I am by no means a medical expert, this is taken from my perspective and research. If you believe you may be experiencing this seek medical advice.

According to World Health Organisation there are a couple things we can do as preventative measures:

  1. Set clear and consistent goals for staff
  2. Provide frequent training to increase role effectiveness and coping strategies
  3. Provide work-focused consultations to staff who are experiencing job stress
  4. Encourage the development of support groups and resource exchange networks
  5. Maximise staff autonomy and participation in decision-making
  6. Provide training in conflict resolution
  7. Organize work to reduce job strain by optimizing workload and working time, ensuring safe staffing levels, encouraging regular breaks and having flexible schedules
  8. Optimize shift lengths to avoid fatigue, giving preference to shift rotation in a forward direction
  9. Provide accommodation for health workers during emergency operations with access to food services, sanitary facilities and recreational opportunities

if you want to read more about preventative measures you can read a book recommended by WHO Primary prevention of mental, neurological and psychosocial disorders

I hope you are able to implement these before someone you care about gets to a bad state.

What does this mean for me

Ideally this means you should communicate with you team, make sure they understand what you want from them and when its due. You need to watch them and make sure people are not working to many hours and when they are try help them. ( understanding sometimes you are unable to, due to the nature of the work )

There is a balance here between employees or workers who are just not performing and who may be in a state of Burn-out. This is probably something you will have to monitor and rectify if the person is a poor performer.

Although because burn-out is generally something that happens suddenly I believe it will be easier to identify burn-out with individuals if you have known them for a long time.

Poor Performance vs Burn Out

It can be difficult to distinguish between poor performance and burnout because they can have similar symptoms, such as reduced productivity, low morale, and a negative attitude. However, there are some differences that can help you distinguish between the two:

  1. Poor performance is usually a consistent pattern over time, whereas burnout tends to be more sudden and related to stress.
  2. Poor performers often have little motivation to improve, whereas burnout individuals may want to improve but lack the energy or focus to do so.
  3. Burnout individuals often experience emotional exhaustion and feel drained, overwhelmed, and fatigued, while poor performers may have more of a lack of skill or knowledge.
  4. Burnout individuals may have physical symptoms like headaches or stomach issues, whereas poor performers may not have physical symptoms related to their performance.

It’s important to approach both poor performance and burnout with empathy and support. If you suspect someone is experiencing burnout, encourage them to take time off and seek help from a mental health professional. If you suspect someone is a poor performer, offer constructive feedback and support to help them improve.