Ask HN: How do you know if someone is burned out?

You probably won't see any smoke, but there are some key indicators I think - regardless of if it's work burnout, pandemic burnout etc. But I assume you're mostly asking about work burnout?

If yes, the most helpful article I've found that actually shows the DEPTH of burnout (and how it can develop into chronic burnout) is this one: https://www.thisiscalmer.com/blog/5-stages-of-burnout

Basically, there are 5 stages of burnout:

1. Honeymoon phase (yaaaay work is great!)

2. Onset of stress (eeeeeek, this is kinda hard...do I even know what I'm doing?)

3. Chronic stress (ugh. Monday again. I'm too tired for this crap)

4. Burnout (everything sucks, I have no motivation, and I have no idea how to get myself out of this pit)

5. Habitual Burnout (burnout = lyfe)

The last stage is why I found this article especially helpful because burnout gets to a point right before it completely takes you out where it kind of becomes a lifestyle that you ride typically until your body makes the decision for you.

3.

Burnout isn’t really a binary on/off switch.

Companies shouldn’t be operating in a way that pushes people to burnout and then tries to selectively identify who is burnt out and give those people less work.

You really should focus on creating an overall sustainable workplace and work culture where people aren’t afraid to give honest feedback about when they’re working too much.

I think of it like this: burnout "cracks" begin to form. If nothing is done about them, the burnout prevails. You can normally tell if someone is burned out if they're continually tired, stressed, anxious, or in a constant pattern of working too late. Burnout is what happens when people aren't bringing their best selves to work anymore, and when they don't have the energy to produce their best.

The hard thing is that burnout is a two-way street. While it's up to the individual to set boundaries and protect them, it's also up to the manager and culture to support that. if that balance isn't there from both sides, it becomes a very tricky situation.

Found this item earlier this week... https://hbr.org/2021/02/beyond-burned-out