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.