Data indicates that high-performing employees range from 5% to 30% in different companies at any time. As a high-performing employee, your employer will particularly like your deliverables. Your efforts will undoubtedly be rewarded in remuneration and other incentives to get you to stick around for longer.
However, there are other factors to be more concerned about, such as burnout. It is common in the formal work environment and ironically hinders productivity in high performers, making it necessary to prevent it. Below are some tips.
Learn to identify the early signs of burnout
More than 70% of US employees report burnout among top performers. This group may feel a lot more pressure if for nothing because they tend to go above their limits. While you are not being discouraged from being a high-performing employee, maintaining your enthusiasm through healthy means is the focus. As a Delloite survey puts it, burnout is an enemy to every worker, and caution must be taken to prevent its ripple effects. A mitigating measure would be to learn the signs in its early stages.
Some examples are constant self-doubt about your outcomes and feeling overwhelmed over a long period. Others complain of unexplained exhaustion at the workplace and feelings of boredom with routines. Also, some people may notice a consistent inability to meet deadlines. Perhaps, the most striking sign is a gradual disinterest in a job that used to excite you.
This is one telltale sign that something is amiss with a high-performing employee. The sooner you detect these signs, the better it will be to address them. Sometimes, you may need help from a professional development coach like Kate McKay or an I/O psychologist when you struggle with resolving it yourself. Workplace burnout has been classified under mental health conditions, and you cannot overlook getting timely help.
Avoid unhealthy competition
Competition among teams is expected and very typical. It helps create a strong sense of productivity, which ultimately is good for business. What you must look out for, though, is unhealthy competition. It creates anxiety and resentment and may breed favoritism among other team members. This arises when some staff members feel the company gives high-performers more attention.
In a human environment, it is common for people to feel sidelined when others receive more attention. As a high-performing employee, this is an issue to be well aware of to avoid having problems with colleagues at work. You may need to become more conscientious of your actions and words to avoid others feeling aggrieved or slighted.
Uphold the tenets of work-life balance
In the United States, the average work week lasts 40 hours. It can be more depending on the type of work or company. The truth, however, is that high-performing employees tend to go above the average weekly working hours. Some are known to do as much as 60 – 80 hours weekly.
It is tempting to forget about the health benefits of work-life balance as long as you meet your goals. However, it could lead to burnout since the other aspects of life, like spending time with friends and family, which help you offload stress, are neglected. The most secure way to continue giving off your best is to create a healthy balance between your professional and personal life.