Mesh Bio's HR leader shares practical advice on spotting subtle shifts before performance dips and morale suffers
Burnout and disengagement rarely arrive with announcements. They creep in quietly: through silence in meetings, delayed responses, or the camera left off during a virtual call.
For HR professionals and business leaders, learning to identify these early signs can mean the difference between retaining top talent and watching it slip away.
While surveys and systems offer insight, they don’t always catch what’s happening beneath the surface. Post-pandemic shifts, the rise of remote work, and increasingly diverse workplaces have made emotional attunement not just a soft skill but a strategic one.
To explore how employers can detect burnout before it escalates, HRD Asia spoke with Paula Abdon-Vautrot, HR leader at Mesh Bio, a company advancing healthcare through predictive AI.
Abdon-Vautrot emphasises the importance of establishing a "baseline of behavior" for each team member.
"You need to know who you're working with," she says. "Are they introverted or extroverted? What’s their usual tone, energy, or interaction level? That baseline gives you a reference."
"My approach is 'intent before content.' The goal is not to intrude… It’s to understand and notice subtle changes. Reduced eye contact, withdrawal from casual chats, sitting in the corner during meetings, or taking more sick days than usual… These are quiet signs that something might be wrong."
She shares a powerful example: "I had a team member who was very talkative. Suddenly, he stopped smiling and became withdrawn. So I just asked, 'Are you okay?' Often, people won’t immediately explain, but that gentle check-in creates space.”
“Eventually, she shared that she was burned out, working until 2 a.m. I checked in with her manager, and we made changes to help her recover.”
Her advice: "Behavior is communication, especially when words are missing."
"If the HR check-in is transactional instead of intentional, it fails," she says plainly. "When your motive is just to correct a mistake or tick a box, people will sense that."
Abdon-Vautrot explains that effective HR presence requires self-awareness and empathy. "Before I check in, I ask myself: Am I doing this to help, or to punish? If it’s the latter, it’s not going to help anyone."
She notes that not all leaders are naturally inclined to serve. "Different leadership styles exist… Directive, collaborative, servant. I advocate for servant leadership in HR. It’s one of the ways people will trust your intention."
Still, she’s realistic about boundaries. "Support doesn’t mean enabling poor performance. We need to balance empathy with accountability. I always tell leaders: 'You can provide the car, the fuel, the GPS, but the team member still has to drive.'"
"Leadership isn’t glamorous… It’s a responsibility," Abdon-Vautrot says. "When I talk to someone who wants to be promoted, I don’t sugarcoat it. I tell them: Know yourself first."
She trains leaders using frameworks like Johari’s Window to develop self-awareness. "Understand your open areas, your blind spots, the hidden and unknown parts of yourself. You can’t guide others if you haven’t examined yourself."
She shares that scrum meetings at Mesh Bio aren’t just task updates, they’re observatory spaces. "If someone’s tone shifts, or they’re quieter than usual, it’s noticed. I expect leaders to pick up on these changes and follow up."
She holds leaders accountable for being present: "If I notice someone seems overwhelmed, I go to the leader and ask, 'Have you noticed this?' If not, why not? They’ll ask me for advice, and I’ll say: I suggest you go speak to them yourself. It's part of your job as a manager… If I need to step in, let me know."
As for remote and hybrid work, Abdon-Vautrot explains that virtual environments change how early signs of disengagement appear. Body language may be out of frame, but vocal tone, timing, and behavior patterns can still reveal subtle shifts.
"In remote settings, you may not see the room, but you can read the rhythm," she says. "If someone always has their camera on and suddenly doesn’t, that’s a cue. But you don’t start with an accusation… You ask gently, 'Is your connection okay?'"
She trains her leaders to be conscious of tone and phrasing. "You own your feedback. Start with 'I noticed…' instead of 'Why didn’t you…?' That phrasing matters. It’s respectful."
Even in silence, there’s insight. "We notice tone, pacing, volume… Someone speaking faster or more quietly than usual. These might signal frustration or withdrawal."
Cultural context matters, too. "Some of our regional team members communicate better in writing than in person. When they’re in Singapore for events, they’re quieter in groups, but very expressive online. We adapt our approach to each person."
Early observation also helps prevent conflict. She shares an example involving a director and an architect: "A director told someone to switch seats, but without explaining why. The tone was abrupt. I immediately noticed the architect’s behavior changed. He became quiet."
She intervened discreetly and eventually facilitated a dialogue. "The director didn’t mean to offend, but the approach came off as dismissive. I explained that, and I also told the team member: You could’ve spoken up. Both had a role to play."
Her psychological background informs her framing. "I exaggerated the scenario a little to make the impact clear: Imagine being told to evacuate your house without notice. That’s how it felt to him. They both understood. They apologized, and they’re now more open with each other."
The impact was real: "Silence is often the loudest cry for help, if you listen closely."
"Vigilance in HR isn’t control… It’s care," Abdon-Vautrot says. "Emotional intelligence is essential: self-awareness, empathy, social skills, regulation, and motivation. These are the foundations of people leadership."
At Mesh Bio, its core values: Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Humility, Service, and Stewardship, anchor behavior. "I mention them in every hiring conversation. Everyone knows what we stand for. I also share our CEO, Dr. Andrew Wu’s vision and why we exist as a company."
She also incorporates Gary Chapman’s five love languages into leadership training. "It sounds odd at first, but it works. Some need words of affirmation. Others respond to acts of service. A coffee on a hard day. A sincere thank you. These things ripple through culture."
She adds, "I’m proud of my team [for helping] make these values visible in day-to-day interactions. They weren’t always top of mind…. But now they define how we support one another."
"Engagement erodes quietly before it breaks," she says. "People who resign often quit long before they hand in notice."
Her reminder to HR leaders: Be transparent. "People are smart. They know if you’re being honest. Don’t overpromise. Say: 'This is the challenge. I don’t have a solution yet, but I’m working on it.' That builds trust."
She also stresses adaptability: "We work across four generations… Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z. What matters to each group is different. Millennials want impact. Gen Z wants work-life balance. Gen X wants autonomy. Know your people."
In one previous role, she reported to someone younger than her and leaned into collaboration. "The CEO and director [there] were strong in tech. I had more people management experience. We exchanged strengths, and the company was later acquired. That blend of EQ and IQ made it work."
She ends with practical advice: "If something goes wrong, don’t disappear. Don’t burn bridges. Communicate. The signals are there, but only if you’re willing to notice."
