In a recent study by DDI, 86% of high potential employees are feeling burnout. And high potential employees are twice as likely to leave compared to their peers.

It isn’t that much of a mystery why high potential employees are feeling exhausted. In the last year, the amount of change that these employees have experienced, and in many parts led, has been unprecedented. To name a few; leading from their home office, managing hours of Zoom calls, assisting children with remote learning, and managing understaffed teams.

But it doesn’t stop there. Many high potentials literally saved the company. These Exhausted Heroes put the company on their backs to reinvent supply chain models, build new apps, redesign the customer experience, and/or developed new customer solutions. They were asked to step up in a time of crisis, and they did. And they probably took on more than everyone else. A Harvard Business Review study says top performers can be 400% more productive than the average performer.

The bad news is these Exhausted Heroes are actively looking for new opportunities outside your organization. Nearly 60% of leaders reported they felt used up at the end of the workday, which is a strong indicator of burnout, according to DDI. Nearly 44% of these leaders expect to change companies in order to advance their careers with 26% expected to leave within the next year.

Pay attention now to your High Potentials before it is too late. Provide growth opportunities like leadership development programs or executive coaching. Unleash spot bonuses to recognize great work. Unfreeze promotions to allow them to reap the rewards of their hard work. And most importantly, recognize their hard work with a thank you.

You could not have had a successful year last year without your high potential talent. Make sure you have a successful year next year by retaining them! There is no time to waste!