Every single state in our country has some version of a “mandated reporter” law. These laws exist to protect children and vulnerable adults, such as elders and those with disabilities, and require professionals in a variety of fields to report any signs of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

Well, I’d like to introduce you to The Boss Code (patent pending).

Imagine if workplaces had a similar policy to “mandatory reporting.” When leaders identify clear signs of burnout, distress, or mental health struggles, they are required to respond. Not with punishment… but with support and resources.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and like it or not, when you have employees, you are like a momma (or daddy) duck with a bunch of little ducklings to watch out for.

Now, before we get any further, let me be very clear… this is not a legal obligation! In fact, if you take it as such, your poor HR department could be fielding a legal poop show when it comes to privacy and confidentiality, not to mention discrimination if it’s not applied evenly throughout your organization.

I’m merely introducing the concept of The Boss Code: If you see an employee struggling… care.

The Plague of Burnout

It’s hard to walk 5 feet these days without overhearing a conversation on burnout. Despite our awareness of the problem, the numbers keep rising. Here’s the thing – we can talk about burnout all we want, but if we don’t:

1. Understand the underlying causes of burnout, and
2. Recognize the symptoms before our employees cross over the threshold into “too late,”

the problem will keep getting worse.

I’ve discussed the underlying causes of burnout (both at home and on the job) at length, so for this piece, we will dive into what it actually looks like to the outside observer.

Five Signs of Burnout

Burnout isn’t just bad for business… it could be a warning for something far more dangerous. Let’s look at five signs that your employees (or you) may be experiencing, or about to experience, burnout.

1. They always say “yes.”

I know, it’s difficult to wrap your head around the idea of wanting employees to say no to you. They are there to do a job you are paying them to do… why would you ever want them to say no? Well, an employee who always says yes is likely doing this at a cost to their own well-being. When they continually overcommit, they risk exhaustion and resentment. Left unchecked, that exhaustion turns into emotional depletion, and that depletion ultimately leads to hopelessness.

2. Blurred work-life lines.

Your employee is ALWAYS available. Yeah, here we go again… that sounds like an employer’s dream, right? Wrong. Employees who don’t take time off to spend with their families, friends, or just engage in self-care… they have no time to recover from the demands of their jobs. Without recovery time, there is no sustainability. Sure, you can bust your behind for 3 months, 6 months, maybe even a year or two. But eventually, your engine will seize. No machine runs forever without fuel.

3. Isolation under the guise of “Independence”

If you’ve got an employee who appears to be shutting the world out, this should get your spidey sense tingling. They reject assistance from colleagues, stop reaching out to ask questions, and start declining meetings. If they engage, it’s a surface-level conversation. Please know this isn’t them being independent. It’s them isolating to avoid vulnerability.

4. Ignoring Personal Needs

Sure, just about everyone has missed a meal due to being “in the zone.” However, if your employee is repeatedly skipping breaks, eating lunch at their desk (or not eating at all), staying until the wee hours of the night, coming in at the rooster’s butt crack of dawn, or refusing to take days off… Houston, we have a problem. Throw in the “camels” who don’t drink all day, so they don’t have to go to the bathroom, and you’ve got employees ignoring their basic needs. Again, this isn’t sustainable. All humans have basic needs that MUST be met.

5. Tolerating Toxicity

We’ll just go ahead and assume you aren’t the source of the toxicity (you’re welcome). Still, if you see employees enduring toxic colleagues, horrific customers, or abusive personal relationships (that sometimes trickle into “office hours”), that person may not be strong or resilient… they may have given up because they feel trapped, powerless, and hopeless.

Take a moment to think about your team. Have you noticed any of these behaviors brewing?

The Boss Code

Now, let’s head back to our Boss Code. Let’s say that as a leader in your organization, you see any of these signs or symptoms – what can you do to support your employee without causing your HR department to pull their hair out?

There are a few steps you can take to protect your employees AND your organization:

1. Initiate a compassionate check-in conversation. Arrange to meet privately with your employee – NEVER do this publicly – and ask how they are doing. (If you’ve got an HR department or consultant, you may want to discuss your concerns with them first, and possibly have them involved in the conversation.) If your employee is willing to open up, they may share that something significant is occurring in their personal lives. “Life be lifing” as my friend says. If they are a wonderful employee, maybe it’s time to give them some grace – extend a project, lighten their load, if the problem is financial and you’ve got the resources, give them a raise. Even if you can’t do anything, knowing that you care is often enough to keep an employee moving forward.
2. Adjust their workload or hours, or delegate some responsibilities. Perhaps they’ve got too much on their plate, or perhaps “regular work hours” create a childcare, eldercare, transportation, or scheduling issue. If possible, work with them and show them they are a valued part of the organization.
3. Encourage taking time off and setting boundaries around their availability. If they haven’t taken PTO in years, work with them to uncover a solution so they don’t feel like they’ll be coming back to a huge mess. Remind them that they are on the clock during specific hours, and not expected to be available, checking email, or solving problems, when they’re off.
4. Connect employees with mental health resources or an EAP. Depending on the size of your organization, this may be internal or external. My Boundaried Workplace^TM Program can be a great resource for your organization to learn and encourage healthy boundaries for everyone.
5. Model healthy boundaries. If you’re living by the motto, “Do as I say, not as I do…” please stop. You are setting the tone for your entire organization. If you ignore meals, skip vacations, check and respond to emails at 3 am, and wear a diaper to work so you don’t have to leave your desk, this is what your employees believe you expect from them.

Taking action could be the difference between an employee silently suffering and creating a team of people happy to come to work, do their job (incredibly well), and then enjoy their lives.

Conclusion

No, The Boss Code isn’t a legal obligation; however, it should be an ethical duty every leader should own. Your employees are your most valuable asset. If you suspect they are struggling, please reach out and give them the support (or resources) they need to avoid burnout and get back to business.