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Employees aren't just at risk of burnout due to current rates of workplace change; they're also suffering from mental exhaustion, and this makes it impossible to raise performance and productivity, according to an organisational psychologist.

The risks of burnout are widely known, but mental exhaustion – which also poses a threat to productivity, performance, and wellbeing – is receiving less of HR's attention, says Inventium founder Amantha Imber.

This is concerning, Imber tells HR Daily, given the number of employees who report feeling tired when asked how they are.

If employees' brains are on the equivalent of "low power mode", any performance-related programs, development courses and the like will be "pretty much useless", she says.

And, just as it shouldn't be normal to have a permanent cold, tiredness shouldn't be accepted as normal, she adds...