Monitoring Your Team’s Mental Health: Telltale Signs of Burnout to Watch For

True employee burnout is more than needing a temporary break from work or feeling briefly worn down by an intense project. Instead, it’s a state of chronic job stress that results in overall exhaustion, frustration, and a defeatist attitude that negatively affects an employee’s personal and work life. Learn how to identify the early signs of burnout in your finance team, ensuring you can provide the necessary support and interventions to maintain a healthy and productive work environment. Need to add to your team this summer? Contact our team to get started.

Emotional exhaustion:

Are employees reporting feeling drained when they first wake up in the morning? Do they talk about struggling with sleep issues? Do they mention extreme fatigue while at work? Do they show a lack of focus during the day? Employees suffering from exhaustion will find they’re dragging themselves to work and are unable to stay focused. This is a telltale sign of burnout or stress.

Increased lack of engagement:

If you notice that employees are losing interest in the things they previously found enjoyable—like socializing with family and friends—it can be an early warning sign. At work, employees may stop participating in meetings, avoid taking on new projects, or stop returning phone calls and emails. As they continue to disconnect from the environment around them, employees often lose enthusiasm for their jobs, resulting in a lower quality of work.

Increased defensiveness:

Employees may begin taking criticism more personally than they used to, reacting with increased defensiveness, anger, or other signs of stress. Feedback is often blown out of proportion: “I guess I can’t do anything right.” This behavior is a true signal that some are experiencing burnout, tension, or emotional distress.

Productivity takes a turn for the worse:

As the condition worsens, so will productivity and performance. Stress prevents employees from concentrating on the tasks at hand, and feelings of being overwhelmed and unable to catch up might make them feel as if their efforts aren’t worthwhile.

How to support employees:

There are a number of ways you can help support employees, so they don’t experience extreme burnout. First, it’s important for employers to notice when employees are experiencing burnout and stress. That means being in tune with and empathetic to your employees and their lives outside of work. Next, wellness programs can be offered through work that can support employees’ needs, which may include on-site gym or workout programs. It’s also a good idea to make sure that employees have a good work-life balance. If they’re answering emails at 9 PM or not taking breaks throughout the day, that will increase their stress quickly. Offer ample time off so that employees can take time for themselves without the worry of overextending their vacation time. This is especially important for those who are caregivers.

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