

What are the effects of burnout in the organization?

Burnout is extremely hard not only for employees but also for organizations. According to Asana report, people who experience burnout are more likely to miscommunicate (25%), leave the company (25%), make more mistakes (27%), are less engaged (30%), and have lower morale (36%). 

Chronic burnout can make your prized employees jump ship to other companies. A Deloitte Workplace Intelligence survey results showed that 47% of employees have quit in the past when a job negatively affected their well-being while 57% are considering quitting to find a role that better supports their well-being.

Who is in the risk group?

While any employee can experience burnout, there are some jobs where burnout occurs more often and at a higher rate than in other occupations: 

Healthcare professionals 

Even before the Covid-19 crisis, healthcare workers perennially experience burnout. Physicians suffer long hours of work and the growing administrative challenges linked with practicing medicine, specifically patient care. Nurses are burning out from long shifts and the high nurse-to-patient ratio in hospitals and medical facilities. 

Social workers 

Social workers' burnout is usually associated with secondary traumatic stress from dealing with people in vulnerable situations. A  large part of their profession requires intense, ongoing emotional labor, which sometimes spills over into their personal lives.  They’re also often overworked due to high caseloads of people needing help. 

Retail and hospitality staff 

The retail and hospitality industries are notorious for having a high turnover rate. 

According to the 2022 Retail Associates Mental Health Report, four in 10 retail associates said their mental health has worsened over the past year.  48.4% of full-time associates in the survey considered quitting their jobs, with 31% citing insufficient pay as the significant reason, followed by high anxiety, poor management at 19%, and demanding customers at 10%.

Meanwhile, restaurant staff is stressed from handling multiple responsibilities every day. They are also prone to experience emotional abuse, disrespect, and harassment from managers, customers, and coworkers. 

Parents 

Regardless of any occupation, full-time parents with full-time jobs report distress. 

In a study by Bright Horizons, 90% of working parents reported they are stressed at their jobs. They said their work and home situations are stressful due to trouble managing their workload, lack of work-life balance, working longer days, and never being able to disconnect from their work truly. They said that the exhaustion feels like a never-ending loop where they are unable to focus on work due to family (23%) and unable to focus on the family due to work (18%). The result is a chronic cycle of fatigue, an inability to see a way forward, and a constant risk of burning out.

Why companies should work on preventing employee burnout

Organizations need to notice and eliminate the causes of burnout in advance. Otherwise,  it could lead to other problems affecting not only one individual or team but the entire organization. 

Left unchecked, here's what’s likely to happen with prolonged employee burnout: 

1. Declined productivity

Working long hours daily can make a person sick. When they get sick, they are more likely to take sick days, and the rest of the team will be forced to shoulder that person’s workload. 

Healthy and well-rested employees are more inclined to be productive at work than those struggling with a demanding workload. Simply put, individuals give their best when they feel at best. 

2. Poor employee engagement

According to Aflac, mental health negatively affected the job performances of almost half (46%) of Americans  in the past year — a significant jump over 2021 (34%).

Employees who are overworked or not given much-needed personal time off are prone to underperform. They’ll slowly become less interested in the company and put in the least possible effort because they’re too exhausted. Disengagement translates to significant losses in profits because of its negative impact on employee motivation and satisfaction.  

3. Toxic work culture 

Nearly 33% of US employees are considering leaving their jobs. In comparison, 25% have resigned over the past six months, citing “toxic company culture” as their No. 1 reason for leaving, in a survey by Flexjob. 

Chronic and uncontrolled work stress among employees can create toxic organizational culture. Communication issues, mismatched expectations, and disagreements build a stressful workplace environment. If employers are not careful, it’s just a matter of time before their top performers leave them for their competitors. 

4. High turnover rate

In a recent Gallup analysis, 48% of Americans are actively searching for a job or watching new opportunities. And in their State of the Global Workplace: 2021 report, findings showed that American workers saw their stress levels soar during the events of 2020. 

Today’s workforce places more value on health and well-being above other important factors like a high salary. So organizations must find out and address the cause of burnout in their organization to avoid losing their best staff to other companies. 

What are the most common causes of employee burnout?

The main reason is the level of stress that has become unbearable, and various factors can trigger it. Some of them are obvious, and others are hidden but very powerful.

The obvious reasons employees experience burnout are:

‍Indirect factors that result in emotional burnout for employees: 

5 signs of employee burnout 

Now that you know the causes of burnout, it's imperative to know how to spot them once they exist in your company: 

1. Stress levels are at an all-time high 

Are employees complaining of feeling drained at the beginning of their workday? Do they have a tough time getting some sleep at night?  

Prolonged and excessive mental, emotional and physical stress can make an individual feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with continuous work demands. 

2. Poor health and immune system 

If you notice an employee with a persistent cold or flu during the company’s peak periods, it could job-related. 

More severe cases of burnout manifest themselves with physical symptoms like nausea, headache, chest pain, elevated heart rate, chest pains, and panic attacks. Some people may lose weight because of a lack of appetite. Or gain weight due to stressed eating. 

3. Irritability or hostility

Have you noticed that some individuals are easily upset or annoyed more often than usual? Do you see many ‘negative Nancys’? They’re suddenly and constantly complaining about coworkers, tasks, and even their own performance. This might indicate the early stages of burnout. 

While employee conflicts are typical due to differing opinions or misunderstandings, burnout employees are more irritable because they feel ineffective and underappreciated. Irritability is often manifested by being short-tempered, having excessive hostility, and repressed anger towards peers. 

4. Lack of motivation

Demotivation can mean your staff struggles to enjoy or find purpose in their jobs. 

If employees start missing deadlines or there is a noticeable drop in performance quality, it could be they are demotivated and don’t have the drive to be their usual productive selves. 

5. Spikes in absenteeism and tardiness

Fatigued workers are prone to take sick days to restore their energies. Or they may come late to the office and leave early or work on time to avoid interacting with their coworkers. 

Or there could be people taking more PTO than usual to totally avoid their work, their managers, or their peers, causing them stress.

Want to learn more about the effects of employee absenteeism?

Read our article

 How can a company support an employee during burnout?

Each employer should remember that burnout is easier to prevent than to deal with its consequences. Analyze if you are not overloading employees with work, and if you see the above-described signs, implement the following practice:

• Evenly distribute the load so that it is approximately the same for all workers
• Switch staff attention between different activities - give them diverse tasks, for example, alternate tasks that require creativity and routine ones. Consider mentorship and job rotation activities to keep employees interested and engaged
• Let people rest - keep track of the vacation schedule, introduce a normal lunch break, and try not to delay employees after a working day. In the case of overtime, compensate for the time spent. Unless emergencies arise, don’t communicate with employees after work hours and during weekends, rest days, or PTO. 
• Find out how to motivate an overwhelmed employee - It is a good approach to offer rewards for high efficiency. Avoid fines in case of failure, but figure out why it happened and help the employee overcome the backlog
• Consider conducting employee surveys to find out exactly what your employees think and feel, their frustrations, their wishlist and things they would like to improve at work. Ask questions about work-life balance, workload, daily stresses, and job challenges. Listening to your employees and making them feel valued and appreciated, reduces their stress levels. 

What are the ways of preventing employee burnout?

The main thing is not to ignore the problem. If you have noticed the above signs in your company, start taking the following actions:

• Create a comfortable atmosphere in the office or production - high-quality ergonomic chairs. Ensure your office has good lighting and ventilation. A bright space with good air quality can energize sluggish employees. 
• Shake things up to reduce monotony or boredom: introduce some teambuilding activities. It will add a healthy atmosphere to the team and foster teamwork 
• Optimize work processes. Managers need to discuss specific issues with their team members to change expectations, reach compromises, or make some decisions. Try to set goals for priorities and define what is not urgent in the to-do list.
• Provide a supportive environment. Offer resources to address stress, build resilience and coping mechanisms, especially during busy or peak periods. 
• If possible, allow flexible work schedules and remote work to create a work-life balance and autonomy.
• Build work spaces that permits busy employees to relax and decompress. 

Conclusion

It is widely believed that emotional burnout is unknown to those who do what they love. Unfortunately, it happens, even if you love your job. After all, a high level of involvement is a dangerous catalyst for burnout.

So, the key to your professional well-being is listening to your feelings, recognizing your needs, and seeking help from professionals promptly. As an employer, be on the lookout for early symptoms and provide all the support needed for your employees' well-being.

This post was originally written by Alyse Falk.