Vital Signs - Employer Healthcare Insights

Even before the pandemic, the World Health Organization added burnout to their International Classification of Diseases, calling it an occupational phenomenon. Since then, conversations about burnout have become more commonplace, but employee burnout signs are still on the rise – in part due to the many stressors employees have faced over the last few years:

• Pandemic
• Social unrest
• Political divide
• Inflation
• Recession fears

Yet while burnout is regularly in the headlines, many companies and leaders don’t clearly understand what employee burnout is, why it’s important, and what signs to watch for.

Until recently, employee burnout was something that lurked in the shadows. Most employees didn’t talk about it if it was happening to them. And most companies didn’t openly acknowledge if it was happening on their team. But with the rise in mental health awareness brought on by the pandemic, that’s changing. 

Now, more companies are looking for ways to offer whole-person wellness programs that include options for mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, and burnout.

Amid The Great Resignation, this shift is both timely and necessary. Consider that McKinsey & Company reports that almost half of all employees report being at least somewhat burned out. If you’re an employer wanting to address this mental health epidemic, you can start by learning more about burnout and how it impacts your team. 

The World Health Organization’s official definition of burnout includes three components:

1. Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion 
2. Increased mental distance from, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and
3. A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment

While this definition offers some basics to watch for, burnout symptoms can vary widely among employees, making it harder to identify within your team or department. Plus, you don’t want to wait until an employee exhibits all these symptoms to act. The following are five subtle warning signs of employee burnout you could be missing.