Watch Out: Five Signs of an Overworked Employee

Most employers do not wish to overwork their employees. They believe that if they encourage their top talent to carry more responsibilities, they will push their team to fulfil their potential. But, employees can reach a tipping point where being pushed no longer furthers their growth but instead holds them back. 

How can you tell if an employee is being overworked? We suggest looking at these warning signs:

1. Quality of work goes down

In a study by the Harvard Business Review, overwork actually causes diminishing returns. As employees work longer, they “progressively work more stupidly on tasks that are increasingly meaningless.”

In the 19th century, organised labour in the US first compelled factory owners to limit workdays to 10 hours, and then eight hours, after management was surprised to discover that output actually increased and expensive mistakes and accidents decreased.

According to the study, more recent experiments have confirmed similar results. People who take the required time off are more productive. If you see mistakes increasing in your office, take a look at the employee workload and hours worked as the possible reason. 

2. Increase in voluntary turnover

If your organisation is encountering higher levels of voluntary turnover, especially among top talents, you should examine work levels. Talented staff who are ambitious and motivated are usually keen to take on extra or time-consuming tasks. But, if those same tasks cause problems with:

• their meeting their personal obligations, or
• they don't receive a promotion or a raise, or
• they feel undervalued.

Those same employees may decide to leave your organisation. When this happens, it is already too late. Keep an eye out for these signs and keep workloads at reasonable levels. 

When pushing your employees, be careful not to overdo it.

3. Employees are working around the clock and on weekends

Pay attention to when your staff arrive at and leave from work. You can check their attendance record if needed. If you see an increase in working hours, it may be time to examine your employees' workload.

Keep in mind, there is a huge difference between a marathon and a sprint. If you have a cyclical nature of business that sometimes requires staff to work extra hours such as accountants during tax season, this will be a-okay. But, if there's no end in sight to the long working hours, you should re-examine work assignments or staffing.

4. Workers are missing family commitments for the job

If you hear that your staff are missing family obligations because they feel they cannot take time from their jobs, you are probably looking at a sign that your workers feel overworked. 

Reach out to your employees who are just starting a family or have young kids as they may find it hard trying to balance between work and family. It's also wise to consider giving them a flexible working arrangement so they can still raise their family while working.

5. Your employees appear to be more emotional

When employees feel overworked, some of the side effects is sleep disruption and increasing problems with family members. More issues in the workplace may happen. 

Specifically, if formerly rational employees seem more on the edge, it is time to check their workload as a possible cause. Likewise, people who have a high need to please others may overcommit because of their fear of rejection or failure. 

Employees who are people pleasers can become extremely resentful, passive-aggressive and sometimes actively aggressive if they feel their hard work is undervalued. Employees who work hard to please others are overly concentrated on getting ahead. These employees can be vulnerable to taking on too much.

One method to combat this pattern is to ensure that you show your staff appreciation for the value they bring to the company.

Though your employees are adults who have power over their own decisions, employes should be aware of the demands they place on their employees. If you see any of the five signs listed above, you'll understand that it's time to talk with the employee about making improvements.

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Sources: Entrepreneur, Harvard Business Review, & Psychology Today

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