How to spot burnout in your team
Employee burnout is a serious issue that not only affects the individual, but can have a negative impact on company culture, retention rates, and productivity. That’s why it’s important to learn to spot the signs of burnout while there’s still time to turn the situation around.
Overwork impacts individuals and their teams, says Tanja Limnios, organisational psychologist and founder of ThinkAhead. In individuals, it can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression or chronic stress, and physiological symptoms such as insomnia, adrenal fatigue or a weakened immune system.
At a team level, it can result in reduced collaboration, innovation and poorer performance.
“The workload is often not distributed evenly, and sometimes high performers are overburdened,” says Limnios. “Over time, morale can drop, and if the issue isn’t addressed, high performers often move on, especially when overwork is normalised or ignored.”
Burnout signs to look out for
Burnout isn’t something that happens overnight – it’s a condition that evolves over time. Here are four major signs to look out for:
Your team seems exhausted or drained
An employee is struggling to meet the demands of their role
Someone is showing an increasingly negative attitude towards work
Cognitive fatigue, like struggling to concentrate or remember details
These signs can also be due to issues in someone’s personal life, such as health problems, mental health challenges or family crises, so it’s always important to check in with the employee to understand the cause of their actions or demeanour.
What to do if you notice the signs of burnout
It’s best to reach out as soon as you notice someone in your team is struggling and showing signs of burnout.
“Focus on the changes in behaviours that you’ve observed, rather than specific tasks,” she says. “Use non-judgmental language like ‘I’ve noticed you seem more tired lately – is everything okay?’ or ‘I’ve noticed you’ve been very quiet’.”
Use this conversation as an opportunity to actively listen and create a safe space for the employee to share their thoughts. If they do need support with burnout, you could offer to:
Adjust workload or deadlines
Provide more resources for them to complete their work
Provide training or upskilling
Assign them to a role that’s better suited to their skills
Encourage them to take leave
Connect them with an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or internal wellbeing resources
“Afterwards, don’t let it be a one-off conversation,” says Limnios. “Make sure you follow up, as continued support builds trust and shows that you genuinely care.. If you think the issue may escalate into performance or health matters that require a more formal process, make sure to document your conversations and concerns.”
How to prevent and manage overwork in your team
The best strategy is to prevent overwork from happening in the first place. As a leader, there are steps you can take to make sure people are well-equipped to manage their workload:
1. Regularly check in and review
Connect regularly with your team to discuss their workload, job satisfaction and wellbeing, says Limnios. “Have an open and supportive conversation and make sure to get more than just task updates.”
This also involves regularly conducting workload reviews to check that the work is equally spread out. “Overreliance on high performers can be a risk to the team and business – keep an eye on task distribution, track hours worked and monitor task completion to spot signs of overload,” she says.
2. Encourage balance
It’s crucial for leaders to not only promote work-life balance but also model it themselves. After all, culture starts at the top. “If you can, offer flexible working hours, hybrid options or time in lieu, especially if employees are working overtime,” advises Limnios. “Avoid sending emails outside of work hours and don’t expect staff to respond on their day off.”
Beyond this, encourage your team to take the time off they need, when they need it. Normalise taking sick days, mental health days and using annual leave. Burnout is a symptom of not getting enough rest.
3. Conduct training on burnout, boundaries and self-care
While you might assume that people have a good understanding of how to avoid overwork, this isn’t always the case.
“Coaching on resilience, boundaries, time management, delegation, and burnout awareness for staff and managers will help reduce the risk of burnout,” says Limnios. “This also helps your workforce monitor and identify signs of overwork so they can respond before it gets out of control.”
4. Build a positive work culture
Cultivating a healthy culture that rewards balance, teamwork and working smart helps prevent the conditions that lead to burnout. “Create norms that value rest, reflection and a reasonable pace,” says Limnios. “Create a psychologically safe space for employees to speak up and reinforce that asking for help is encouraged.”
This is especially important for hybrid or remote workplaces where it’s harder to see when employees are working. Be sure to set clear boundaries around working hours, response times and after-hours availability.
By staying alert to warning signs and creating supportive workplace practices, managers can not only spot burnout but prevent it before it impacts their employees’ wellbeing and performance. While it takes ongoing effort, it builds a more mutually beneficial culture in the long run.