The Science Behind Why Productive Employees Suddenly Start Missing Deadlines
An examination of the burnout epidemic, comfortably residing in home offices across the globe
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There are a few things more challenging than employees missing deadlines. It ruins the interpersonal relationships in the team, can damage client relationships, as well as harm the personal brand of the employee.
In most cases, people automatically assume that missing deadlines is a sign of poor time management on the worker’s behalf. But today I’d like to argue quite the opposite.
Productive employees suddenly start missing deadlines, not because they’ve gone rogue, but because of management and their environment.
More concerningly, while the traditional signs of burnout or misalignment are quick to spot in the office, with the rise in remote work, we are missing crucial details about the health of workers.
Stressy, messy, and depressy — why productive employees suddenly start missing deadlines
According to a study:
Over-stressed professionals may have a trouble in focusing on the task at their hand; make more mistakes hardly take pride in their work.
The study also goes on to explain that when we’re stressed, the quality of our work deteriorates. As employees, we get worn out when under a constant state of stress without any gratification insight. Even more so, when we are in an environment where we lack control, and acknowledgment, and are neglected by our seniors in the workplace.
So, let’s expand on this a little. There are a few key things we can already learn from these few lines of the study:
- If you have trouble focusing, keep making mistakes or fail to take pride in your work, stress might be one of the reasons why.
- Neglected employees, who have no control over their tasks and fail to get acknowledgment for their successes can become stressed.
No wonder, right?
As humans, we need appreciation and control. We need ownership. We strive for improvement. Otherwise, we become distracted and unmotivated, stressed, and judgemental of our work.
Has the quality of your work deteriorated? Have you felt overworked or under…
