There's a similar pattern of actions and causes between burnt-out employees and the experience people go through when they suffer from a nervous breakdown.
Nervous breakdowns are usually triggered by some kind of loss. It might be the loss of a job, loss of money, loss of love, or loss of health. Whatever it might be, there's usually some kind of loss which results in mental and physical exhaustion.
The exact same thing happens in the workplace.
If your employees are complaining of burnout, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're overworked. Rather, it indicates there has been a loss of something at work that has triggered their feelings of being overwhelmed.
This can include loss of:
- Recognition - are they being rewarded and acknowledged for their efforts?
- Communication - are there fewer opportunities to chat and listen to them?
- Control - has employee autonomy been eroded?
- Values - have ethics been compromised?
- Relationships - has the team bond been broken?
- Fairness - have promotions or pay raises been awarded unjustly?
Any one of these has the effect of making employees feel as if they're suffering from burnout, when in reality it's just that a necessary employee engagement attribute has been lost.
Identify and rectify the loss, and you'll avoid the worst loss of all: your employees.
Buy James Adonis’ Audio Seminar CD from the Resource Centre:
Employee Engagement: Solved!