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What is Employee Burnout? How to Tackle It Head-On

Changes in employee engagement and motivation can be key indicators that they’re experiencing employee burnout. It’s important to recognize the signs of employee burnout early to prevent long-term impacts on the employee’s well-being and your entire organization.

This article will define employee burnout, explore the key symptoms, and share actionable ways managers and companies can reduce burnout for their employees and foster a culture of well-being.

What is employee burnout?

Employee burnout, sometimes called workplace burnout, was classified as an “occupational phenomenon” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019. It’s defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace or work-related stress that has not been successfully managed.

Although the causes of burnout can vary, a Gallup study found that more than three-quarters of workers reported feeling burned out sometimes. Over one-in-four workers reported feeling burned out “very often” or “always” at work.

How to recognize the signs of employee burnout

Employee burnout can happen in any industry. According to the WHO, managers can spot the early signs of employee burnout by looking for:

  • Chronic fatigue or depleted energy levels compared to normal
  • Growing mentally distant from their job or openly sharing negative feelings/cynicism about their job.
  • Reduced performance/professional efficacy.

RELATED: Preventing Healthcare Burnout


Top five factors of employee burnout and how to address them

People often assume that employee burnout is caused by working overtime, but burnout is usually associated with compounding factors that build up over time, which is why taking a vacation or using a sick day is usually not enough to reverse the symptoms.

The same Gallup study found that the number of hours employees work had an influence on their burnout levels. However, engaged employees who were motivated by their work, supported by their managers, and offered job flexibility reported working more hours per week on average (while also citing higher health and well-being).

What this boils down to is that burnout is tied more to how we work and not simply the amount of work we do.

So, what are the top causes of employee burnout?

1. High Workloads

When employees consistently feel like they’re buried in work, they’re more likely to report burnout. Th good news is that managers can assist employees in setting prioritizing and reducing workloads! When managers adopt a top-down approach to employee workloads, they can take affirmative steps to mitigate the problem:

  • Understand the full scope of employee workloads and deadlines.
  • Set reasonable expectations about employee performance and output.
  • Remember that humans have productive days and not-so-productive days.
  • Play to employee strengths when assigning tasks.
  • Encourage employees to take short breaks throughout the day to boost productivity,
  • Help employees pivot if a workload is unreasonable.
  • Encourage feedback loops with employees to share if they are feeling overburdened by their workload.

Woman sitting at a table holding her head stressed while working.


2. Unclear Expectations and communication from leadership

Managers should take action to explain tasks and expectations clearly, talk through processes, and share the impact of the employees’ work.

The first step is to understand what projects and deadlines each employee is responsible for, as well as each worker’s strengths and proficiencies. Managers should set defined expectations when assigning new tasks to help employees understand the urgency of the deadline and plan accordingly. However, managers cannot always anticipate situations that cause workload creep, so it’s helpful to implement an open-door policy with employees! As workers need assistance working through an issue or brainstorming solutions, they should be encouraged to turn to managers for support instead of allowing the problem to grow and result in burnout.

The best managers help their workers reduce burnout by regularly discussing responsibilities, priorities, and performance goals to ensure that everyone is aligned and the employee feels set up for success.

3. Lack of Support

Manager support is a key physiological buffer to reducing employee burnout. Employees who “strongly agree” that they are supported by their manager are 70% less likely to experience regular burnout.

Managers can create a culture of support by implementing some proven strategies, such as:

  • Connecting an employee’s contribution to the larger organization’s or team’s mission
  • Championing employee’s opinions and skill strengths
  • Creating a safe, open dialogue between managers and their employees
  • Committing to at least one meaningful conversation a week with each team member
  • Assigning tasks or connecting an employee’s work to the individual’s innate competencies
  • Recognizing and rewarding excellent work
  • Caring about the lives and livelihood of employees outside of the workplace (within reason).
  • Helping employees develop their talents and investing in upskilling opportunities
  • Identifying opportunities for internal mobility or professional growth for the employee

4. Too-Tight Deadlines

Too-tight deadlines or workplace pressure can create a ripple effect when it comes to burnout. Inversely, employees who report “always” or “very often” having enough time to complete their work are 70% less likely to experience employee burnout.

Take some time to understand your employee’s workload and ensure that deadlines are achievable so that they feel ready to tackle the challenge. This can be done by breaking workloads down into smaller subtasks and proficiencies and by monitoring performance metrics to see when deadlines are falling behind.


RELATED: 10 Easy Ways to Care for Your Mental Health at Work


Move beyond employee burnout with a culture of well-being

When organizations center their culture around employee well-being, they make managing and responding to burnout a corporate imperative. Taking steps to educate business leaders on the signs and symptoms of employee burnout is a key first step to creating a positive mental health workplace.