Your Best Employee Might Be Drowning Quietly

High performers usually do not stop being good employees overnight. Sometimes they simply run out of room.

One of the easiest employees to overload is the one you trust the most.

They get things done.

They solve problems.

They rarely complain.

So when something new needs to be handled, who gets it?

Them.

Again.

And again.

Eventually, being your most reliable employee can become a punishment.

Pay Attention Before Performance Drops

When a great employee starts missing things, becoming frustrated, or seeming less engaged, the first question should not always be:

“What happened to them?”

Sometimes the better question is:

“What have we put on them?”

Workload is part of culture too.

So is communication.

So is whether employees feel like they have room to grow instead of simply receiving more work because they are capable of handling it.

This week on IA Forward, Tonya and Mike talk about recognizing when good employees are reaching capacity and why compensation alone cannot fix an environment that is wearing people down.

Do Not Wait Until They Leave

Your best employees may not be the loudest people in the room.

That means leaders have to pay attention before frustration turns into a resignation.

Check the workload.

Ask what is getting in the way.

Make sure growth does not simply mean more responsibility with nowhere else to go.

Because hiring great people is difficult.

Keeping the great people you already have should matter just as much.

Watch the Full Episode