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What can I do at work to help someone when they keep pushing and then suddenly crash?

People come here to understand why something in everyday life feels harder, different or more costly than it should — and what might make it work better.

Short answer

Repeated pushing followed by crashes is a workload and recovery warning.

What this can look like

A team may deliver through repeated late pushes, then see absence, rework or disengagement rise.

Why it can happen

Short efforts may sometimes be necessary, but a team cannot sustainably rely on emergency effort. Stage work earlier and provide realistic staffing, control and recovery.

What might help

Treat the pattern as a design warning: rebalance load, staffing, timeline and recovery.

What the research helps explain

WHO describes burn-out as an occupational phenomenon linked to chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. Australian guidance recognises that workload, control, support and work design affect wellbeing and performance; they are organisational responsibilities as well as individual experiences.

What can vary

Fatigue, cognitive changes and reduced capacity can have many causes. Do not diagnose burnout, depression or illness from work behaviour, or ask employees to disclose private health information to access fair work design.

For this situation

For you, track the cost of delivery, not just whether it happened.

More info and original sources

Poko summarises the relevance of public original sources and links out for anyone who wants to read more.