Early warning signs an employee is struggling at work (Australia): what managers, HR and WHS should do next

Most employees do not say, “I’m not coping.” In reality, concerns often show up as small shifts that leaders can see: reliability changes, more mistakes, withdrawal, conflict, fatigue, or reduced tolerance for normal work pressure. If workplaces wait for a complaint, incident, or extended absence, the human and operational cost is higher, and options are narrower.

Many organisations still detect psychological risk only after harm has already occurred, for example after a formal complaint, a critical incident, a workers compensation claim, or a long absence. A more effective approach is to treat early, observable “emotional signals” and work-impact changes as leading indicators, and to act while there is still room to adjust workload, support, and job design.

In Australia, this is also a work health and safety issue. Safe Work Australia and state and territory regulators frame mental health as something that can be harmed by psychosocial hazards arising from job design, management and the work environment. Managing those hazards follows the same risk management cycle used for physical safety: identify, assess, control, and review, supported by codes of practice and guidance.

This article provides a practical, manager-ready guide to (1) early, observable warning signs, and (2) what managers, HR and WHS should do next, using two internal response frameworks: LIFT (Listen, Inquire, Find, Thank) for early conversations, and ACT (Assess, Collaborate, Timely follow-up) when risk is higher.

Why early signs matter (and what managers can and can’t do)

Early signs matter because they are often the first signal that a person’s capacity, safety, or work relationships are being affected. Safe action at this stage can prevent deterioration, reduce the likelihood of psychological injury, and surface underlying psychosocial hazards that need control.

Early signs also matter because they function as leading indicators of psychosocial risk. They often appear before lag indicators such as incidents, claims, or turnover. Capturing and responding to these early signals helps organisations detect burnout earlier, identify hazard hotspots sooner (for example workload, low role clarity, conflict, fatigue), and strengthen psychological safety by showing that speaking up leads to practical support.

What managers can do well: notice changes, start a supportive conversation, reduce preventable work stressors, and connect people to help.

What managers should not do: diagnose (“you’re depressed”), investigate private life, or rely solely on resilience advice when work design hazards may be driving the problem.

A useful definition: “early warning signs” at work

For workplace leaders, early warning signs are best defined as:
a sustained change from baseline in observable work behaviour, performance, attendance, or interaction that persists, clusters, or escalates, and has a work impact (quality, safety, conduct, or relationships).

In practice, “baseline” becomes clearer when leaders have consistent routines that surface how people are tracking. This can include regular 1:1s, team temperature checks, and where appropriate, brief daily emotional check-ins (for example each person privately rating how they are tracking, or a simple check-in question in a stand-up). The goal is not to monitor individuals, but to notice patterns early and respond supportively.

Normal stress vs sustained distress: a simple threshold guide

Use three checks before you act (and if in doubt, check in anyway):

1. Persistence: Is this continuing beyond a short period, for example more than a week or recurring across multiple weeks?
2. Impact: Is it affecting work quality, safety, decision-making, relationships, or reliability?
3. Clustering: Are there multiple signals (for example attendance changes plus errors plus withdrawal), rather than one isolated change?

If two or more are “yes”, treat it as a wellbeing and psychosocial risk signal that warrants a structured response.

Tip for leaders: where teams use a lightweight daily or regular emotional check-in routine, the “persistence” and “clustering” questions become easier to answer because you can see trends over time, not just a one-off tough day.

Common early warning signs at work (observable “distress signals”)

No single sign proves a mental health condition. The strongest indicators are change from baseline, pattern over time, and work impact. The examples below are workplace-observable cues drawn from regulator and clinical workplace toolkits (for example Black Dog Institute) and are intended to support early intervention, not diagnosis.

1) Performance and work quality changes

What you might observe:

• More errors or rework than usual, especially on routine tasks.
• Reduced concentration or memory, such as forgetting steps they normally know or repeatedly asking for the same information.
• Slower output or missed deadlines, without a clear operational reason.
• Indecision or confusion, such as difficulty prioritising or seeming “stuck”.

Avoid assumptions. Instead of “they don’t care”, think: “something is getting in the way of their work capacity.”

2) Attendance, punctuality, and availability patterns

What you might observe:

• Uncharacteristic lateness, frequent early finishes, or longer breaks.
• More sick days or a noticeable pattern of single-day absences around high-pressure work.
• Disappearing during core hours, such as being unavailable, missing meetings, or not responding when they normally would.

A clearer presenteeism example: the employee is at their desk, but you notice repeated task restarts, difficulty following a meeting, unsafe shortcuts, or needing unusually frequent prompting to complete basic steps.

3) Withdrawal, conflict, and communication shifts

What you might observe:

• Withdrawing from team discussion, going unusually quiet in meetings, or avoiding colleagues.
• Increased defensiveness to standard feedback or ordinary questions.
• Irritability or conflict escalation, such as snapping at colleagues or clients, or more “misunderstandings” than usual.
• More cynical or negative comments that feel out of character.

These are also signals to consider psychological safety. If people do not feel safe to speak up, they often hide problems until they become severe.

A practical early detection idea: a simple daily or regular check-in prompt like “What’s your stress level today?” or “What’s one thing that would make today easier?” can help teams surface emerging friction and overload before it turns into conflict, presenteeism, or withdrawal. It also creates a socially acceptable path to ask for help early.

4) Mood, energy, and stress tolerance changes (seen at work)

What you might observe:

• Visible overwhelm, tearfulness, agitation, or being “on edge” more days than not.
• Lower stress tolerance, where minor issues trigger a strong reaction.
• Loss of motivation or engagement, such as doing the minimum, avoiding responsibility, or “checked out” behaviour.

5) Physical and functional cues relevant to work (especially fatigue)

Keep this functional, not personal. What you might observe:

• Persistent fatigue: heavy eyelids, slow reactions, dozing, or repeated comments about sleeplessness.
• Agitation or restlessness that interferes with tasks.
• Noticeable decline in self-care that coincides with other work-impact signs (for example repeated lateness, errors, withdrawal).

Be cautious with sensitive observations (for example body size changes). Focus on what affects work and safety.

What to do next: a practical low, moderate, high risk triage

A consistent decision pathway helps managers respond early without overreacting, and helps HR and WHS coordinate.

Use the internal risk lens: Severity + Frequency + Escalation, plus vulnerabilities (for example safety-critical tasks, exposure to violence, working alone, history of incidents).

Where available, use leading-indicator inputs to inform triage. Examples include consistent check-in notes, repeated “not coping” emotional signals (even if performance is still mostly holding), fatigue markers (overtime, hours, breaks missed), and team-level hotspots. Daily emotional check-ins can be helpful here because they make frequency and escalation visible earlier, when adjustment options are still practical.

Low risk: early change with limited impact

Typical picture: early signs present, mild work impact, no safety concerns, no escalation.
First actions (manager)

• Private check-in using LIFT.
• Agree one or two practical supports (for example priority reset, clearer goals).
• Set a review point within 1 to 2 weeks.

Who to involve: manager-led, with optional HR advice if adjustments affect rosters, hours, or role scope.
Minimum documentation: observation, work impact, agreed actions, review date.

Moderate risk: persistent pattern, multiple signs, or significant work impact

Typical picture: signs persist beyond a short period, multiple indicators, noticeable drop in quality, conduct concerns, repeated absences, or team conflict increasing.
First actions (manager)

• LIFT conversation plus a clearer support and performance plan focused on capacity and priorities.
• Discuss and offer reasonable adjustments and encourage professional support (EAP, GP).

Who to involve

• HR: to guide adjustments, procedural fairness, and any intersection with performance management.
• WHS/psychosocial risk lead: if the pattern suggests a hazard hotspot (workload, conflict, fatigue, change impacts).

Follow-up timing: set check-ins at least weekly, and earlier if demands or safety issues are present.
Minimum documentation: include what controls were applied (work changes, workload caps), and whether they were used and effective.

High risk: safety concerns, suspected impairment, or risk of harm

Typical picture: imminent safety risk, severe impairment, threats of self-harm or harm to others, violence, disorientation, or escalating behaviour.
First actions (manager)

• Switch to ACT: Assess, Collaborate, Timely follow-up.
• Apply immediate safety controls. Do not leave the person unsupported if risk is high.

Who to involve

• Escalate immediately to HR and WHS, and follow critical incident and emergency procedures.
• If immediate danger is present, call 000.

Follow-up timing: same day plan plus review within 24 to 48 hours.

Role-specific responsibilities and handoffs (manager, HR, WHS)

Early warning signs are easiest to manage when each function knows its “next step”, and when handoffs are explicit.

What managers should do first

• Notice and name the pattern: “change from baseline + impact”.
• Check in privately using LIFT, based on specific observations.
• Reduce work drivers where possible (priorities, workload, role clarity, conflict exposure).
• Escalate early if you are unsure, lack capacity or skills, the situation repeats, or you do not feel safe handling it alone (internal escalation triggers).
• Follow through: missed follow-up is a common way trust and psychological safety are lost.

Where teams have a routine like daily emotional check-ins, managers should use them ethically and minimally: as a prompt to start a human conversation and to look for workload or support fixes, not as a surveillance tool and not as a substitute for a private check-in.

What HR should do next

• Support a consistent triage (low, moderate, high) and ensure a fair process.
• Guide reasonable adjustments and document the rationale and review points.
• Manage the performance intersection: ensure issues are explored before disciplinary action, and that any plan is clear, measurable, and supportive. Fair Work Ombudsman guidance on managing underperformance emphasises identifying the issue, exploring reasons, meeting appropriately, agreeing solutions, then monitoring and reviewing.
• Coordinate privacy and records: ensure sensitive information is handled on a strict need-to-know basis.

HR can also help organisations strengthen early detection by standardising check-in expectations (frequency, privacy boundaries, escalation triggers) so leaders do not wait until risk is obvious or severe.

What WHS should do next (psychosocial risk management)

WHS practitioners should treat individual distress signals as possible indicators of psychosocial hazard exposure and control effectiveness.

• Identify: are there hazard clusters (workload, fatigue, conflict, low support, poor role clarity, change, customer aggression, bullying/harassment, remote or isolated work)?
• Assess: consider duration, frequency, severity, and interacting hazards, not just one factor in isolation.
• Control: prioritise higher-order controls where possible (job redesign, staffing, workload, shift patterns, role clarity) before relying only on individual coping supports.
• Monitor and review: check whether controls are used and working, and whether hotspot indicators shift over time (by team or role, not by tracking individuals).

Daily or regular emotional check-ins, if implemented with clear privacy safeguards and used in aggregate or at team level, can complement WHS monitoring by providing an earlier signal that a control is not working (for example a sustained lift in reported stress after a restructure, or an increase in fatigue signals in a particular shift pattern). Treat these as one input among many, alongside consultation and operational data.

Burnout-like patterns: what they can look like and what usually drives them

“Burnout” is often used as a shorthand for chronic, unmanaged work stress. In practical workplace terms, a burnout-like pattern commonly shows up as:

• Exhaustion: persistent fatigue and reduced capacity that does not resolve with normal rest.
• Cynicism or mental distance: increased detachment, negativity, reduced empathy in service roles.
• Reduced sense of effectiveness: loss of confidence, declining output, withdrawal from challenging tasks.

These patterns are frequently associated with work design and psychosocial hazards, including:

• sustained high demands with insufficient resources
• low autonomy or low control over work
• poor support or conflict in teams
• unclear roles, competing priorities, poorly managed change
• fatigue risks (hours, shift patterns, inability to disconnect)
• bullying, harassment, violence or repeated exposure to traumatic events

Because burnout-like deterioration is often gradual, early emotional signals (for example repeated “running on empty”, “dreading work”, persistent irritability, or a sustained stress rating) can be an earlier flag than performance failure. Noticing these signals early allows leaders to intervene before exhaustion becomes impairment, absence, or injury.

The key operational question for leaders is not “is this burnout?”, but “what conditions at work need to change to make performance sustainable and safe?”

High-risk situations: immediate safety actions, then referral and controls

Safety-critical roles: impairment and fitness-for-work triggers

If the employee performs safety-critical tasks (for example driving, operating plant, clinical care, hazardous substances), treat suspected impairment as an immediate safety issue.

Observable triggers can include:

• repeated near misses, unsafe shortcuts, or inability to follow critical procedures
• confusion, slowed reactions, or extreme fatigue
• agitation, poor coordination, or appearing “out of it” during safety tasks

Immediate controls (apply per procedure): pause the task, provide supervision, remove exposure to the hazard, and escalate to HR and WHS. If your organisation uses fitness-for-work assessments, seek advice early rather than trying to “push through” until something goes wrong.

Self-harm or acute crisis: move to ACT and use direct questions

If someone expresses hopelessness, talks about self-harm, or you believe there may be imminent risk, use ACT.

Assess by asking directly and calmly. Internal guidance notes that asking about self-harm does not “plant the idea”. Useful prompts include:

• “Have you thought about harming yourself or others?”
• “How often have you had those thoughts?”
• “To what extent have you planned it?”

Collaborate on immediate next steps, which may include staying with the person while support is arranged, involving a trusted contact (with consent where possible), contacting EAP or a crisis team, or emergency services if there is immediate danger.

Timely follow-up: set a specific check-in within 24 to 48 hours.

Family and domestic violence (FDV) spillover: don’t investigate, do safety planning and escalation

FDV can present at work as wellbeing concerns, safety risks, or coercive control spilling into the workplace, including while working from home. Possible workplace indicators include repeated monitoring calls or visits from a partner, sudden fearfulness, or urgent roster change requests tied to safety.

Manager boundaries:

• Do not investigate or pressure for details.
• Do not contact the partner or attempt mediation.
• Do offer a safe conversation, ask what would help them feel safer at work, and escalate to HR, security, and any FDV-trained support pathway per policy.

Practical workplace safety steps may include call screening, changes to contact details, secure parking or escorted entry, adjusting work location, and clear instructions for reception or team members about safety protocols, shared only on a strict need-to-know basis.

How to approach the conversation (practical script and do/don’t)

Prepare: privacy, timing, and specific examples

• Choose a private space where you cannot be overheard.
• Allow enough time so it is not rushed.
• Bring 2 to 3 specific observations and impacts.

A useful opening:
“I wanted to check in. I’ve noticed a few changes, like [specific examples], and I’m concerned about how you’re going. What’s been happening for you?”

If you have routine emotional check-ins, you can still keep this grounded in work-safe observations, for example: “I noticed you’ve been reporting high stress most days this week, and I have also seen [work impact]. What’s driving that for you right now, and what would help at work?”

Use LIFT: Listen, Inquire, Find, Thank

Listen (attention and intention)

• Slow down and stay present.
• Use the empathy staircase: silence, reflect, paraphrase, open questions, gently name feelings and needs.

Inquire (curious, manager-safe questions)

• “How are you feeling? Really how?”
• “What was the hardest part about this week?”
• “How did that leave you feeling?”
• “What were you really needing at the time?”
• “Is there anything else?”

Find (needs and options at work)
Focus on what would make work safer and more manageable now: priorities, workload, structure, support, flexibility, role clarity, or adjustments.

Thank
“Thanks for telling me. I know that’s not easy. Let’s work out some next steps together.”

Confidentiality: use clear wording and clear limits

You can use this practical line (then add limits):
“Whatever we talk about today: stays with me, won’t be repeated, won’t be judged, I’ll come to you first if I think someone needs to be told.”

Then add: confidentiality has limits if there is risk of harm, a serious safety concern, or where disclosure is required by law or organisational policy.

If your workplace uses emotional check-in routines, be transparent about how information is used and who can see it. Clarity here supports psychological safety and reduces the risk that people stop engaging or feel monitored.

Avoid common conversation mistakes

Avoid: diagnosing, minimising (“everyone’s stressed”), jumping to advice, fault-finding, or hoping it goes away.
Do: stay specific, focus on work impacts, ask what would help, and agree follow-up.

Support actions and reasonable adjustments (practical examples)

Adjustments work best when they target work design drivers: demands, control, support, and clarity. Options (depending on role and operational needs) include:

• reprioritising tasks and removing low-value work temporarily
• clearer daily or weekly goals, checklists, and written instructions
• staged deadlines and fewer concurrent tasks
• more frequent 1:1s, buddying, or mentoring for complex work
• flexible start and finish times, reduced overtime, more predictable shifts
• limiting exposure to high-conflict customers or traumatic material
• quieter workspace, fewer interruptions during concentration-heavy tasks
• temporary adjustments to meetings and communication load (for example fewer meetings, clearer agendas)

Agree what will change, for how long, and what “improvement” will look like in observable terms.

Where daily check-ins are used, they can also help evaluate whether an adjustment is working. If stress signals remain elevated after a workload cap or role-clarity fix, treat that as a cue to reassess hazards and controls rather than assuming the person is “not resilient enough”.

Documentation, privacy, and escalation: a practical standard

Good documentation supports continuity, fairness, and risk control. It should be minimal, factual, and stored appropriately.

A simple documentation template (manager and HR friendly)

1. Observation (facts): dates, what happened, what changed from baseline.
2. Impact at work: quality, safety, deadlines, conduct, customer risk, team impact.
3. Conversation summary (high level): that a check-in occurred and key work barriers discussed, without unnecessary personal details.
4. Agreed actions: adjustments, supports offered, referrals suggested, responsibilities.
5. Review date: next check-in and what will be reviewed.

If your organisation uses check-in routines, document only what is necessary and work-relevant (for example “employee disclosed fatigue affecting concentration; agreed workload reduction and daily start-of-shift check-in for 2 weeks”). Avoid storing detailed emotional content unless it is required for safety actions or agreed supports.

What not to document

• diagnoses or speculation (“she’s bipolar”, “he’s on drugs”)
• unnecessary personal information (relationship issues, medical details)
• sensitive comments that are not relevant to safety, capacity, or agreed supports

Privacy in practice (Australia): keep it need-to-know

Health information is sensitive information. Practical safeguards include:

• only collect what is reasonably necessary for safety, adjustments, leave, or support
• store notes in the appropriate secure system (not personal notebooks or shared drives)
• share only with those who need to know to manage safety or provide support (for example HR, WHS, injury management), and tell the employee what will be shared and why
• seek HR or legal advice when unsure, especially where WHS duties and privacy obligations appear to conflict

Prevention: reduce psychosocial hazards so fewer people reach crisis

Supporting individuals matters, but prevention is system work. Use the psychosocial risk management cycle to reduce exposure to hazards in the first place.

Identify and assess hazards using multiple inputs

Use: walk-throughs and talk-throughs, de-identified survey tools, consultation, and data pattern review. Look for hotspots by team, role, shift, or during change.

Where appropriate, include leading-indicator routines that capture early signals of strain, such as regular check-ins and brief daily emotional check-ins. Used well, these can highlight sustained patterns of overload or low support earlier than lag data, and can prompt earlier peer support, manager coaching, or activation of mental health first responders.

Control using a hierarchy mindset (change conditions, not just policies)

Prioritise controls that change real work conditions, such as workload and staffing, role clarity, rostering and fatigue controls, training for leaders in conflict management, safer customer interaction design, and improved change management.

Monitor lead and lag indicators (patterns, not people)

• Lead indicators: hazard reports, near misses, overtime and workload markers, check-in routines, training coverage, de-identified support utilisation trends.
• Lag indicators: claims, prolonged absences, turnover, formal complaints, incidents.

Use these to test whether controls are working, and to trigger review. Early emotional signals should prompt curiosity and hazard checking, not blame.

CONCLUSION
Early warning signs an employee is struggling at work are usually sustained, observable changes from baseline in performance, attendance, communication, mood or energy, and daily functioning, especially when they cluster or escalate. The safest response is not diagnosis but structured support: check in privately, focus on work impacts and safety, agree practical adjustments, document facts, and follow up.

For HR and WHS leaders, individual distress signals should also trigger a psychosocial hazard lens: identify likely work drivers, assess exposure and interacting risks, and implement controls that change working conditions. Many organisations only see mental health risk clearly once harm has already occurred. Building stronger leading indicators, including consistent manager check-ins and, where suitable, brief daily emotional check-ins, helps detect burnout earlier, identify hazard hotspots sooner, enable peer support or mental health first responders, and strengthen psychological safety through earlier, practical action.

FAQ

1. What are the most common early warning signs an employee is struggling at work?
   Common workplace-observable signs include a sustained drop in work quality, more mistakes, missed deadlines, increased lateness or absences, withdrawal from the team, increased irritability or conflict, visible overwhelm, and persistent fatigue. The most reliable cue is a change from baseline that persists and affects work.

2. How do I tell the difference between normal stress and a mental health concern?
   Use three checks: persistence (beyond a short period), impact (quality, safety, relationships, reliability), and clustering (multiple signs at once). If two are present, do a private check-in and consider whether psychosocial hazards like workload, low control, or conflict are contributing. Regular check-in routines can make persistence and escalation easier to spot early.

3. What should a manager say (and not say) when checking in with an employee?
   Say: “I’ve noticed [specific examples] and I’m concerned. How are you going?” Then ask open questions and listen. Avoid diagnosing (“you’re depressed”), minimising (“everyone’s stressed”), or jumping to advice (“just take leave”) without first understanding what’s making work harder.

4. When should I escalate to HR or WHS rather than handling it myself?
   Escalate when signs persist or escalate, when there are safety concerns or safety-critical tasks involved, when adjustments affect rosters or duties, when there are allegations of bullying, harassment or FDV, or when you are unsure or do not have the capacity or skills to manage it alone. Early escalation is often safer than late escalation.

5. What are high-risk signs that require immediate action or emergency response?
   Any mention of self-harm, threats to harm others, severe disorientation, violence, suspected serious impairment in a safety-critical role, or imminent danger. Switch to ACT (Assess, Collaborate, Timely follow-up) and follow your organisation’s emergency and critical incident procedures. Call 000 if there is immediate risk.

6. How should I document concerns without breaching privacy or trust?
   Document facts and work impact: what you observed, when, the impact on safety or performance, what was agreed, and the review date. Do not write diagnoses, speculation, or unnecessary personal details. Store notes securely and share only on a need-to-know basis (typically HR and WHS where relevant).

7. What reasonable workplace adjustments can help someone who is struggling?
   Adjustments should target workload, clarity, control, and support. Examples include reprioritising work, reducing non-essential tasks, clearer written instructions and checklists, more frequent check-ins, flexible start and finish times, limiting overtime, and temporarily reducing exposure to conflict-heavy or trauma-exposed tasks. Set a timeframe and review.

8. How does burnout present at work, and what typically causes it?
   A burnout-like pattern often looks like exhaustion, cynicism or detachment, and reduced effectiveness. It is commonly associated with chronic, unmanaged work conditions such as sustained high demands, low control, poor support, unclear roles, unfairness, conflict, fatigue risks, and poorly managed change. Treat it as a signal to change the work conditions, not just the person. Early emotional signals and sustained stress patterns can help identify burnout risk before performance collapses.

9. Can I start performance management if I suspect mental health issues? How do I do this fairly?
   Yes, but do it carefully and consistently. Focus on observable work expectations, explore contributory factors before disciplinary steps, and consider reasonable adjustments as part of the plan. Use a fair process with clear expectations, support options, agreed actions, and scheduled review points, and involve HR early.

10. What ongoing monitoring should we do after an employee returns to usual performance?
    Agree on a step-down plan: less frequent but scheduled check-ins (for example fortnightly for a period), confirm which adjustments will end and which will remain, and monitor leading indicators like workload, overtime, conflict exposure, and fatigue risks. If signs reappear, return to the triage pathway rather than waiting for a crisis. Where daily or regular emotional check-ins are used, look for sustained pattern shifts over time and respond early with work-design fixes. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nQuick Answer: Early warning signs are usually a sustained change from someone’s baseline in observable work behaviour, performance, attendance, communication, mood or energy, especially when signs cluster or escalate. Managers should not diagnose. Start a private check-in, focus on work impacts and safety, agree practical supports, document facts, and escalate to HR and WHS using a low, moderate, high risk pathway.