Talking to an employee who is burnt out -- WWYD?

[Anonymous]

I have had an employee on my team for 5+ yrs who just seems burnt out. I’m not surprised as we have thrown a lot of work at her, and she has always been the one who was willing to stay late, come in early, and always get it done no matter how crazy the deadline -- with little complaining. She now seems like she just can’t/doesn’t want to anymore -- she’ll still do the work but not with the same speed and energy and with far more complaining. I know the work doesn’t challenge her anymore because after 5 yrs of this, she really has seen the full spectrum of what we do, so I don’t think she’s as eager for the experience anymore.

As a manager, I think I need to talk with her, but I don’t really know how. Previously, if I had even suggested that she needed a vacation/break etc. she would take offense -- she’s a type A person who prides herself on being all things to all people (and this is her first real job though she has been w/ us for a long while now so she’s late 20s/early 30s). How do you approach this? I want to approach it because I feel like she’s getting to the point where she’ll just walk out the door one day -- we’d lose a talented employee just because we weren’t willing to have a discussion. We are reasonably close and do talk about careers, family, friends, weekends etc. so it’s not like this is the first time I’d be going out to lunch or pulling her into my office for a meeting -- I just don’t know how to start. WWYD?

[Anonymous]

HR Bitch here: What do you want the end goal to be? Can you offer her more challenging responsibilities? Do you just want to suss out whether she wants to jump ship to another company? Do you want to just encourage her to go on a vacation and revive her attitude? Before we can advise you we need to know what your goal is.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- End goals -- short term -- encourage her to slow down/go on vacation so that she feels more positively about work going forward; long term -- see if she wants different or more challenging responsibilities because we can make it happen -- though I don't just want to throw those responsibilities on her if it'll make her feel even more burdened.

She is a valuable member of the team who used to really want to participate in the team's direction, helped us train our newer employees (informally) -- these things aren't her job but if she is so "over it" that she doesn't want to do them, we lose out.

I don't really want to know if she wants to leave -- i.e. I wouldn't pump her for that info. If she wants to leave bc it's better for her career or health, I support that, but I don't want her to leave just because she thinks she's hit a brick wall at our place because she hasn't.

[Anonymous]

HR Bitch here: then you should say all of these things. "Larla, it's clear you're getting tuckered out and are not the same enthusiastic bunny you were when you first started here. You do an excellent job and are a true asset. I hope you don't feel you've hit a brick wall here - you absolutely haven't. You're a very valueable member of the team, and I greatly appreciate all the things you do to go above and beyond.

Part of what helps people stay invigorated is taking regular vacations. You've got some time saved up, and I'd love for you to use some of it, and while you're recharging, to think about if you'd like some different or more challenging responsibilities*. If you do, I can make that happen, but I don't want to throw something on you if it'll make you feel more burdened. Even if it's just a 4-day weekend, can you let me know by next Monday what you've worked out vacation-wise and then when you get back we can talk about where to go from here?"

*OP, if you are giving more responsibility will you also be giving more compensation for same? More benefits? A bigger office? More support staff? SOMETHING!

[Anonymous]

Stop giving her too much work!
Rearrange her work load. Try to utilize the less busy people more

[Anonymous]

Don't know if this will work but ask her what's the one thing she needs to do everyday or every week so she doesn't get burnt out. And when the time comes, let her do it (eg, no matter if you're in the middle of a meeting or brainstorming, let her go and attend her kid's sports practice at 3pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or make it to the weekly dinner with college friends at 5pm every Friday). This is what Marissa Mayer said she did to keep those on her Google teams from burning out.

[Anonymous]

Has she gotten promoted? Is she getting paid more? If these things don't happen or aren't part of one's path, then people do tucker out. Can you promote her and pay her more? Or can you point to a position that she could get promoted to if she tries harder?

[Anonymous]

Stop taking advantage of her! Just because she always stepped up doesn't mean she liked it or doesn't notice that other people aren't put in the same position. Talk to her as previously suggested. Also if she is single and without children, that doesn't mean she should be expected to pick up the slack for the moms and dads....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has she gotten promoted? Is she getting paid more? If these things don't happen or aren't part of one's path, then people do tucker out. Can you promote her and pay her more? Or can you point to a position that she could get promoted to if she tries harder?

agree. People tend to get burned out if they are the ones work is heaped upon because they are willing and competent. Especially if they notice that coworkers aren't held to the same standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HR Bitch here: What do you want the end goal to be? Can you offer her more challenging responsibilities? Do you just want to suss out whether she wants to jump ship to another company? Do you want to just encourage her to go on a vacation and revive her attitude? Before we can advise you we need to know what your goal is.

Is there a reason you cannot just say you work in HR? Are the vulgarities necessary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HR Bitch here: What do you want the end goal to be? Can you offer her more challenging responsibilities? Do you just want to suss out whether she wants to jump ship to another company? Do you want to just encourage her to go on a vacation and revive her attitude? Before we can advise you we need to know what your goal is.

Is there a reason you cannot just say you work in HR? Are the vulgarities necessary?

That's her DCUM handle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HR Bitch here: What do you want the end goal to be? Can you offer her more challenging responsibilities? Do you just want to suss out whether she wants to jump ship to another company? Do you want to just encourage her to go on a vacation and revive her attitude? Before we can advise you we need to know what your goal is.

Is there a reason you cannot just say you work in HR? Are the vulgarities necessary?

That's her DCUM handle.

I know. She calls herself that in every post. But why? It is vulgar.

[Anonymous]

I think you should promote her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Is there a reason you cannot just say you work in HR? Are the vulgarities necessary?

That's her DCUM handle.

I know. She calls herself that in every post. But why? It is vulgar.

Maybe she is a bitch. Pretty insightful of her. I think she should now go by "HR Self-Aware Bitch"

Also, there have been several threads about why HR woman (usually are) such bitches in their jobs.

[Anonymous]

Do you ever need to have performance reviews? An interim review is a great opportunity to ask her about her long-term goals, what changes she would like to see from her end, and then go from there.
That would be my approach -- try to get her talking about what she'd like to do, and then gently talk about having seen the signs that she's not content as is, and go into how she/you can get to where she wants to be.