b'There are a few questions you can ask yourself toUnmanageable Workloaduncover employee burnout:Expertscallitmentalquicksandandwhata Have they become cynical or critical at work? great way to describe how people feel when their Do they have trouble getting started? workloads are increasing but their pay is not.Have they become irritable or impatient withIts easy to give people more work and not hire co-workers, customers, or clients? additionalsupporttokeepbusinessprofitable, Do they lack the energy to be consistently pro- but are you keeping in mind that this could cause ductive? burnout? You may believe you are showing trust in others by increasing responsibilities, but do your Do they find it hard to concentrate? employees feel they can bring up this issue with Dotheylacksatisfactionfromtheirachieve- you? Probably not. With each new responsibility, ments? consider taking a task off their plate or providing compensation or reward for this increased own-Do they feel disillusioned about their job? ership.Whether or not you answered yes to all of theseUnclear Rolesquestions, if you recognize that an employee is ex-haustedtake note. Its a sure sign that theyre onDid you know that only 60% of employees really the road to burnout. know what is expected of them at work? Its easy Burnout is not something to ignore and hope it willfor you to assume that people know what to do go away. Being proactive in keeping your employ- day to day, they knew the job when they took it, ees engaged is your first line of defense in higherright?productivityandlong-termretention,whichwillIt isnt often that employees want to state they trickle down to your clients and bottom line. are unsure of their role as this could cause you to lose confidence in them. If an employee is shaking their head in affirmation when you are discussing Causes of Employee Burnoutprojects,askyourselfiftheyareacknowledging they are listening or, are they showing they under-So, what causes people to feel this way at workstand expectations? andwhatshouldyouthinkaboutinyourtreat- Take time to stop and ask open-ended questions ment of others? like,Whatexcitesyouaboutthisproject?or Unfair Treatment Tell me your plan of action. This will allow you to get a quick picture of whether they clearly under-Many times employees dont feel that all are treat- stand expectations of their role.ed equal. The recent Gallup study indicated those whofeeltheyretreatedunfairlyare2.3times more likely to experience burnout. Prevent Employee BurnoutAsk yourself:Burnout has a huge negative impact on sales per-Do you inadvertently rely more on a few mem- formance. Stressed and tired-out reps will begin bers of your team without realizing it?to just go through the motions to get through the Do you trust or pay more attention to thoseworkload.you feel are your shining stars?You know the signs of employee burnout and the causes, now heres how to help prevent it!115'