What do you do if your mentee is experiencing burnout?

I will prioritize open communication to understand their situation. Validate their feelings and collaborate on strategies like workload management, setting boundaries, and self-care practices. Offer resources and share personal experiences to support them in regaining balance and resilience.

1. Communicate and show empathy Create a safe space for your mentee to discuss their struggles without judgment. Acknowledge that burnout is a common issue and offer reassurance that it's okay to ask for help. 2. Promote self-care : Discuss the importance of taking breaks throughout the day to disconnect from work and recharge. Encourage a healthy work-life balance with adequate sleep, exercise, and stress management techniques. Guide them in setting boundaries between work and personal life to avoid constant overload. 3. Reassess the priorities : Help them re-evaluate their work goals and workload to identify areas that can be adjusted. 4. Extend support: Give them verbal guidance and suggest them books and programs to assist them.

As someone who has experienced burnout a few times, I’d say this: I did not know I was burnt out. Had I have known, I’d do things differently. It’s helpful to be surrounded by people who recognise the signs, so they can check in with you to reflect and share what they see. As a mentor, notice what’s going on with your mentee and let them know your observations. It could really help them gain awareness.

Listen and Validate: Allow them to express feelings without judgment. Identify Stress Sources: Collaborate to pinpoint workload, time management, personal, or interpersonal issues. Set Realistic Goals: Assist in establishing achievable goals and focusing on one task at a time. Provide Resources: Offer support like counseling services, stress management techniques, or support networks. Promote Work-Life Balance: Advocate for boundaries between work and personal life. Check-In Regularly: Maintain communication and offer ongoing support. Seek Professional Help: Encourage seeking therapy for severe or persistent burnout. Support, empathy, and guidance are key to helping them overcome this challenge.

Mentee should first cut out all sources of negative energy especially non work related eg he/she should stop communicating with non essential persons in his network or change mode of communication from telephonic conversation to whatsapp chat.This would help in spending more time in one's own company and figure out the reasons for burnout.

It’s important to offer support that is of value to your mentee’s style. Resist the temptation to offer support you think works for you. Ask your Mentee what support they’d like. Or offer a few options, and invite them to choose the one that resonates the most.

Before you offer support you should Provide a safe space for open communication: Create a supportive and non-judgmental environment where your mentee feels comfortable discussing their challenges and feelings. Encourage them to openly express their concerns and listen actively to understand their perspective. First Non-Judgment than Support

Asking the team members to reflect on their Competency vs Priority management for the assigned tasks/ projects could be a good starting point to understand where to start making the changes. If a highly competent and highly rated priority management team member is still facing the burnout, we need to look at capacity/ workload distribution across.

If a mentee is experiencing burnout, providing support is crucial. Listen empathetically to their concerns and acknowledge their feelings without judgment. Encourage self-care practices, promote setting boundaries, and explore stress management techniques together. Offer practical solutions to alleviate workload and stressors, and provide resources for additional support if needed. Regular check-ins and reassessing goals can help your mentee navigate through burnout and regain balance in their life.

Acknowledge and validate your mentee's feelings of burnout. Let them know that it's common to feel overwhelmed in some demanding roles. Work with your mentee to identify the underlying causes of their burnout. This could include excessive workload, unrealistic deadlines, lack of support or resources, or personal factors outside of work. Help your mentee set realistic expectations for themselves in terms of workload & deadlines. Encourage them to prioritize tasks, delegate when possible, & establish boundaries to prevent overextension. Offer guidance on effective time management techniques, such as prioritizing tasks, breaking projects into smaller, manageable tasks, & using time-blocking methods to allocate time for specific activities.

A sense of perceived control and autonomy at work is essential for burnout prevention and recovery. In one study looking at a group of professionals off sick with burnout, at 2 years after being signed off the ONLY thing that made a difference as to whether or not they were back at work, was that sense of control. However, quite often the workplace factors that burn us out are way outside of individual control. If your mentee is not able to control some of the wider factors that caused their burnout (such as working in a dysfunctional team, a poor physical working environment, poor pay etc) then they can gain this sense of control by implementing some gentle professional boundaries within their sphere of influence.

Encouraging mentees to spend time for self-care is very important, which will help prevent burnout. It could be journaling, listening to music, exercise or pursuing a hobby. These activities can help the mentee to recharge their mental and physical health and will eventually help them to give their best at the workplace too.

Highlight the significance of prioritising self-care and implementing stress-reduction techniques. Promote activities that foster relaxation and well-being, like engaging in physical activity, practising mindfulness, pursuing hobbies, and cherishing quality time with those close to you. It is essential to emphasise the significance of self-care for their overall well-being and effectiveness.

In the early days of burnout recovery, the science tells us that the most beneficial self care to engage with is sleeping, napping, physical rest, and low cost energy activities that are not outcome driven. As the mentee recovers, the next things to engage with (from an evidence based perspective) are social activities, hobbies and then physical activities, but only as their energy levels allow. Self care in burnout isn't about doing more yoga or mindfulness- as lovely as they are- because these things alone simply will not be enough to shift the needle.

? If mentoring objectives are only focused on professional aspects, there is a greater likelihood of burnout or fatigue due to neglected personal issues in the future. ? Since most mentees look for mentors to help them with significant ongoing issues or bottlenecks, many improvement areas that don't present any immediate hurdles go unaddressed and have a high risk of leading to burnout in the future. Goal-setting is one of the most important and basic elements of any mentoring relationship. Mentors must employ a comprehensive method to spot gaps and then assist in goal-setting in line with those findings. The concept of "the wheel of life" provides a sound foundation for achieving comprehensive objectives.

In burnout, it's essential that any goals set are adaptive. This means that the goals respect the mentee's current capacity, energy levels, and resources available to them. Their capacity will be reduced by the burnout, and they will also be significantly fatigued. They will not be able to achieve goals with their previous pace and zest, and therefore the new goals they set must be respectful of their new (but temporary) normal, otherwise they risk failure.

Collaborate to create a strategy to tackle the burnout. This plan may involve implementing targeted strategies, such as reorganising their tasks, seeking assistance from peers or superiors, or potentially taking a temporary respite if deemed beneficial. Establish attainable objectives and key markers to monitor advancement. In one of my experiences with another individual I worked with, we developed a strategic plan that included optimising the daily schedule to incorporate regular breaks and distributing certain responsibilities to colleagues. We also made it a priority to include regular exercise in their routine to help reduce stress.

Listen empatheticaly ! - Listen like an empty pot : with no prejudice - Listen like a clean pot : with a non judgemental mindset - Listen like a pot without a hole : with no distraction Mindful listening ..... where the pot (mind) is focused on understanding to respond.

Here's what you can do to help your mentee experiencing burnout: Offer support and validation: Let them know burnout is common and okay to ask for help. Encourage self-care: Help them set boundaries, prioritize breaks, and find healthy ways to manage stress. Reassess goals: Discuss if their goals are realistic and make adjustments if needed. Guide them to resources: Suggest tools like stress management techniques or professional help if needed.

When burnout shows it's face, a coach needs to show empathy and encourage the coachee to share their feelings in a brave and safe space. By letting them notice the changes in their body and mind, they learn how to handle it themselves and make the right decision for their health.