It’s labelled as an epidemic of the modern workplace, but what is employee burnout, what causes it, and can it be cured – or reduced?
At its worst, burnout diminishes productivity, saps energy, and leaves us feeling emotionally drained, physically worn-out and ultimately, helpless.
This means learning how to spot and resolve burnout is an extremely important skill for leaders and managers.
In this guide you’ll discover:
- What is burnout?
- When does stress become burnout?
- Employee burnout causes
- How to spot employee burnout
- How employers can reduce burnout
- How to help employees resolve burnout
- Resolving your own burnout: The Burnout Bucket
What is burnout?
Burnout is the mental and physical exhaustion that a person experiences when the demands being put on them consistently exceeds their capacity
It’s usually caused by prolonged periods of high stress. This stress usually comes from people’s jobs, but it can be added to by stress from overall lifestyles.
Find out more about what employee burnout means in this short video from Laura Dallas, Head of Product at Champion Health.
When does stress become burnout?
Stress is something we all feel. It’s etched into our evolutionary history, and we wouldn’t be able to survive without it. But when we’re living busy lives, juggling work, family, and that well-earned ‘me time’… it can leave us feeling exhausted.
When stress is left unchecked, and the exhaustion becomes too much to handle, our body’s normal stress response gets worn out. It then fails to engage when it’s needed, and burnout takes hold.
When burnout is experienced, it impacts your mental, physical and emotional health, leaving you unable to meet demands either at work or in your personal life.
Employee burnout causes
Many people assume that burnout comes solely from working long hours. And while that is often a contributing factor, there many other causes of stress in the workplace which contribute to burnout.
These include:
- Difficult relationships with colleagues or managers
- Lack of control over workload or deadlines
- Concerns around job security
- Personality type (for example, burnout is often common among perfectionists)
- Personal issues, e.g. health conditions or stressors at home
- Feelings undervalued or underappreciated at work
“Each person has their own unique ‘burnout cocktail’. It’s never just one thing that brings on burnout, but the outcome is always the same – a person who is struggling to juggle everything, to the point where mental and physical health suffers,” says Dr Sonia Hutton-Taylor, co founder of Burnout Geese, an organisation that offers learning materials and support on burnout.
We covered many aspects of employee burnout in this live session. Watch it below.
How to spot employee burnout
1. Increased absence
Employee burnout is one of the leading causes of absenteeism.
If an employee suddenly starts spending much more time on leave, it could be indicative of burnout, or another underlying mental health issue.
2. Out of character behaviour
You might notice that a team member doesn’t seem like their usual selves.
A common behavioural symptom of burnout is increased irritability, but other symptoms may include aggression or disinterest.
3. Obvious difficulty sleeping
It is often very difficult for someone experiencing burnout to get a good night’s sleep.
This is because burnout causes hormonal changes which undermine the quality of sleep. Even if it occurs, it is often completely unrefreshing.
Keep an eye out for colleagues who look exhausted, or regularly complain of being tired. These could both be tell-tale signs of burnout.
4. Reduction in performance
Lack of concentration, indecision, and an inability to complete tasks are all common side-effects of burnout.
It is also common for those experiencing burnout to struggle with tasks requiring creativity.
These side-effects will inevitably lead to a drop in performance, so look out for those employees whose productivity suddenly shrinks.
5. Consistently working longer hours
This is a cause and a symptom. If an employee is regularly starting early or working late, then it is usually a sign that their workload has got on top of them.
Taking this approach means that working extends into home life and what should be down-time and relaxation.
If this isn’t the sign of a burnt-out employee, then it could be the sign of one who is at risk of experiencing burnout.
How employers can reduce burnout
1. Keep the mental health conversation going
Burnout doesn’t just happen. There is an extended period of stress building up before an employee reaches the stage when they are burnt out.
By keeping the mental health conversation going within your team, you will ensure you are well-placed to spot the signs of poor mental health, and intervene before burnout occurs.
Take advantage of situations, like team meetings or 1:1s, where you can ask your employees how they are doing.
2. Be realistic with workload and expectations
According to CIPD, workload is the most common cause of work-related stress.
If the work volume or the deadlines are outside of an employee’s capability, then that is likely to become a major source of pressure.
You can prevent this pressure by ensuring that your employees can cope with the demands of their job. Ways to do this include:
- Setting demands that are achievable within the hours that an employee works
- Ensuring that the demands of an employee’s job are matched to their skills and abilities
- Addressing any concerns an employee may have about their job demands
- Holding regular meetings, both with individuals and teams, to discuss upcoming workloads, and any predicted busy periods
- Making employees aware of any unplanned tight deadlines or any exceptional needs to work long hours
3. Give employees a say
Lack of control is a major cause of work-related stress. Prevent this by including your team members in any decisions that are relevant to their work.
Ways you could do this include:
- Allowing flexibility over working hours
- Setting realistic performance targets alongside the employee
- Working with the employee to set realistic work deadlines
4. Make sure employees take their holiday
Holidays are there for a reason, and it’s not just to get some sunshine. They provide much needed rest, recuperation and recharge time.
It has become commonplace for some employees to refrain from taking their full amount of allotted holiday. This was particularly the case during 2020 and 2021, as restrictions on travel discouraged many employees from taking a break.
Encourage your employees to take the time off that they are entitled to, to make sure they get that much needed R&R.
5. Show your appreciation
Research by Forbes showed that burnout and feeling underappreciated are closely linked, which means that you can use appreciation to tackle burnout.
Each employee’s contribution to the company should be acknowledged, so reward excellent performances in the best possible way.
This doesn’t always have to include, bonusses, awards or promotions. Sometimes, a simple thank you and an acknowledgement of hard work can go a long way.
How to help employees resolve burnout
In all but the very mildest burnout, most people will need some professional support to turn things around.
The best thing to do is to encourage them to seek professional help. This could be through internal services, such as an employee assistance programme (EAP).
If this is not an option, then you could encourage them to contact their GP, or external services such as the Samaritans.
Resolving your own burnout: The burnout bucket
In order to prevent or resolve burnout, it’s incredibly important to be able to recognise your stressors and keep on top of them when they arise.
One way to do this is by using the burnout bucket analogy.
Imagine a bucket with a tap attached to it, with water flowing in. The water represents different stressors in your life – this could be your job, certain relationships, or even keeping up with the housework.
And the more stressors you’re managing, the more water flows in.
Now let’s turn our attention to the tap. The tap represents your ability to cope with these stressors.
When you have effective mental health coping strategies, the tap is open and the water can flow out freely.
But when your strategies are poor, or even non-existent, the tap closes shut, and the water level starts to rise. Eventually, the water will overflow and this represents burnout.
So how do you stop the water from overflowing, and prevent burnout?
1. Identify your stressors
Firstly, you need to identify which stressors you are facing. Some people might find that it’s work that causes them stress, or maybe it’s managing money.
Take time to understand what demands your time, and what the water represents for you.
2. Develop helpful coping strategies
Next, it’s all about developing helpful coping mechanisms to keep that tap open. This is also known as resilience – your ability to effectively manage difficulties or setbacks in life.
The things that help you cope are unique as you are, and something that works for one person might not necessarily work for you. So it’s good to give different things a go.
You could try anything: prioritising your sleep, increasing your activity, maybe getting out in nature, journaling, cuddling your pet or even just connecting with your friends and family. A cup of tea and a chat can go a long way!
Be mindful of unhelpful coping mechanisms too. These are things that feel like they’re helping in the short-term, but in fact they keep the tap firmly closed.
For example, you might turn to a glass of red to help you wind-down after a hard day, but alcohol is actually a depressant and can have a negative impact on your mood, sleep and physical health.
Instead, try to focus on the things that nourish your body and mind, rather than those that have the opposite effect. And if you’re finding things difficult, there is always support available through your GP or local health services.
Employee burnout causes and cures: Looking forward
We hope you’ve found some value in this guide on employee burnout causes and cures.
Resolving burnout is rarely easy. It often takes time and effort to make the positive change required.
But the good news is that it can be done and doing so can have a hugely positive effect on the individual’s quality of life.
By being aware of the signs to look out for and being ready with actionable steps to help a colleague struggling with stress or burnout, you can play your part in helping to resolve their burnout and have a life-changing impact.
