Half of U.S. workers say the pandemic triggered a change in personal priorities; 83% say four-day work week would alleviate burnout
More than half of the U.S. workforce is burnt out, with younger workers feeling the most strain, at 62 percent. Workers say that implementing a four-day work week and reducing workload would alleviate stress. And as the workforce shortage continues and quit rates reach historic levels, more than one-third of the workforce plans to leave their job in the next 12 months. More than half of workers polled (51 percent) say the pandemic has triggered a re-evaluation of their personal priorities.
New Eagle Hill Consulting research finds employee burnout remains high, but there are steps employers can take to reduce burnout.
These findings are from a workforce survey from Eagle Hill Consulting conducted by Ipsos from August 11-16, 2021. The 2021 Eagle Hill Consulting COVID-19 Workforce Burnout Survey included 1,010 respondents from a random sample of employees across the United States. The survey polled respondents on burnout and retention in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey's key findings are as follows:
- Asked if they are feeling burnout at work, 53 percent of working Americans said yes, with women at 56 percent and men slightly lower at 51 percent. Burnout is highest among younger workers (62 percent for those aged 18-34), followed by mid-career workers (58 percent for those aged 35-54), and lowest among older workers (33 percent for those 55 and older).
- When asked about the causes of burnout, employees say that their workload is the top culprit (52 percent), followed by a lack of communication (44 percent), juggling work and personal life (35 percent), time pressures (32 percent), a lack of clarity about expectations (27 percent), not feeling connected to their colleagues (25 percent), performance expectations (24 percent), not feeling connected to the company vision, culture and values (23 percent), and not feeling empowered (22 percent).
- When asked how to reduce burnout, 83 percent said a four-day work week would help, highest among women and younger workers. Other options included increased flexibility (84 percent), decreased workload (82 percent), better health and wellness (78 percent), reduced administrative burdens (76 percent), more on-site amenities (73 percent), working from home (67 percent), and the ability to relocate or work from multiple locations (58 percent).
- One-third of employees indicate they plan to leave their organization in the next 12 months, up from 26 percent in November 2020 and 29 percent in May 2021. The planned departure rates are even higher for younger workers (41 percent for 18 to 34-year-old workers), followed by mid-career workers (35 percent for 35 to 54-year-old workers), and at 20 percent for those 55 and older.
- The pandemic has triggered many employees to re-think their lives and careers. More than half (51 percent) say the pandemic has caused a re-evaluation of personal priorities, especially for younger workers (65 percent). Thirty-one percent of employees say the pandemic has them considering changing careers, with 34 percent considering changing employers and 21 percent thinking of changing where they live.
- When asked about how they value their employer, 66 percent of workers say they value their employer more since the start of the pandemic.
Eagle Hill Consulting LLC is a woman-owned business that provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of Strategy & Performance, Talent, and Change. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, from financial services to healthcare to media & entertainment. Eagle Hill has offices in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Boston, MA and Seattle, WA.
