Burnout Warning Signs

Alison Butler
Apr 15, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Oct 31

We know that burnout is a problem facing many (I'm going to go out on a limb and say all) workplaces. So what are the burnout warning signs?

What do we need to be looking for in ourselves and with our workplace teams?

Some common signs of burnout include:

Feelings of Overwhelm
Anger
Irritability
Feeling "detached"
Feeling Numb
Exhausted
Sense of dread about work tasks

If you've taken Mental Health First Aid training with me, you'll know that many of these signs are also signs of other mental health challenges like depression and anxiety.

I like to say "burnout lives in the same house".

So how do these burnout warning signs show up in the workplace?

Just like any mental health challenge, burnout can show up in many different ways in people's behaviour. We want to be looking for changes in our teams or co-workers like:

Avoiding people or procrastinating on tasks
Withdrawing more from work or work social activities
Short-tempered or increasing negativity
Regularly expressing tiredness or lack of energy
Lack of focus or reduced productivity

Can you think of other ways that burnout has (or could) shown up for members of your team? Yourself?

Our starting point with burnout awareness has to be around knowing the signs

AND

recognizing that burnout is both an organizational/workplace culture problem and an individual responsibility.

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