“Burnout is still on the rise globally, with 42% of the workforce reporting it--a slight uptick (2% rise) from the previous quarter and an all-time high since May 2021,” Future Forum notes in a new report. The Future Forum Pulse polled 10,243 workers in the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K. from November 16 to December 22. All employees surveyed worked 30 or more hours per week and in an office or what Future Forum describes as “desk workers.”
While burnout for the U.S. workers was 41%, one percentage point less than the global average, it still inched up from about 40% in May 2021, which was the date when Future Forum started asking employees if they felt burned out at work. The survey also reveals that “respondents who report they are burned out at work are nearly 3.4x more likely to say they ‘definitely’ plan to look for a new job in the next year than those who say they are not burned out at work.”
More women than men reported being burned out (46% versus 37%) and 48% of workers under 30 say they feel burned out compared with 40% of workers 30 and older.
A separate survey from insurance giant Aflac released in November also painted a dire picture when it comes to burnout. It polled 1,200 employers and 2,001 employees in the U.S. Nearly 60% of workers reported at least moderate levels of burnout, which is nine percentage points higher than 2021 and two percentage points higher than August 2020. “Employees who suffer from high levels of burnout also report lower job satisfaction, lower confidence that their employers care about them, negative perceptions of work-life balance and a higher likelihood of seeking another job in the next year,” the Aflac survey notes.
Paid-time-off is the biggest single way human resources can help their employees better deal with burnout, followed by flexible scheduling and work-from-home options, employee assistance programs and on-site or virtual mental health coaching, Marcy Klipfel, chief engagement officer at Businessolver, writes for BenefitsPro. “Holistic employee programs that view each individual as an entire, three-dimensional person, see the greatest results in overall health,” Klipfel writes. “Similarly, holistic approaches to workplace stress that find opportunities to improve throughout the business, will empower employees on their health and happiness journey.”
Another study by researchers from Belgium's Ghent University and published in the European Sociological Review journal suggests that workers who experience burnout are more likely to be bypassed for a promotion. The study asked 405 U.S. and U.K. workplace managers to make a decision on whether to promote fake employees who had gaps in their work history, including from burnout, parental leave and sick leave, Society for Human Resource Management reports.
“Estimates reveal that compared to employees without an employment interruption, former burnout patients are assigned a 34% lower promotion propensity score,” that study notes. Philippe Sterkens, a doctoral candidate at Ghent who led the study, says that the big takeaway is how job burnout can have negative implications beyond health. “Even after successful recovery, such as returning to work, the lingering label jeopardizes career opportunities,” Sterkens tells SHRM. “The stigma accompanying burnout—despite growing public awareness—is not to be neglected.”
The takeaway for HR is to invest in burnout prevention, Sterkens says. “By refusing to promote individuals with a history of burnout, despite positive performance reviews and indications of restored health, organizations could harm their own HR processes and productivity,” Sterkens notes. “Objective and bias-free promotion procedures are important counters to stigma.”