From missing important deadlines to losing their passion, employees can demonstrate their feelings of burnout in numerous ways, and it's important to recognize and address these warning signs before you lose a valued team member. That’s why we asked eight entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
Q. What is one telltale sign that my employees are overworked?
1. When good employees make simple mistakes
The number one sign that employees are overworked is when they make simple mistakes. If a person is normally on top of typos or produces clean calculations, pay attention when the easiest tasks become an issue. When you see employees making simple mistakes that they normally don’t make, they are probably overworked. Start a conversation about their workload. –Chuck Cohn, Varsity Tutors
2. When the atmosphere diminishes
In our industry, it’s unusual to have just one person overworked. Usually, everyone starts feeling it around the same time and the mood of the entire team follows. The most important thing to keep an eye on is how different team members are relating to one another. If everyone is getting snappy with each other, some action is definitely needed to ease the tension. –Matt Doyle, Excel Builders
3. When unplanned absences rack up
In a recent webinar hosted by The Good Jobs and Delivering Happiness, discussion revolved around how to create a sustainable company culture. When asked how to measure culture, a key indicator of organizational health was the number of unplanned absences. Happy, productive employees plan on attending work; unhappy, overworked employees burn out and attendance becomes spotty. –David Ciccarelli, Voices.com
4. When the work environment tenses
When the office begins to feel a little tense because everyone has been putting in long hours, it’s time to implement something to inspire change. Let people leave work a little early and host a happy hour for them or treat them to a wellness activity like mini massages. When there is a positive work environment, everyone is more productive and motivated. –Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
5. When irritability and frustration abounds
You know you have an overly-stressed employee when that person seems irritable and frustrated. If you know your team members well, then you can usually detect an attitude change quickly. It may appear in the form of snapping back quickly during brainstorming, not being as enthusiastic as normal, and even looking tired. This may then result in less solution-oriented thinking. –Kevin Conner, Vast Bridges
6. When an employee's health diminishes
If your employees are calling in sick a lot, it’s probably a sign that they’re overworked. Work-related stress can cause a variety of health problems, preventing employees from coming to work and having productive days. Encourage your team to leave work at a reasonable hour and to use their paid time off and take real vacations. –Stephen Gill, Tiller
7. When innovation is lost
When employees are overworked, they don't have the mental energy to help you take your business to the next level. You may have more difficulty as a group in outsmarting the competition with fresh solutions. Giving creative people that precious time to sit and think is critical for intrapreneurship to flourish. –Alexandra Levit, Inspiration at Work
8. When passion diminishes
Your employees may not be falling asleep on their keyboards, but that doesn’t mean they’re not overworked. When employees are stressed, passion is one of the first things to go. Just maintaining their spirit becomes an exhausting job. Keep an eye out for employees who don’t seem to have the energy they once did, and address it immediately--lack of passion and effort can be contagious. –Afif Khoury, SOCi, Inc.
