As business becomes more global and around-the-clock, employee burnout has emerged as a hot HR-topic. Burnout is the feeling of exhaustion, mental checkout, and reduced productivity in your professional life. With 1 in 5 workers at risk of burnout, HR departments need to develop methods to preserve their workforce and encourage healthier work-life balance.

For employees, burnout can lead to serious health and emotional struggles such as heart disease; insomnia; high blood pressure; alcohol or substance misuse; excessive stress; and Type 2 diabetes. For companies, burnout can result in poor employee performance and, ultimately, valuable employees leaving. HR can be on the lookout for at-risk employees by identifying those who:

So how do we prevent burnout? Here are three ways HR can help mitigate and prevent undue stress: 

For more on employee burnout, read Mayo Clinic’s comprehensive overview: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642

Sources:  1. Emma Seppälä; Julia Moeller. “1 in 5 Employees Is Highly Engaged and at Risk of Burnout.” Harvard Business Review, May 16, 2018. (https://hbr.org/2018/02/1-in-5-highly-engaged-employees-is-at-risk-of-burnout) Last accessed 8/15/20192. “Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases.” World Health Organization, May 28, 2019. (https://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/burn-out/en/) Last accessed 8/15/20193. “Job burnout: How to spot it and take action.” Mayo Clinic, November 21, 2018. (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642) Last accessed 8/15/20194. Stephanie Overby. “Mindfulness And The Importance Of Digital Disengagement.” CMO.com, February 26, 2018. (https://www.cmo.com/features/articles/2018/2/18/mindfulness-in-the-digital-age.html#gs.ujpeu4) ) Last accessed 8/15/2019