Are you feeling burned out at work? If you answered “yes,” you aren’t alone. A new survey of 2,000 workers from human resources firm Robert Half found that one in three are feeling burnout.
Shannon Edlinger of Robert Half discussed the survey results with WWJ Newsradio’s Beth Fisher this week. She said 36% of workers feel burned out at work and a third said they are more burned out than they were one year or even two years ago.
It might come as a surprise, but millennials and Gen Z were the most likely generations to feel burned out at work. Of the workers Robert Half surveyed, Gen Z made up 39% and millennials make up 40%, Edlinger said.
“We’re seeing the Gen Z come into this market and already feel overwhelmed,” she told Fisher.
So, why are these workers experiencing burnout? Edlinger said there are multiple contributing factors: 40% of respondents said heavy workloads and long hours were a factor, while 39% said lack of support or recognition from their management or leadership team added to their burnout and 27% said they were discouraged by few professional growth opportunities.
“It seems that we’re burning out because we may not be hiring appropriately for staff and we’re putting really heavy workloads on our current existing employees,” Edlinger summarized.
As to why burnout has gotten worse this year, she said that it has a lot to do with the recent economy. Headlines have been full of news about tariff wars, inflation and layoffs. All of these elements have added up to a hiring pause trend this year. Furthermore, when people leave their jobs, companies aren’t filling those positions.
“We’re looking at a labor market where we are taking away workers and just putting that workload on our existing employees… and kind of waiting for the waters to clear here before we start hiring aggressively again,” explained Edlinger.
During this time, she said communication between managers and their employees is crucial to avoid burnout: “You really want to make sure you’re retaining your folks, knowing what’s on their plate, and making them want to stay in your culture.”
Employees can also avoid burnout by taking time off when they need it and making sure they prioritize work-life balance. If burnout goes unchecked, Edlinger said it can impact mental health, work performance and can contribute to a toxic work environment.