The employee's productivity suddenly drops
As Addicted2Success.com states, a typical symptom of looming burnout is a sudden and significant drop in an employee's productivity. If you suddenly notice someone who, despite all their efforts, is going through a patch of low numbers, high failure ratio and inability to meet targets, you should beware.
Sickness and absence
Mental state and physical health go hand in hand and, prior to burnout, you may see the person reporting sick and being absent from work more often. Watch out for employees who start taking more sick leave and have recurring health problems.
Negative and cynical attitude
A loss of energy and positive attitude are typical signs of the onset of burnout. This change is especially visible in people who are otherwise full of humour and maintain a positive attitude even during unpleasant situations at work.
Lack of vision for the future
A person about to burn out often feels helpless and sees no future in what they are doing. The employee thus no longer takes any interest in what lies ahead, they stop sharing visions with the rest of the team or their manager and they have trouble planning anything long term.
Workaholism and overtime
Before the burnout itself, too much stress and an unsustainable way of working usually manifest themselves as workaholism. If one of your team members starts working until late in the evenings, you should not merely praise them and hold them up as an example, but be wary and start paying more attention to them and their mental condition.
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