I think my manager is burned out. What can I do?

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Welcome to Pressing Questions, Fast Company’s work-life advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions.

Q: I think my manager is burned out. What can I do?

A: It’s tough out there for managers, especially middle mangers who are often caught in the—well—middle and may find themselves enforcing unpopular policies that they didn’t create. It’s not explicitly your job to fix your boss’s problems (and you don’t have the power or authority to do so if you aren’t in a leadership role). But, a manager sets the tone for their team and if they are burned out, their entire team will likely follow suit.

It may feel unfair, but giving a bit of thought to this question will make your (and your coworkers’) lives much better. This is a super-charged opportunity to practice your “managing up” (aka managing your manager) skills.

Fast Company contributor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic outlined several signs that your manager might be experiencing burnout and how to address them. Here are a few.

They don’t seem to care how everyone else is doing

Chamorro-Premuzic says that a burned-out boss might start to be less open to feedback, be suddenly uninterested in team morale, or no longer receptive to concerns.

If your boss is acting like this, you can normalize small breaks and occasional team check-ins, where there’s more opportunity for casual interactions. Chamorro-Premuzic also says you can be supportive in subtle ways, like offering to help with tasks or expressing appreciation for their work.

Being a manager can feel thankless. If your manager feels like no one cares about them or notices their work, they’re less likely to offer you and your coworkers the same appreciation. If you show them you care about them, hopefully that care will trickle down.

Their energy is all over the place

Scientific studies on burnout show that energy and motivation can wax and wane when someone is facing chronic stress. What this might look like in your manager is that you are being micromanaged on some days when they are overly worried about how your work reflects on them, and then completely ignored on other days, as they feel overwhelmed by their own workload.

If your boss is acting like this, Chamorro-Premuzic advises that you can help them by providing structure and consistency in your work so they know what to expect. Institute routines like regular project updates or weekly recaps, and suggest ways they can delegate so their workload is more distributed. (Bonus: Taking on work above your level might set you up for a future promotion.)

Longer hours and blurred boundaries  

If your manager is emailing late at night, working weekends, not taking time off, those are all pretty clear signs that they are habitually overextending themselves, and on the fast track to burn out.

If your boss is acting like this, it probably feels tricky to push back but it’s another place that you can lead by example by setting clear boundaries. You can also gently remind them that you and your colleagues can take on their tasks when they aren’t there. (In other words: The world won’t fall apart if they take a vacation and it might help them reset.)

Yes, your manager’s job satisfaction isn’t explicitly your job, but if we truly want to work in a more humane workplace it means we should care about everyone’s well-being, no matter where they are on the org chart.

Want more advice on helping burned out managers? Here you go: 

• Managers are not okay. Why we’re headed to a ‘manager crash’ in 2025
• It’s time to check on your middle managers
• 5 red flags of your boss’s behavior you should not ignore

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