The one sad fact of many industries is that the best employees are often leaned on the most. As you start to climb the corporate ladder, it is important to recognize some of the key signs of an employee being pushed too far to the point of burnout.
First and foremost, it is important to realize burnout does not happen overnight. It often starts as someone picking up a few extra shifts here and there when they are asked. Suddenly, this particular employee becomes your “go-to” employee for everything. Usually, this person will realize they are rising in stature, so they feel the pressure to accept every shift and assignment handed to them. Then, gradually, you start to see a shift that often leads to them leaving their position or simply becoming one of the many employees that are there for no other reason than to pick up a check.
Signs of Burnout
Negative Attitude – your all-stars get that designation because they, at least to this point, have been able to keep a positive attitude regardless of the situation. One of the biggest telltale signs that someone is going in the wrong direction is a slight attitude change about work.
Underappreciated – when you start to hear groans about someone being underappreciated, bells should start to go off. It is very unlikely this person will actually come to you but rather start complaining to other employees or managers.
Slacking Off – when the negative attitude and under-appreciation starts to creep in, you will start to see work performance drop off. Suddenly, deadlines are passing, and assignments are either late or just not being completed.
Personal Appearance – have you ever noticed that meticulous employee that is suddenly wearing a dirty uniform? When asked about it, their attitude shifts and they tell you they simply do not have the time to clean it with all the hours they are working. This is a sign they are working far too much and do not even have the time to take care of their personal chores. Pretty much it is all sleep and work.
Talking About Quitting – as everything builds up, you will no doubt hear it through the grapevine your best employee is suddenly looking for other jobs and thinking about quitting. There is still time to save this person, but you better move fast.
Creating Work-Life Balance
Your employees are only working so much because you are asking them to or allowing it to happen. That being said, it is up to you to fix the situation and get your all-star back on track.
Working Set Hours – the funny thing about someone that is being overworked is that they will all but refuse to take less work. The problem is while they are making themselves miserable, they are also making a lot more money. You, however, have to step in and create some rules about how many shifts and/or hours the employee will be able to work to stop this vicious cycle.
Encourage Personal Life – the employee needs to unplug from work. This may take some encouragement from you or even a personal nudge. Find out some of his or her interests and buy some tickets to a concert or a gift certificate for dinner at their favorite restaurant as a thank you for all the hard work they have been doing.
Take an Interest – this person is already a super star for you, so recognize it and take an interest in helping him or her move up within the company. Find out what the actual professional goals are of this employee and work with the staff member to help them achieve the goal.
While no one employee or manager is greater than the overall operation, some of those employees can create a significant wrinkle if their performance falls off. As the manager, you need to recognize the signs of burnout and address them quickly to ensure this employee remains happy and continues to grow in the organization.
Do you have managers that are simply not helping the organization grow? Is it time to think about hiring better managers for your hotel or hospitality organization? Joseph David International has been successfully placing hotel managers and senior living executives for more than a decade because we find the best possible managers for your specific needs. For more information about our hotel recruiting services, click here.