Here's how you can identify signs of burnout in the workplace.

Burnout manifests in both visible and invisible signs. Visible signs include overworking—noticeable if employees skip breaks or are active on Slack at unusual hours. It's essential to enforce strict working hours and ignore communications outside these times. Invisible signs are harder to measure but can be spotted in meetings, for example, where employees might appear disengaged, keeping cameras and microphones off. This lack of participation often indicates mental disengagement. Policies that promote mental focus and respect for personal time are crucial in preventing burnout. Prioritise engagement and monitor work habits to safeguard employee well-being.

Top 3 Signs of Burnout in the Workplace 1. Decreased Performance: A decline in job performance and productivity. Work quality may suffer, and work includes more errors and mistakes. 2. Cynicism and Detachment: Leads to feelings of cynicism, detachment, and depersonalization towards work and colleagues. The employee may adopt a negative or cynical attitude towards their job, coworkers, or the entire organization. 3. Increased Absenteeism and Presenteeism: Increased absenteeism as employees may feel too exhausted or overwhelmed to come to work. On the other hand, some employees may exhibit presenteeism, where they physically show up to work but are emotionally and mentally disengaged, leading to reduced productivity and effectiveness.

"Identifying signs of burnout in the workplace involves monitoring changes in productivity, engagement, and behavior. It's crucial to encourage open communication, offer support, and promote a healthy work-life balance to mitigate burnout risks."

In addition, criticism with no solutions especially for someone who was a problem -solver in the organisation Unexplained absence that is increasingly more common

Some signs to keep a watch out for is the change in appearance. Those that are burned out will not dress as their usual self. This isn't a seasonal change but the effort put in will be the minimum. Along with this, they will look tired and become 'smaller'. This means they will reduce their work to a task instead of being part of the work environment. They will also have negative or not in line reactions to simple requests or changes. They will take more frequent or longer breaks as well.

If a top performer shows signs of burning out, it may be that they perceive they are packing the full load for the group. In addition to talking to the burning out person, consider taking measures to aid the performance of the group as a whole. A top performer will often respond well to taking on a coaching role to help others up their performance output.

The key is noting negative trends over baseline eg Increasing “little” mistakes, accidents like being less coordinated, difficulty paying attention or screening out sensory input. Being more absentminded.

“Withdrawal” when done intentionally after careful consideration can be adaptive. It is a way to adjust resources available to us to allow space to recharge. In teamwork situation, it is important to communicate your need for space to reduce misunderstanding.

In addition note tightness in your body such as in your neck-shoulders, and your posture (expansive or contracting positions). Difficulty gearing up or winding down? feeling like you have a heavy weight on you.

Sometimes , employees who are experiencing burnout at the workplace might need the support or help not just within their workplaces but sometimes beyond work places like through clinical guidance. Supportive organisation seeks to correct this by extending the mental health support through in-house counsellors or through external bodies like clinical sociologist or phycologist who can help them regain a good mental space. This factor has gained more importance post covid era where employees have realised that family is also an important factor while working in any professional set up. You need to be empathetic and understand their concerns as well.

It can be very helpful if you paraphrase what you are hearing with inquiry for more information and offer a possible option in the following manner. “ I am hearing that you are having a difficult time managing workload and feeling stress, I wonder if talking to a therapist might help?”

Prevention is the key and, with new digital tools, companies can begin to give managers the intelligence they need to spot the signs. New technology can preemptively identify burnout signs by analysing unusual work habits and engagement patterns. Tools that listen passively to employees' changes in routines can alert managers and HR teams early. Considering personal life stressors is also crucial, as workplace stress is only part of the well-being equation.