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Are your employees starting to feel the pressure of long hours, challenging working conditions, and tight deadlines? Even one of these three conditions can present a serious problem for managers, and any two in combination can bring on a perfect storm of stress and eventual turnover. If you don’t want your most talented assets to head for the door (and possibly end up working for your competition), you’ll need to recognize the classic signs of burnout before it’s too late. And once you recognize them, you’ll need to take action by hiring more staff or giving your hard working employees a break.

Signs of Employee Burnout

1. Your employees aren’t arguing with you anymore about the best interests of the company.

When an employee goes into survival mode, she stops speaking truth to power and starts caring more about her own diminishing resources, energy, and patience. If one of your workers once passionately argued with you about what’s best for the company and its customers, and you haven’t heard a peep from that employee lately, something’s wrong.

2. Your employees are short tempered and irritable.

Are your once-thriving, happy workers now scowling around the office and snapping at each other over petty issues? Are they sulking through meetings and then racing back to their desks? Do you hear hissing whispers issuing from cubicles and hallways? Are friendships unravelling and close-knit teams turning on each other? If so, it’s time to clear the air and make some changes.

3. Your employees are missing deadlines and making vague commitments.

When missed deadlines become a general pattern, that’s a cause for concern. And soft commitments are also an issue. When thriving employees are handed a task and a deadline, they either accept the task or reject it if it doesn’t fit into their current schedules. Burned out employees, on the other hand, begin to make washy promises. Listen closely for phrases like “I think I can manage it”, “That seems doable”, and “I’ll see what I can do” instead of a clear yes or no.

4. Your employees are telling you that they’re burned out…with actual words.

The easiest way to determine if your employees are burned out is to simply ask them. And in fact, they may already be sending you very clear messages to this effect, messages that you’ll receive loudly and clearly if you just listen. When an employee says—with words—that she’s tired, maxed-out, or working late, ask her about her schedule. Find out if there’s anything you can do to shift the workload across multiple teams.

Know when it’s time to take on more help. If you miss this crucial window, your loyal employees may start polishing their resumes and looking for work elsewhere, and you’ll lose whatever you might have saved by keeping your teams lean. When you’re ready to make your move, contact the TX staffing and employment pros at Expert.

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