Nearly half (49%) of American employees say that they are burned out from their jobs. This level of burnout remains stable from earlier this year, but has dipped since the early months of the pandemic (58% in August 2020). Younger workers (53%) and women (54%) report feeling higher levels of burnout.
As for the top sources of burnout, workers say it’s their workload (48%) and staffing shortages (45%). Nearly three-fourths of workers say that a four-day work week (72%) would alleviate stress, followed by increased flexibility (69%).
These findings are from a workforce survey from Eagle Hill Consulting conducted by Ipsos from August 11 -16, 2022. The 2022 Eagle Hill Consulting Workforce Burnout Survey included 1000 respondents from a random sample of employees across the U.S. Respondents were polled about burnout and vacation.
“It’s encouraging to see that worker stress is dipping, but the high burnout levels remain troubling,” said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. “On the heels of Labor Day, it’s important for employers to assess the state of their workforce. Employers need workers at the top of their game, and they need employees to stay on the job in this tight labor market. When employees are exhausted, stressed, or feel like they can’t perform they’re likely to walk out the door.”
He explained that there are steps employers can take to alleviate burnout —from scheduling flexibility to better health and wellness benefits.
Key findings from the survey includes:
– Employees report increased workload due to staff shortage. 86 per cent of workers said they are taking over the burden for un-filled positions, 42 per cent are tasked to help others learn their job, 37 per cent need to train new employees, and 24 per cent is recruiting and interviewing new hires.
– 62 per cent of employees feel comfortable telling their managers or employers that they feel burned out.
– The top causes of burnout include workload (48%), staff shortages (45%) juggling personal and professional lives (39%), a lack of communication and support (38%), and time pressures (29%).
Dealing With Burnout
72 per cent of workers say that a four-day work week would help to reduce burnout. 69 per cent also said that work flexibility would help, apart from decreased workload (64%).
Other ways respondents say can help reduce burnout:
- Better health and wellness (61%)
- Working from Home (61%)
- Reduced administrative burden (55%)
- More on-site amenities (53%)
- Ability to relocate or work from multiple locations (42%)
The Great Resignation Still a Thing?
It lingers, apparently, as 36 per cent of the workforce still plans to leave their job in the next 12 months, up from 34 per cent in April 2022. The younger set are more prone in doing this — 46 per cent for 18 to 34-year old workers, followed by mid-career workers (37 percent for 35 to 54-year-old workers), and at 23 percent for those 55 and older.
