How do you spot the signs of team burnout before it's too late?

I find team burnout is recognisable when collectively negativity permeates the team psyche. It’s like a cancer and I know and can sense a shift. Facing the situation head on and early is paramount.

I agree we need to be in regular connects with the team to identify the burnouts. Most of my identifications have been longer absenteeism and decreased productivity which leads to withdrawals. One to one conversations and regular monitoring has lead to prevent higher breakouts. First action is to always listen to them and understand the root cause. Being an advocate at this juncture and fostering a positive work environment will help mitigate the situation.

In my experience, team burnout is apparent when there is reduction in collaboration or willingness to collaborate. Rather than taking ownership, team members begin to pass up opportunities to share their insights and enable their peers and customers. Any change becomes an apparent burden, rather than an exciting opportunity. Willingness to revisit "older" business challenges with new eyes or solutions is met with strong apathy.

Recognition of burnout (or any adverse behaviour/conditions/circumstances/events) starts with good awareness from leaders. Many leaders wouldn't know if someone is withdrawing because they don't pay attention to what their people are usually like. Are they laughing less? Well, how much do they ordinarily laugh? Are they eating alone more? How and with whom do they usually eat their lunch? Are they more tired than usual? How much energy do they normally have? First, pay attention to people's baseline and you'll notice when it changes.

Based on observation, the lead indicators of team burnout is not attending and contributing to team meetings, business owners not investing in learning and development and asking employee what they want from their employment engagement and how they want to contribute to the team. There is a lack of culture, values and vision.

Building a team environment where each person feels that they are able to speak openly when things are not going well is imperative. In this way the team can act to support each other, meeting the team mission while taking care of each other in the process.

Proactive communication is the solution to most issues. Communication should be clear and timely with no surprises as to why something happens further on down the track. This includes providing effective and constructive, actionable feedback.

Balancing workload and well-being is a vital step in preventing team burnout. Setting achievable targets and helping team members prioritize tasks fosters efficiency and satisfaction. In the healthcare context, particularly among Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) like Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners, burnout is an acute concern, exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. One way to mitigate this is to create a better "life-work" balance. For instance, offering the option of hybrid or remote work for administrative tasks can be transformative. This approach decentralizes decision-making, uplifts morale, and helps reduce burnout. Prioritizing a balanced workload alongside well-being proves effective for long-term team sustainability.

Balance comes down to requirements vs resources. How many resources do your team have to deal with what's required of them? i.e. do they have enough time, budget, support, equipment, energy, skills, experience etc. to manage what's required of them in a day/week/month? If the requirements are consistently greater than the resources your people have to deal with them, over a long enough time line they'll burn out. Balance is key

Employee and stakeholders should certainly be clear on what is important. The focus on the important tasks that move the whole organisation forward leads to success as well as improving organisational moral and loyalty.

Such a great topic and fantastic points with great insights. However, I found that, for example,if a team is chronically understaffed, because the needed headcount is not deemed necessary by the leadership team, it is hard for a team leader to achieve a preventive solution of team burnout with these steps in the long-term. It’s the cause for this challenge that needs to be addressed, otherwise the solution is simply a band-aid.

I agree that recognizing and rewarding is key to preventing team burnout. In my experience i have suggested creating specific monthly awards focused around our team KPIs and major client focuses. Each month we give an award to the person who achieved the best overall performance with regards to all KPIs. We also give an individual who provided great client/customer services for that month, and we award someone who has made a impact on the team via a special project or other area. I also think it’s important to recognize team members on my team in an informal environment. I do this because it is very authentic it isn’t forced or seems forced because I just recognize them when it least expected like after answering a question for them.