HR management platform isolved released its fourth annual trends report “Uncovering the Significant HR Trends of 2024 to Maximize Your Next- Best Step,” and the employee burnout statistics for 2023 require serious consideration. According to the report, the employee burnout statistics paint a pretty unfortunate picture of the status of the workforce today, the numbers indicate that 65 percent of employees suffered from burnout in 2023. Worse still, 59 percent worked even while they were sick. The numbers indicate that the last year was spent by employees pushing through their poor health and turning up at work in order to preserve their jobs but work under such pressure is not destined to last long. With 54 percent of employees considering looking for alternate opportunities in the coming months, employers might perhaps witness another exodus of employees in 2024.
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What Does the Employee Burnout Statistics From 2023 Tell Us?
With the diverse range of work trends we witnessed in the last few years, companies have realized the importance of their employee’s mental health, however, their wellness plans have been quite slow to address the full range of problems that affect workers’ experience on the job. From job uncertainty revolving around layoffs to still-toxic work cultures, the last year was an overall difficult one for employees across the board.
Companies have struggled with retention in the past few years as employees have grown more comfortable with moving on from an opportunity that does not suit their needs. Whether due to insufficient pay or lack of flexibility, employees have voluntarily participated in the “Great Resignation,” quiet quitting and participating in career cushioning trends to keep their options open while struggling with their current jobs.
A large number of workers have been working multiple jobs to support their basic needs, making the employee burnout numbers we saw in 2023 even more inevitable. In October, 8.4 million people or 5.2 percent of the workforce held multiple jobs at once, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Breaking the numbers down, 5 million U.S. workers held a full-time and a part-time job, while 2 million worked two part-time gigs, according to USA Today. With so much on their plate at any given time and an inability to count on one job to make ends meet, pay is an obvious motivator for workers to consider switching jobs, 64 percent citing it as a major reason to leave. Of those who featured in the employee burnout statistics, 38 percent felt their enthusiasm for the work was dampened by the burnout while for 33 percent of the employees, productivity only extended to getting done with their duties leaving no energy left for additional tasks.
Improving Employee Experience by Addressing the Employee Burout Statistics
If companies want to retain employees and improve employee productivity then the underlying causes for the employee burnout statistics in 2023 have to be well understood and then improved upon for 2024.
Flexibility to Address Employee Productivity
Among the top solutions that employees want to see in 2024, 52 percent are looking forward to companies providing a flexible work environment. Now this change might be harder to put into place than one might expect, as reports indicate that many businesses are choosing to rescind their work-from-home policies in favor of in-person work. Despite the obvious reluctance that employees are displaying, many organizations have return-to-office mandates in the works, with ResumeBuilder predicting that 90 percent of companies will return to office by the end of 2024.
Employers and employees appear to be on entirely different pages in this regard but if flexible working conditions are something employees are looking for, employers will have to find some way to meet their needs to prevent the employee burnout statistics from flaring up again this year. Whether in terms of additional flexibility in work hours or providing a 2-3 day schedule for working from the office, there are still ways for organizations to consider how to provide employees with the flexibility that they are looking for. Understanding the reasoning behind the desire for flexibility might also be a matter to consider, where employers can provide childcare assistance or a travel allowance that mitigates the desire for flexibility in working conditions.
The expectations for flexibility may not be a one-time solution either. With the significant overlap of responsibilities, employees might appreciate employers who are open to conversations that can simplify their own struggles at work. Overly rigid work practices leave no room for employees to find their own path towards success and instead force them to succumb to the singular standard at the organization. By prioritizing flexibility in all aspects of their work, organizations might be able to resolve the employee burnout we witnessed in 2023, while also improving their relations with the organization in the process.
Company Culture and Employee Mental Health Resources
Of those unsatisfied with their current jobs in the isolved report, 39 percent were considering moving jobs due to a lack of connection with the company culture. When employees do not like the culture they are forced to participate in, every day on the job only elicits lethargy and the lowest levels of employee productivity. The company culture is a strong determinant of the kind of work ethics that become instilled in the workforce and if working through burnout is something that is expected of employees, they will likely continue to push themselves as far as they can. While this might result in a workforce that is still active regardless of the overall employee mental health, it will also mean that the workforce can fall apart at any given time.
Organizations held together by a thread are not destined to last and employers need to be more aware of the struggles of their employees. By acknowledging the employee burnout statistics and choosing to do something about them, employers will be able to take control of the situation and lead change. This can begin by providing employees with the resources they might need to combat burnout.
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Employees who know their employers are open to the conversation around burnout might be able to take a step back and handle their responsibilities with a little more ease or delegate them until they can take it up themselves. As such, the work still gets done and employees can return to work with renewed vigor instead of wavering under pressure. 43 percent of employees want their employers to provide resources on addressing their burnout while 40 percent want policies in place for contacting workers after work hours. These stats are enough of an indicator of where companies need to focus their attention first.
Even if these areas do not seem concrete enough to provide your organization with sufficient data on where to begin, you can instead choose to communicate with your employees to determine an exact starting point. To avoid repeating the employee burnout statistics that were witnessed in 2023, talk to your employees about their mental health and maintain an open mind to truly understand their perspective without judgement and you might just find the overall health of your organization improve with time.