Preventing Burnout: How Small Shifts Create Big Wins for Your Team

It’s easy to look around and realize your team might be running on empty. Sometimes, the warning signs are right in front of us—we just need to ask the right questions and really listen.

Start by asking your employees:

1. How overwhelmed do you feel, on a scale of 1 to 5?

2. How many days did you work later than you should?

3. How many days did you answer emails after hours?

4. How effective do you feel?

5. How productive do you feel?

6. How much fun do you have?

If you notice your team rating higher than 3 on those first three questions, it’s time to pay attention. They might be close to burning out, or maybe they’re already there. Take a moment to thank them for their honesty, ask for more details about any challenges they mentioned, and find out how you can help—starting as soon as next week. Also, don’t forget to ask what’s going well. Maybe there’s a project they love that you can help them spend more time on.

Next up: meetings. Let’s be honest—most of us are drowning in them. The average time spent in meetings has jumped 13% since the pandemic, and it’s not always productive. Here’s a quick exercise: block out 30 minutes and look at every recurring meeting you have. Is it really necessary? Could it be shorter? Does everyone on the invite list truly need to be there? Even reducing one hour-long meeting to 45 minutes can give your team a much-needed breather.

But don’t go cancelling meetings left and right—sometimes, they’re the glue that keeps teams connected, especially when working remotely. The key is to be intentional: keep what matters, trim what doesn’t.

Last but not least, remember to show appreciation. Research shows that gratitude from managers boosts productivity and morale. It doesn’t have to be a long letter—a quick email or a shout-out during a check-in goes a long way. For example:

“Thank you for jumping in to create training materials for our new assistant. You made onboarding smoother and freed up my time for other projects. I really appreciate your initiative!”

Set a reminder to recognize a different team member each week. Small gestures add up.

Supporting your team isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about noticing, asking, listening, and acting on what you learn. Let’s keep making work a place where everyone can thrive.

Until next time,