Are Your Stars Burning Out? Identification & Prevention of Burnout in Top Employees

Burnout is one of the most commonly studied strains occurring in the workplace. Employees who feel overwhelmed, directionless, ineffective, and even cynical may be suffering from burnout, which manifests in reaction to a gradual depletion of mental energy over time among other prolonged workplace stressors. Those who suffer from burnout may be noticeably less engaged in their work, produce less or make more mistakes than is usual, and are even more likely to report high turnover intention (Quick & Tetrick, 2003; Rupert, Miller, & Dorociak, 2015; Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, De Witte, & Lens, 2008).

Employees who are suffering from burnout provide a lower level of work quality as well as a lower level of customer or client service, and this can become cyclical in nature as feelings of inadequacy at work lead to increased burnout (Carod-Artal & Vasquez-Cabrera, 2013). High-performing employees are not protected from burnout, as they tend to be the same employees who go above and beyond or take on extra tasks and responsibilities at work and are more likely to experience work-related fatigue (Leiter & Maslach, 2003). Organizations that fail to recognize burnout risk losing these high performing employees.

Burnout leads to lost time, money, clients, and employees alike. This toxic set of symptoms is far-reaching—an employee loses motivation and sense of value, possibly leading to job loss; organizations and their clients experience lower levels of employee performance, risking reputational harm or financial damage. How can organizations, and you as a leader, identify and prevent burnout? 

Organizations risk losing top employees - so how can they prevent burnout?

Background

Research on burnout dates back to the 1970s, and has since gained traction. While burnout studies initially focused on hospitality and education industries, it has become relevant to all industries and professions.

There are three main dimensions of burnout: exhaustion, depersonalization (sometimes referred to as cynicism), and inefficiency (also known as reduced personal accomplishment). 

The more successful and competent an employee has previously felt in their job, the more difficult it can be to detect signs of burnout—these employees may also try harder to conceal burnout symptoms and red flags to preserve their reputation (Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). Exhaustion is usually the most obvious dimension to spot in employees and can be emotional, mental or physical. Depersonalization occurs when an employee distances themselves from their work, and they may seem unusually cynical or indifferent. Inefficiency is often directly related to the other two dimensions of burnout in that an employee who is exhausted or cynical may have difficulty feeling accomplished or effective at work. 

Burnout is associated with turnover, lower productivity, lower job satisfaction, and a decline in general well-being. Additionally, employees experiencing burnout can have a negative impact on their coworkers as their symptoms are experienced by others through interaction (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004). 

Implications for Practice

According to the Harvard Business Review, 1 in 5 or around 20% of highly engaged employees are at risk of burnout (Seppala & Moeller, 2018). These at-risk employees were both highly engaged at work and experiencing high levels of stress and burnout symptoms. It can be easy for leaders to prioritize the development and monitoring of employees who perform below the average, but this and other research shows that your brightest stars may be burning out and could be in need of support.

While it may seem logical to assign a heavier workload to your top-performing employees, it’s important to avoid overwhelming or exhausting them. Especially in the case of employees who may feel pressured to perform and succeed in spite of feelings of exhaustion and inefficiency, it is the leader’s responsibility to be on the lookout for subtle signs of burnout and to intervene as early as possible.

Leaders must be on the lookout for subtle signs of burnout.

Burnout Risk: High

This list illustrates some of the more subtle signs that an otherwise engaged employee may be at risk of or actively experiencing burnout.

• Routine assignments or tasks are not being completed on time
• Sudden or uncharacteristic decline in communication 
• Less mention of personal life or less informal chatting than usual
•  Loss of sense of urgency
• Increase in interpersonal conflict
• Signs of fatigue or decline in self-care
• Small mistakes, forgetfulness, or a decrease in quality of work

As discussed, these employees likely have a history of meeting deadlines, showing responsibility, and generally high levels of performance. They may be hesitant to ask for help, and it’s up to you to step in. Consider offering a temporary flexible schedule, and initiate an ongoing conversation about any associated deadlines as well as having discussions with individual employees to get to know their strengths, weaknesses, and professional goals. This creates opportunity for the employee to have greater autonomy and to voice any concerns about their progress. Ensure that all employees are able to access the proper tools and supplies necessary for their work. Positioning yourself as approachable and open to new ideas can help foster healthy communication from your employees, and decreases the likelihood of burnout symptoms going undetected. 

Next Steps

Past and current research on employee burnout has shown that it is toxic and far-reaching. While some assume that highly engaged or “star” employees are at lower risk for burnout, research shows that the opposite may in fact be true (Leiter & Maslach, 2003; Messmer, 2004; Rupert et al., 2015; Seppala & Moeller, 2018). 

Can automation replace energy used on repetitive or disengaging tasks?

What Can We Do?

What can organizations and their leaders do to prevent or remedy burnout in their star employees? Review this list to learn how your organization and its leaders can work together to lower the risk of burnout.

• Employees who report greater autonomy at work also report lower levels of all three burnout dimensions (exhaustion, depersonalization, and inefficiency). 
• When employees feel they have organizational support, it is related to feelings of personal accomplishment and less exhaustion. 
• Employees who work the most hours may be at a greater risk of burnout, especially when they spent a lot of time on repetitive or disengaging work. Organizations can temper this risk by automating routine and repetitive tasks and administrative duties.
• Employees who are frequently client-facing may experience greater emotional exhaustion, but personal resources like self-care and social support can help reduce this symptom. Organizations with client-facing employees should recognize the heavy emotional weight of frequent client interaction and provide education on personal resources.
• Leaders should pay close attention to how their employees react to the demands of their job. When an employee is a poor fit for the demands of a position or assignment, this mismatch contributes to a higher risk of burnout. Even highly engaged employees may be mismatched to some of the demands of their job.
• A healthy work-life balance is extremely important in lowering levels of many occupational stressors and strains, and burnout is no exception. Investigate how your organization can encourage its employees to have greater balance and less conflict between their personal and professional lives.
• Deadlines or time pressure can contribute to feelings of exhaustion and inefficiency. Leaders should make an effort to work with their employees to ensure deadlines and timelines for assignments are feasible, and ensure employees have the supplies and resources necessary to complete assignments. 
• Inefficiency and depersonalization can be reduced by employee recognition. Organizations and their leaders should make an effort to acknowledge milestones, professional and personal accomplishments, and goal achievement at work. This recognition can be as simple as a monthly recognition announcement, or can be personalized to each event. 

Identifying and preventing burnout is vital to retention of all employees, including highly engaged and high-performing employees. Leaders should promote open communication to help them detect warning signs of burnout, and to ensure that their employees are able to ask for help when necessary. By reducing burnout in the workplace, employees at all levels are able to be more engaged and productive (Rupert et al., 2015). Even the stars may be at risk of burning out, but by proactively using the information included here as well as available online, you will be better prepared to sustain a bright and strong team. 

Proactive strategies can strengthen your team.

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References

Carod-Artal, F. J., & Vasquez-Cabrera, C. (2013). Burnout Syndrome in an International Setting. In Burnout for Experts: Prevention in the Context of Living and Working(pp. 15–35). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Leiter, M. P., & Maslach, C. (2003). Areas of worklife: A structured approach to organizational predictors of job burnout. Research in Occupational Stress and Well Being, 3, 91–134.

Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422.

Messmer, M. (2004). Are You Burning Out Your Best Employees? Strategic Finance, 85(1), 12–14.

Quick & Tetrick. (2003). 12: Job-Related Burnout: A Review of Major Research Foci and Challenges. In Occupational Health Psychology Handbook (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Rupert, P., Miller, A. O., & Dorociak, K. E. (2015). Preventing burnout: What does the research tell us? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 46(3), 168–174.

Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 293–315.

Seppala, E., & Moeller, J. (2018). 1 in 5 highly engaged employees is at risk of burnout. Harvard Business Review, 1–5.

Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., & Lens, W. (2008). Explaining the relationships between job characteristics, burnout, and engagement: The role of basic psychological need satisfaction. Work & Stress, 22(3), 277–294.