Recognize they might not tell you. So, how can you tell? What should you look for? Here are some simple things you can check up on:

• At the Organizational Level:

  • Are you experiencing a high rate of turnover?

  • Are you struggling to recruit new hires either internally or externally?

  • Refer to industry averages or competitors' performance to gauge your own performance.

  • Know that companies and leaders have a reputation.

    • Find out what it is.

• At the Leadership Level:

  • Do you have a habit of emailing employees outside work hours?

    • This might look like clearing your mailbox before bed every night.

    • Or logging in Sunday evening to get ahead.

  • Are you not taking regular time off?

  • Are you not visibly logging off?

Fundamentally, I believe employees want to do a good job. They are going to mirror your work behaviors.

Here's a situation I experienced in my first job out of college. I was 22 years old, and back then, I was taught to arrive before the boss and leave after the boss. The person I worked for worked 7 days a week. They arrived at the office at 6:00 am, left at 6:00 pm, returned at 10:00 pm, and went home again at 2:00 am Monday through Friday. They also worked 8-5 on Saturdays and Sundays and only took one week off a year. I quickly realized I couldn’t match their hours. I could never get ahead; I was ALWAYS behind. It was very demoralizing, and I left after a few years.

Later in my career, I experienced a similar but less extreme situation. This individual cleared their email before bed every night, worked weekends, and I arrived the next day with 5-15 new emails from them. Again, I felt like I was always behind. I had gained more experience, and instead of leaving, I approached them and clarified their expectations of me. Remember, your employees may not express how they feel. Also, be aware that saying, “This isn’t urgent” or “You can get back to me tomorrow” at the top won’t help – they'll still feel overwhelmed.

Growing companies must remain vigilant in monitoring for burnout, as high turnover and low employee morale lead to chaos and negatively affect company performance. Recognize that chaos affects every company differently, and there are various ways to address and resolve it. Visit RKCMANAGEMENTCONSULTING.COM for ideas and methods to guide your organization away from CHAOS and toward steady, reliable progress.