In recent years, a shift towards remote work arrangements has emerged. The “traditional” workplace can be a stressful environment for many. Demanding bosses, difficult coworkers, unreasonable workloads, and long hours in the office can really take their toll on mental health and personal well-being—perhaps you can relate.

This shift has transformed work-life balance for many, with employers and employees re-evaluating the traditional office model.

Many employees have fought to retain the right to work from home, while many employers have tried to resist. Meanwhile, some employees and employers have adapted to a hybrid model—creating a balance between home- and office-based working.

For some, the switch to remote working may have been a welcome change. However, in the years following the pandemic, HR managers had to confront the important issue of remote work burnout, and its impact on employee engagement and employee well-being.

Global workplace burnout statistics

Workplace burnout has become an increasing issue around the world, and has been described by McKinsey and Company as “the great exhaustion” Levels of burnout among workers intensified during the pandemic, particularly in workplaces that remained open. Specifically, it was a problem among on-site workers in the retail, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors.

• Employee stress levels have been soaring in recent years. More than half of American workers say they experienced burnout in 2023, and three-quarters of respondents reported at least a moderate level of stress. 
• In 2022, 44% of global workers said they experienced a lot of workplace stress during their workday, repeating the record high from 2021 and continuing a decade-long trend).
• 80% of senior risk professionals predict that burnout will have a significant impact on employees in 2024, and just 41% feel their organizations are equipped to deal with the threat.
• 36% of workers state their organizations have nothing in place to help stave off employee burnout.
• Burnout syndrome accounts for 8% of all occupational illness cases.
• Women are more likely than men to suffer from burnout. 46% of women say they are burned out compared with 37% of men.
• Millennials (59%), Gen Z (58%), and Gen X (54%) shared similar burnout rates, whereas Baby Boomers (31%) had significantly lower rates.
• A high rate of burnout was reported in mid-level incomes with 44% in the $30,000 to $60,000 bracket. The lowest rate of burnout was 38% in the $100,000 and above bracket.
• Burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day and 2.6 times as likely to be actively seeking a different job.
• 75% of workers have experienced burnout, with 40% saying they experienced burnout specifically during the pandemic.
• 67% of all workers believe burnout worsened over the course of the pandemic.
• 83% of employees say burnout can negatively impact personal relationships.

Sources: Aflac, Gallup "State of the Global Workplace" Report, International SOS, Thrive My Way, Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Future Forum, Business Health Institute, Gallup, FlexJobs, Indeed, Deloitte.

Remote work burnout

Today a record numbers of employees are working from home. In fact, there are now three times more remote jobs compared to 2020. However, these numbers have been staggering.

• 69% of remote employees report increased burnout from digital communication tools. 
• 53% of virtual or work from home (WFH) employees are working more hours now than they were in the office. Nearly one-third (31%) say they are working “much more” than before the pandemic.
• 48% of employees working from home say they lack emotional support.
• Remote (40%) and hybrid work (38%) are associated with an increased likelihood of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to in-person work (35%). 
• 38% of employees suffer remote work burnout because they feel pressured by management to work more hours.
• 21% say it’s a toss-up between pressure from managers and customers or clients.
• 86% of remote employees have experienced high levels of exhaustion.
• A quarter of remote workers say they’re experiencing increased “Zoom fatigue” compared to the last two years, while over half have more meetings virtually than they did in person.
• 61% of remote workers now find it more difficult to “unplug” from work during off-hours.
• Moving from full-time office to full-time remote work increases loneliness by 67 percentage points.

Sources: Forbes, Indeed, Mental Health America, Society for Human Resource Management, TinyPulse, Honest Paws, The Atlantic.

Top causes of home office burnout

The three most common causes of burnout due to working from home include:

1. An inability to disconnect from work, and a lack of boundaries between  work and personal life
2. Lacking workplace inspiration
3. Missing a supportive environment

An inability to disconnect from work

The number one cause of remote work burnout is an inability to disconnect from work. With the home becoming the workplace, home-based office workers are often working longer hours. It's not uncommon for employees working from home to sit through a conference call during lunch or end up working late into the evening to complete tasks outside of work hours.

To prevent this, employers with remote employees need to implement a strategy that focuses on deliverables and not hours. It's important for employers to set clear expectations for meetings and synchronous communication—for example, saying  “we'll talk twice a day at these times.”

Shifting the emphasis from the number of hours worked to an individual's productivity enables employees to focus and complete set tasks within working hours. Employees don't feel micromanaged and employers get the best results.

Lacking workplace inspiration

Home-based working can be incredibly isolating, and can decrease employee motivation. When people feel burnt out by work, they want to do anything but work. Scientific studies prove that chronic burnout changes the anatomy and functioning of the brain. In a heightened state of stress, our brains switch to “survival mode”, impairing inspiration and a desire to work.

There are several ways that employers can help remote employees combat a lack of workplace inspiration. One way is to encourage a sense of belonging. Employers can start by establishing a set of collective team values. 

Find out what's important to your remote and office based workers, and then identify and create ways for your team to honor those values.

For example, if fun is a priority for your employees, come up with some fun ways to bring your team together and help them bond.

Need to convince someone that a company offsite really is important?

Check out our list of the top benefits of company offsite meetings

Missing a supportive environment

Remote work burnout statistics show 48% of remote employees feel they have no emotional support from their employers. Without personal interaction with managers and co-workers, it's difficult for them to know there's anything wrong or that you need support. If you feel burnt out, you need to be able to communicate this to your managers and co-workers.

Employers can provide support by showing they care and taking an interest in the well-being of remote employees. Connecting through regular video calls and asking for honest feedback about how home-based employees are feeling is a step in the right direction. This helps to build real relationships and trust.

Taking all the remote work burnout statistics into account, it's clear that there is a major issue, but there are solutions for employers and employees to combat burnout due to working from home. Certainly, one of these solutions could be hybrid working—a blend of home- and office-based working.

Wondering how to keep employees engaged in a hybrid world?

Check out our list of 8 top tips to help drive engagement and satisfaction.