Clear signs that show your team is sick with the burnout fever
“There’s something wrong. I can’t focus on my work. I don’t know why.”, That’s John talking to one of his colleagues early in the morning when he stepped into the office.
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A couple of days back, Amy who works as a marketing manager at an IT firm was saying something similar to one of her friends during lunch.
If you’ve worked in a team, or are working in one, I’m sure you would have come across similar situations. Those are just a couple of examples.
We all are part of the bandwagon where spending more than the assigned hours at work is set as hallmark for being productive. Whereas logically it refers that things are not right. Perhaps you are making the wrong time assumptions in the beginning. Or, maybe there’s something wrong in the process. That’s why you are spending more time getting them done than intended.
Now that leads to couple of serious questions — Why do teams who took your profits through the roof turn into a nightmare all of a sudden? Why is it that they are underperforming now, even though they have proved their mettle during the past projects?
The simplest answer to these questions would be — EMPLOYEE BURNOUT!
Seldom do leaders realize the fact that burnout is the reason why their team is not performing well. So, how can you come to the conclusion that your team is going through a situation like the one mentioned above?
Here are the signs that might help -
Every day is a bad day
The first sign of burnout is when every day starts to turn out into a bad one. Missed deadlines. Delayed plans. Lost opportunities. Every single day! All these are a clear sign that your team is not focussed enough. And the biggest reason for it could be because they are really not in a condition to focus on work as their fuel cells are already drained.
Enthusiasm — what’s that?
It gives goosebumps to work in a team that is ready to tackle all the challenges head-on. Your team was also like one during the past few projects. But, what happened now? Enthusiasm — what’s that? No one really cares whether you achieved a milestone today. Or, you are going to get another new project with some exciting opportunities.
‘Maybe he can do it better’ behavior
‘I did this task in the last project. Why don’t you try him this time? Maybe he could do better.’ Or, ‘I am already overwhelmed with so many tasks. She’s got lesser workload. Why don’t you assign it to her?’ Such responses from your team members are a clear indication that they are not really running out of their fuel.
Yelling at each other is a common scene
Discussions at work between team members are fine. But, when those discussions start to convert into yelling sessions, it is a sign of clear cut burnout. Because team members are losing their patience. They are not in a condition to discuss work. All they want is to get the project to be over and done with. And, you cannot expect to achieve greatness with such an attitude.
Everyone is down with illness
Absenteeism. Lower turnaround. Sick leaves. All these are the signs that there’s something wrong in the team. And, the most probable cause would be — BURNOUT! You need to handle this issue in a serious manner, because it is going to impact your your business. After all, it is the human resources that make the team. When they are no longer in a condition to work you cannot think about running a sustainable business.
Just waiting for the day to get over
Everyone in the team starts to pack their bags 10 minutes before the office timing. And leaves the premise as soon as the clock strikes 6. No one cares whether there’s some pending work to be done. Or there’s something urgent that needs to be delivered in quick time.
These were just a few of the common signs you might observe in the team to figure out whether they are also suffering from the burnout fever. If they do, then it is time to change your approach towards work. Bring some excitement by bringing a change in the way you manage them.
Giving them a small break. Or, taking them out for a company paid getaway during the weekend can be a great idea.
Keep posted for our next blog, in which we are going to talk about how to get your team back on track after they’ve been hit with the BURNOUT FEVER!
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