In this chapter, we’re going to explore what burnout really looks like in real life, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and what the impacts are for both employees and organisations. After all, it’s important to be able to spot burnout in ourselves and our colleague.

As we covered earlier, here are the main factors that contribute to burnout:

• Excessive workload
• Toxic work culture
• Lack of social support
• Lack of work-life balance
• Excessive pressure to perform

But knowing what these are is only half of the puzzle. It’s important to look at how exactly these factors actually show up so that we can understand how to combat the signs of, and ultimately avoid, burnout.

Burned out employees exhibit certain behaviours that are telling of mental exhaustion, including a change in attitude towards work and lowered performance. It is different to workplace stress, as employees can be stressed and still do their jobs. Workplace stress becomes burnout when employees no longer have the energy for their work and feel disconnected from it.

Behavioural changes that can indicate burnout

Social isolation

Someone experiencing burnout may withdraw socially from the workplace due to the emotional and mental disconnect they feel towards their work. This can come in various forms, including:

• Missing meetings
• Not replying to emails or messages
• Disengaging from team activities

They will often feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained and won’t have the social energy to interact with colleagues or contribute to social events. If a colleague is doing this, then they may be in the early stages of burnout.

Absenteeism

A burned out employee will also show higher absenteeism. Whether it’s taking time off or coming in late, or leaving early, they will find it challenging to fulfil all of their hours. In fact, research by Gallup of over 7,500 professionals in the US shows that burned out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day than employees who feel happy and engaged.

Struggle with deadlines

When under a lot of stress, it isn’t uncommon to miss deadlines, especially if someone’s workload is too heavy. However, a burned out employee will miss multiple deadlines as they are mentally drained and don’t have the motivation to do their work. It’s more about their lack of energy than it is about their workload. If a member of your team is missing deadlines repeatedly, then they may be burned out.

Affect on work performance

A direct result of the emotional and mental exhaustion that burnout brings is a struggle to perform your job role. Poor work performance, especially if an employee is usually high-achieving, indicates that they are struggling to do their job. Poor work performance can show up as:

• A drop in quality of work
• Errors
• Failing to achieve goals
• Failing to meet productivity expectations

It should be noted that poor work performance isn’t necessarily an indicator of burnout. It could also point to workplace stress, but only upon further investigation will it become clear whether an employee is stressed or burned out.

Withdrawing from professional responsibilities

Burnout is characterised by a diminished sense of accomplishment and lack of connection to your job, so it isn’t uncommon to see someone suffering from burnout to withdraw from their professional responsibilities. Whether they usually lead meetings or have specific responsibilities that they are no longer fulfilling, feelings of disinvestment are common with burned out professionals.

Change in attitude

Most employees who are happy and engaged in their jobs will have a generally positive attitude toward work. And even those who are stressed will still put the effort in to reduce their stress levels and get their work done. However, a burned out employee will exhibit a distinct change in their attitude. Their attitude may change from optimistic and energised to:

• Deflated
• Pessimistic
• Flat
• Negative
• Demotivated

The most important thing to remember with spotting burnout in the workplace is that it happens gradually. No one gets burned out overnight, so look out for these behavioural changes over time.