Supporting an Employee With Burnout
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At a glance
A manager supporting an employee with burnout concerns should focus on observable difficulties, work demands and practical support. The employee should not have to disclose a diagnosis before a discussion about an unmanageable workload can begin.
Start privately and without assumptions
Describe what you have noticed and ask how work is affecting them. Listen to the answer before offering a wellbeing service. Explain the limits of confidentiality and who may need information to arrange support.
Avoid promising secrecy you cannot maintain or asking for detailed medical information that is not needed for the work decision.
Agree changes that have an owner
Examples include fewer simultaneous deadlines, predictable hours, cover for breaks or a temporary change in duties. Write down who will make each change and when it will start. If you cannot authorise the change, identify who can and follow up.
An employee-assistance programme may offer support, but it does not remove the manager's responsibility to review work.
Check whether the arrangement works
Schedule a brief review focused on functioning and the actual workload. Ask whether duties removed on paper have returned informally. Consider occupational health and adjustments where appropriate. If the employee reports immediate safety concerns, respond promptly through the relevant emergency or workplace process. Support should not depend on the employee first recovering enough to organise it all alone.
Related guides
Sources and further reading
More in this topic
Boundaries After Burnout
A useful boundary states what you can do, when you are available and what happens when demand exceeds that limit. Boundaries work best when the people who control workload agree to the practical arrangements behind them.
RecoveryBurnout Journal and Tracking
A burnout journal can help you notice patterns and prepare for a useful conversation. It is a reflection tool, not a diagnostic test, and it should be brief enough that recording does not become another demand.
RecoveryBurnout Recovery: A Practical Plan
Burnout recovery is a process of restoring health and workable capacity while changing the demands that keep overwhelming it. A useful plan combines assessment, recovery time and practical work changes rather than relying on one technique.