The season of change

There are two very different issues at play here, and so I will handle them one at a time.

Issue one: she’s going off sick. This one is actually very simple, albeit emotionally draining. There will be clear HR rules around how long and how she can go off sick, and you need to always stick to these rules (and the law). Outside of this, you can request return to work meetings, and discuss how both you and your organisation can best support her to be in work more consistently. If you don’t have internal HR support, have a quick Google and see if you can find what you need, or escalate the issue and get access to some external consulting. The priority is, of course, her health—and supporting her with that. But you are not a doctor (I don’t think!), and you need to remember you are responsible for her workplace environment—not her wellbeing.

Issue two: you need more from her. This is a separate issue. It is interesting that you have implicitly put this on management's shoulders—but they are right to look out for the wellbeing of the organisation. Assuming that there isn't any occupational health guidance to the contrary, I would suggest starting with a simple table—on the left, where your are now; and on the right, where you need her to get to.

Two examples:

At the moment, I am covering your reporting for X client in the weekly meeting -> I need you to do the reporting on the client moving forward, and it needs to be delivered on time and to a high standard.

Your Slack and email management can be slow, and sometimes clients wait two days for a response -> You need to provide a clear 24-hour turn around on any message or email, and alert me when this isn’t met.

I know it won’t be easy.

If she takes long term sick, you need to escalate the issue upwards—it isn’t sustainable for you to keep running as-is. Remember that ruinous empathy can wreak havoc on a relationship—if she is unwell, she needs to not be at work. But in the same breath, your boss doesn’t pay you to babysit…

Google searches for 'burnout' and related terms are on the rise—with a 75% increase in searches for 'burnout symptoms' in the last year, and a 248% increase since 2018. So this is likely a very common experience for managers at the moment—although whether the trend is in the use of the vocabulary, or the actual condition, it is impossible to say.

I can’t tell you if your team are genuinely burnt out—that is on you to decide—but I can give some tips on how to handle it

1. Beware the spread of negativity. If a single person in your team mentions 'burnout' more than once, and they are all working hard, I guarantee you’ll start hearing it more and more. Nip it in the bud and address it up front—for example, “I hear that you are feeling burnt out. What do you think I could practically do to resolve this?”

2. Is this short term, or not? If you are a lawyer and someone is moaning about working 60 hours a week, that is not going to go away. Let them know that they may need to consider a career change—but don’t panda to the fact they are finding it hard. Go for short sharp responses that express empathy without apology—for example, “I hear that you’re feeling overworked and overwhelmed, this job is very difficult”. If it is likely to be a short-term issue, reassure them that that is the case—but be clear on how you are trying to help them and what you are going to do to support them.

3. Reward and recognise. If you have awards, bonuses, or similar that you can offer for going above and beyond—perhaps consider giving one out? Sometimes just knowing that they are burning out for a reason—and that this is seen and acknowledged—can really boost morale.

4. Escalate anything outside your sphere of influence. If you team are burnt out because you need four more people on the team—tell your management, and then move on