Global workplace burnout statistics
Workplace burnout — regardless of working location — has increased around the world, and has been described by McKinsey and Company as “the great exhaustion.” Take a look at these statistics which demonstrate the state of burnout among many employees today. - Employee stress levels have been soaring in recent years. In 2023, 75% of employees said they experienced at least moderate stress at work, and the percentage of employees experiencing high levels of stress grew from 33% to 38% this year. (Aflac)
- This workplace stress isn’t just related to hybrid work. 32% of workers cited a “heavy workload” and overwork for their workplace stress, as well as “long hours” (27%), “insufficient pay” (23%), and “too many meetings” (20%). (Aflac)
- In 2023, more than half of American workers said they experience burnout at work. (Aflac)
- Millennials (66%), Gen Z (56%), and Gen X (60%) shared similar burnout rates, but Baby Boomers (39%) had significantly lower rates. (Aflac)
- Women are more likely than men to suffer from burnout. 46% of women say they are burned out compared with 37% of men. (Future Forum)
- Burned-out employees have 1.8 times lower overall job satisfaction and are 3.4 times as likely to be actively seeking a different job. (Future Forum)
How to support burnt-out employees
While one’s work environment can contribute to burnout, it can also help it. At the end of the day, there’s a lot employers can do to support employees' work and home life balance. - For some employees, remote work increases burnout, while others think it would help. 43% of employees said options to work from home would help their burnout, along with increased time off (51%) and self-care programs (46%). (Aflac)
- 76% of employees say “mental health coverage is just as important as physical health coverage” and 73% said evaluating how companies support mental well-being for employees would be a top consideration for them when job-hunting. (Aflac)
- 85% of organisations said they understood which in-person and virtual experiences mattered most for their employees and were ready to support those. (McKinsey)
- 55% of employees said meeting new people, mentoring (51%), and team meetings (49%) were better experiences when done in-person in an office. And a massive 91% of employees said they could still be convinced to go to the office with the right benefits. (Owl Labs)
- 62% of remote work employees said they preferred to be “on-camera” during Zoom video calls. Of those, 16% said seeing people’s faces on screen helped reduce feelings of isolation during the workday. (Buffer)
- Remote employees said a supportive manager (92%) is the most important factor to feeling supported at work behind compensation (94%). (Owl Labs)
- Many companies are trying new solutions to keep remote workers engaged, including having tech for remote team collaboration (78%), offering flexible work hours (63%), and offering opportunities to connect with coworkers in-person (60%). (Buffer)
- Companies that increased their travel budgets to connect employees have a 29% lower employee turnover than companies who reduced their travel spend. (TravelPerk)
- 21% of 25-35 year-old workers say business travel has helped their mental health in their professional life. (TravelPerk)
Top causes of home office burnout
Signs of burnout at work include emotional exhaustion, mental exhaustion, lack of productivity, isolation, and reduced performance. These burnout symptoms may or may not be noticeable in your full-time employees, so make sure employees know the warning signs and feel empowered to set boundaries and ask for support to prevent burnout and work-related mental health issues if needed.The three most common causes of employee burnout due to working from home include:- An inability to disconnect from work, and a lack of boundaries between work and personal life
- Lacking workplace inspiration
- Missing a supportive environment and connection to coworkers
Let’s take a closer look at how companies can support employees in each of these areas. An inability to disconnect from work
The number one cause of remote work burnout is an inability to disconnect from work. When your home is your workplace, employees tend to work longer hours, check email more frequently, and skip breaks to take calls, especially when working across multiple time zones.To prevent risk of burnout from overwork, employers should set clear expectations for meetings and synchronous communication and adopt asynchronous communication methods for the rest.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 show that chronic burnout and work-related stress 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 valuesFor 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 meetingsMissing a supportive environment
Remote work burnout statistics show that many remote employees feel unsupported and disconnected from their coworkers and their employers. Without in-person interactions 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 remote employees are feeling is a step in the right direction. This helps to build real relationships and trust.Planning in-person meetups, company events, and other team-bonding activities is also a crucial aspect of keeping remote employees engaged, connected, and feeling supported. ?)
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