September often brings a sudden shift in pace. How spotting stress, preventing burnout, and supporting your team in September can prevent absences and mental health conditions. After the slower summer months, workloads pick up, projects restart, and deadlines loom. While this can be energising, it can also lead to stress, overwhelm, and burnout, especially if the return to work feels like diving into the deep end.
Managers and business owners can make a huge difference by spotting the early signs of overload and creating a supportive environment that helps employees thrive during this busy period.
Why September Feels So Busy
For many businesses, September feels like pressing the accelerator after cruising in the slow lane. The summer months often bring reduced activity due to staff taking annual leave, school holidays, and a general slowdown in client demand. Then, almost overnight, everything ramps up.
-
End-of-year targets start to loom
With only four months left until year-end, companies start pushing harder to meet financial goals, complete projects, and hit KPIs. This urgency can create extra pressure on employees who may already be catching up from the summer lull. -
New projects and school terms begin
September is a natural “fresh start” point for many organisations. Teams kick off new initiatives, clients launch campaigns, and schools starting a new term can trigger knock-on effects for parents and educational suppliers. While new beginnings are exciting, they can also mean rapid changes in workload and priorities. -
Catching up from holiday cover gaps
Staff who covered for colleagues over the summer may have juggled extra responsibilities. Now, they’re often left to tackle their own backlog while still managing ongoing work. This double load can feel overwhelming right out of the gate. -
Personal life changes add extra pressures
Parents face the adjustment of children going back to school — new routines, earlier mornings, homework schedules, and extra-curricular commitments. Even those without children may notice a shift, as commuting becomes busier and the relaxed pace of summer social life changes to a more structured routine.
In short, September can feel like trying to merge onto a busy motorway after a peaceful country lane — the sudden speed and noise can catch people off guard.
What Overload and Stress Look Like
When workloads suddenly increase, stress can build up quickly and not everyone will show it in the same way. Some employees become more vocal and irritable, while others withdraw quietly into themselves. Recognising these signs early allows managers to take action before the pressure tips into burnout.
Common indicators include:
-
Increased irritability or mood swings
A normally calm, patient team member may become snappy or short-tempered, especially when faced with unexpected changes or extra tasks. -
Reduced concentration and memory lapses
People might find it harder to focus, misplace items, or forget key details in conversations and emails. Small mistakes may start to creep in where they normally wouldn’t. -
Missed deadlines or frequent errors
Overload often leads to rushed work or unfinished tasks, even from high-performing staff. This isn’t a sign of laziness, it’s the brain struggling to keep up. -
Withdrawal from colleagues
Some employees may start skipping lunch with the team, avoiding meetings, or keeping their cameras off in virtual calls. This can be a subtle sign they’re feeling overwhelmed. -
Physical symptoms
Stress doesn’t just affect the mind. Headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, stomach upsets, and changes in sleep patterns are all common physical responses to sustained pressure. -
The “always on” mentality
When someone is checking emails late at night, skipping breaks, or feeling guilty about taking time off, it’s a warning that work is bleeding too far into personal life.
In many cases, people experiencing overload won’t speak up until the stress becomes unmanageable. That’s why it’s essential for leaders to be observant and proactive, especially during September’s busy surge.
Burnout Warning Signs
While stress is often temporary and can ease once pressure is reduced, burnout is a more serious, long-term state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. It develops when high stress levels go unaddressed for weeks or months and it can take a long time to recover from.
Burnout doesn’t just affect productivity; it can impact an employee’s health, relationships, and overall quality of life. That’s why spotting it early is vital.
Signs to watch for include:
-
Feeling detached or cynical about work
People may start speaking negatively about their job, colleagues, or the company. Tasks they once enjoyed now feel meaningless or frustrating. -
Declining performance despite longer hours
Employees might be working more but achieving less, as mental fatigue makes it harder to think creatively or problem-solve effectively. -
Loss of motivation and enthusiasm
That drive to take on challenges or innovate disappears, replaced by a sense of going through the motions. -
Persistent physical symptoms
Chronic headaches, insomnia, frequent colds, and digestive issues can be signs that the body is running on empty. -
Emotional exhaustion
Employees may feel drained before the day even starts, struggling to face basic tasks. Even small setbacks can feel overwhelming.
Burnout is not simply “being tired.” It’s the result of prolonged imbalance between demands and recovery. Once someone reaches this stage, a holiday alone won’t fix it, they need reduced workload, genuine support, and sometimes professional help to fully recover.
How to Prevent Burnout in Your Workplace
The good news is that burnout isn’t inevitable, especially if you put the right support in place before stress levels spiral. Prevention is always better (and far less costly) than trying to repair the damage afterwards. Both leaders and employees have a role to play in keeping workloads healthy and energy levels balanced.
For Managers:
-
Set realistic deadlines and expectations
Be clear on priorities and avoid overwhelming staff with too many “urgent” tasks at once. Sometimes, simply extending a deadline or reassigning a task can make a huge difference. -
Encourage and model regular breaks
Promote a culture where taking lunch and stepping away from the desk is the norm, not the exception. Managers who model this behaviour show it’s acceptable for the whole team. -
Check in regularly
Have short, informal one-to-one conversations to ask how people are coping and listen without judgement. Sometimes just being heard can ease pressure. -
Recognise effort, not just output
Acknowledging when someone has worked hard (even if the result isn’t perfect) boosts morale and motivation. -
Offer training and resources
Providing access to mental health workshops, resilience training, or time management sessions equips employees with tools to handle stress better.
For Employees
-
Plan your return
If September is especially busy, avoid booking every meeting in the first few days back. Give yourself space to catch up and settle in. -
Use the “priority three” method
Focus on your three most important tasks each day rather than trying to clear the entire to-do list at once. -
Set boundaries
Avoid checking work emails late at night or skipping meals to work through tasks. These habits might feel productive short term, but they drain energy fast. -
Schedule downtime after work
Whether it’s exercise, reading, or simply doing nothing, time away from work-related thinking helps you recharge. -
Speak up early
If you notice your workload is becoming unmanageable, let your manager know before it turns into a crisis.
Burnout prevention is about balance; balancing the demands of work with the resources, rest, and support needed to meet them. When managers and employees work together, September’s busy season can be a time of high performance without the high cost to wellbeing.
Supporting Neurodiverse Staff
Neurodivergent employees, such as those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or other neurological differences, may experience workplace transitions and busy periods differently. September’s shift in pace, changes in routine, and increased sensory demands can be particularly challenging if the environment isn’t set up with their needs in mind.
The good news is that small adjustments can make a big difference and often benefit the whole team, not just neurodiverse staff.
Why September Can Be Harder for Neurodiverse Employees
-
Changes in routine can disrupt established coping strategies.
-
Sudden sensory overload from busier offices, louder environments, or increased meetings.
-
Increased demands on executive function, the mental skills needed to plan, organise, and prioritise, which can already require more energy for some neurodivergent individuals.
-
Ambiguity in communication can cause confusion or stress if expectations aren’t clear.
Practical Support Strategies for Managers
-
Offer flexible working hours
Allowing slightly earlier or later start times can help staff avoid peak commute stress or adjust their routine gradually. -
Provide quiet or low-stimulation spaces
A calm room, noise-cancelling headphones, or even permission to work in a quieter area can reduce sensory fatigue. -
Be clear and specific with instructions
Written follow-ups after meetings, clear deadlines, and step-by-step breakdowns can help reduce overwhelm. -
Discuss workload openly
Encourage employees to flag when they’re approaching capacity. For some neurodivergent staff, recognising their own overload can be tricky, so regular check-ins are vital. -
Train the whole team in neurodiversity awareness
Building understanding among colleagues fosters an inclusive environment and reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings.
Supporting neurodiverse employees isn’t just about meeting legal obligations, it’s about creating an environment where every individual can work at their best. By building in flexibility, clarity, and understanding, you reduce stress for everyone and create a more resilient workplace culture.
Creating a Healthy Work Culture Year-Round
While September’s post-summer rush can be a peak stress period, the truth is that employee wellbeing should be a year-round priority. A workplace that supports its people consistently will cope better when busy seasons hit.
That means:
-
Building regular wellbeing check-ins into team routines
-
Encouraging staff to take their annual leave and truly switch off
-
Recognising achievements and effort throughout the year
-
Maintaining realistic workloads, even during quieter months, so the pressure doesn’t suddenly spike
When leaders invest in a healthy workplace culture, they don’t just prevent burnout, they create a team that’s engaged, motivated, and ready to perform at their best.
The transition from summer to September doesn’t have to mean stress, overload, and burnout. By understanding the pressures employees face, spotting early warning signs, and putting proactive support in place, especially for neurodiverse staff, businesses can turn this busy month into a time of renewed focus and productivity.
Workplace wellbeing isn’t a luxury; it’s a key ingredient in performance, retention, and overall business success. Lets help by spotting Stress, preventing burnout, and supporting your team in september
Why become trained in Mental Health First Aid? Spotting Stress, Preventing Burnout, and Supporting Your Team in September
Attending a mental health course will help you to realise just how
widespread the problem can be for individuals who are affected by poor mental health, as well as create a new perspective on all of the ways it can affect their lives. Knowing more about poor mental will not only reduce stigma but get people talking without judgement. Talking more reduces the signs and symptoms but reduces the chances of mental health becoming a diagnosable mental health illness.
Spotting Stress, Preventing Burnout, and Supporting Your Team in September. We have courses online delivered via zoom, or in our classroom at Brownhills. If you have a group of staff need training to become Mental Health First Aiders we can come to your classroom on site.
To view our open courses please click here; Mental Health First Aid
Contact us
Call us on 01543 453338 or email at info@hmbtrainingservices.co.uk
