67e90e36a89f48e87627ed71eaec50a9
Jory MacKay
Jory is a writer, content strategist and award-winning editor of the Unsplash Book. He contributes to Inc., Fast Company, Quartz, and more.
July 23, 2024 · 10 min read

7 warning signs that you (and your team) are overworked


7 warning signs that you (and your team) are overworked

In an ideal world, everyone would be able to do great work, get rewarded fairly, and have a realistic workload. Unfortunately, that’s not the reality most of us live in.

With the harsh economic conditions of the past few years, companies have been forced to do more with less — leaving employees exhausted, frustrated, and overworked. It’s no wonder that a recent study found that 53% of people regularly feel overworked, leading them to suffer stress-related consequences.

When you and your team get overworked, your productivity — along with your mental and physical health — decline. In the worst case scenarios, overwork can cause teams to collapse, projects to fail, and individuals to go looking for better work environments.

If you or your team is feeling overworked, it’s not something you can overlook any longer.

Jump to a section:

In this guide, we’ll explain what it really means to be overworked, the warning signs to look out for in yourself and your teammates, and what you can do today to get back on track and feel motivated, valued, and productive.

What does it mean to be “overworked”?

When you feel overworked, it means that you’ve been operating above your capacity for a sustained period of time.

Being overworked is different from being stressed. Where stress comes from short periods of high pressure — such as a big project launch or a demanding meeting — being overworked is a longer-term issue, built up over weeks, months, or even years.

We’ve all heard the saying “don’t take your work home with you,” but when it comes to overwork, that’s easier said than done.

While many people exclusively link overwork to high-intensity jobs or unrealistic expectations, individuals can become overworked for any number of reasons: bad company culture, a gradual build-up of work, long hours, stressful tasks, a poor work-life balance, and a lack of breaks or holidays.

While being overworked isn’t new, the number of employees suffering from overwork and burnout is rising. But why is that?

Here are some of the main reasons why people are feeling more overworked than ever:

The bottom line: Everything from strategic to economic and interpersonal issues can cause overwork to take over. And if you’re not careful, the consequences can be dire.

What happens when you’re overworked? 5 consequences

It’s not just enough to understand why we feel overworked. As a team leader or anyone who wants to feel like they’re doing your best work, you need to know what the consequences are of being overworked (and how to avoid them).

Let’s start with the negative consequences that feeling overworked has on teams and individuals:


What happens when you’re overworked? 5 consequences

7 warning signs that you (or your team) are overworked — and what to do

Spotting the early warning signs of overwork isn’t always easy, especially in ourselves. As our workdays get busier, many people get stuck spinning on the hamster wheel and are unable to step back and reflect on just how dangerous the situation has become.

Here are seven of the most common warning signs of overwork, and how you can spot them in yourself and your team:

1. Lack of passion and motivation

Most of us have a natural level of passion and motivation for the work we do. Sure, there are some Mondays you just aren’t feeling it, but on the whole, we can motivate ourselves to get our job done. When you’re overworked, motivation is the first thing to go, leaving you feeling dejected, disengaged, and unconnected.

An image of someone exerting a motivation push!

Warning signs to look out for:

Actions to take:

2. You’re taking on the work of more than one person

In a great team, everyone pulls their weight. Whether it’s sharing the workload, covering for each other, or simply being there for moral support, the best teams thrive when everyone pulls together. If you feel like you’re left with the lion’s share, there’s a chance you’re at risk of overwork.

Warning signs to look out for:

Actions to take:


Screenshot from Planio showing the agile board with the tasks clearly labled with the assignees, categories, priorities etc

3. You get distracted easily

Procrastination is normal human behavior — but it’s only healthy in moderation. When we’re feeling overworked, our brains reach their maximum capacity, and we subconsciously look for ways to switch off. You may be overworked if you find yourself unable to focus and spending big chunks of work time on social media, chatting with colleagues, or scrolling the news.

Warning signs to look out for:

Actions to take:

An overworked team is unproductive, makes silly mistakes, and loses the creativity to solve complex problems.

4. You’re always tired and lack energy

No matter how strong and resilient we think we are, our bodies need rest to keep firing. Perhaps the most common sign of overwork is tiredness, as our work and life fall out of balance and we have trouble switching off and resting.

Warning signs to look out for:

Actions to take:

5. Your personal relationships are suffering

We’ve all heard the saying “don’t take your work home with you,” but when it comes to overwork, that’s easier said than done. Unfortunately, when we’re stressed, we unconsciously take it out on the people we love. If your personal relationships are taking a turn, your workload may be the underlying cause.

Warning signs to look out for:

Actions to take:

6. You’re getting sick more often

When our bodies suffer long-term stress, they become weaker, unable to fight off the day-to-day challenges of everyday life. A common sign of overwork is a deterioration of your health, whether that’s picking up more coughs and colds, flare-ups of long-term illnesses, or even developing new mental health conditions.

Warning signs to look out for:

Actions to take:

7. You or your team’s productivity is dropping

When we’re overworked, our ability to get stuff done decreases drastically. Whether that’s because of mental overload, getting distracted, or ill-health, we simply can’t work at the optimum level for success when we’re overworked. Over time, this means your productivity drops and your work quality suffers.

Warning signs to look out for:

Actions to take:


Screenshot from Planio showing the burndown agile chart of a sprint that only has one issue left open

How to talk to your boss or manager about being overworked

If you’ve spotted a sign of overwork in your own life, taking the first step and talking to your manager can be a tricky hurdle to overcome. In many businesses, complaining about workload is taboo, with people worrying about the impact on their long-term career aspirations.

To help with this tricky conversation, let’s finish with three tips to help you start the difficult conversation:


How to talk to your boss or manager about being overworked

It’s time to beat overwork and focus on you

Overworking is a systemic problem affecting over 50% of us every day. And with tricky business conditions forecast to continue, overwork isn’t going away anytime soon.

The key to coping with an increased workload is understanding the signs and symptoms of overwork before it’s too late. Whether it’s a drop in your mental health, strained personal relationships, or simply struggling to concentrate, there are signs to look out for in yourself and others to get ahead of overwork, fatigue, and burnout.

If you’re a team leader, tools like Planio can help you out here, too. Not only does Planio make everyone’s day-to-day life easier, but it’s great for managing and monitoring workload across a busy team.

Whether it’s time tracking, task management, or KPI reporting, Planio has features to help you keep your finger on the pulse and spot overwork signs before they become a major issue!

Try Planio with your own team, free for 30 days (no credit card required!)