Spotting — and fixing — 3 types of employee burnout
February 12, 2010 by Jared BilskiPosted in: Communication tips, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest news & views, Management issues
Almost all employees experience burnout at some point in their careers. Managers who can spot what type of burnout an employee is suffering from are much more effective at fixing the problem.
Here are the most common forms of employee burnout:
- Employees who are burned-out physically. This is probably the most common type of burnout. These are the staffers who have been asked to do too much, for too long and, usually, at too intense of a pace. Physically, these workers look flat-out tired.
Fix: To fix this problem, it’s imperative to give these employees a rest. You can do this in any number of ways — giving some extra time off or reassigning some of their work. But make it clear to the employee that your actions are by no means punishment. - Employees who are burned-out mentally. This type of burnout often manifests itself in the form of a negative attitude. Employees who are burned-out mentally have negative attitudes toward everything from their jobs to the company to their co-workers, etc.
Fix: Find the root of the employee’s negativity. Before coming up with a game plan to help fix this burned-out staffer’s attitude, you need to work with the person to find out where the negativity stems from. - Employees who are burned-out emotionally. This can be the most difficult type of burnout to fix. These workers usually have relationship problems — either with spouses, friends, co-workers, etc. — that affect their performance at work.
Fix: There’s no easy fix here. However, just allowing emotionally burned-out employees to talk about their problems can be a tremendous help.
How does your firm handle employee burnout? Let us know in the Comments section.
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Tags: Burned-out employees, Burned-out physically, Burnout, Emotionally, Mentally, Relationship problems
February 9th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
We use our employee assistance program to help with #2 & 3 when these issues come up. That allows the employee to get help without me having to deal with the emotional side of things.
February 9th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
My boyfriend is the employee in #1. He does the work of 3 people a lot. Whenever someone is ill, on vacation, on sick leave or whatever, he is the one they come to and ask if he will double up to cover their roles. He likes what he does and, as much as I think they need to get someone else, I understand his acceptance of their requests. But it does wear very thin on me when I have to see him constantly worn out.
February 9th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I have been in the role of employee #1 also. But when a supervisor has come to take work off of me, I have been worried I will get downsized right out the door. (I never have been, but that’s what I think.)
So, yes, I agree it’s very important to let the employee know it’s not their work, it’s the work load that needs to be redistributed.
February 9th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
I’m currently in #1 as a result of downsizing. While I am thankful for my job, I fear being set up for failure because I cannot spend sufficient time on each of my tasks. It leaves little to no room for creative thinking/brain storming. Unfortunately, many managers fail to recognize this overloading employees should not be the long term approach.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:47 am
I found this interesting because frequently all types of burnout are lumped together under the general “burnout” classification. But the way to overcome burnout IS different based on the root cause and how it is impacting the employee. So even though this is a very abbreviated explanation, I found it helpful.
We also have an EAP employees can access to help with emotional and mental burnout. But because there is such a stigma about getting “that kind” of help, many burned out employees fail to take advantage of the resource. Unfortunately, until more people can understand that getting help from a professional for a mental or emotional problem is no different than getting help from a professional for a physical problem, I don’t see that changing. I still encourage people to go. I hate seeing them struggle and suffer when I know a helping hand could make so much difference.
The hardest kind of burnout to deal with that I’ve encountered is when it occurs on all three levels. These days, many people are being asked to do an impossible job. More and more is piled on them and they are supposed to somehow get it all done. They don’t see any end in sight. Often, these individuals have a spouse who has lost a job due to the economy, so the pressure is more intense to perform in their position because they are afraid of what will happen if they don’t. The additional stress at home and dealing with the fallout there wears people out. Over time, they become burned out mentally, physically and emotionally. But fear and necessity continues to drive them to try to perform to past levels.
I’ve recently seen this in a few people and am wondering how to best help them. This article made me realize if it would probably be best to deal with all three areas individually. I needed that reminder. Thanks for sharing this.
February 26th, 2010 at 10:58 am
[...] the added pressure and extra hours, employers always run the risk of burning out [...]