Ask employees and job seekers, and they might have a long list of choice words to describe the state of employment this year, but Glassdoor did us a favor and picked the word of the year for workers: fatigue. In 2025, there has been no shortage of unexpected changes and sweeping rearrangements of the workplace, with employers rediscovering the power they wield over the workforce.
Whether employed or unemployed, most workers have grown fatigued over trying to understand how best to build a career in a world that’s actively driving towards creating fewer opportunities for them, and this has been understandably stressful. Glassdoor’s selection of fatigue as the word of the year is a fairly reasonable pick, but it does leave us wondering if we can do better in 2026.
Glassdoor picked “fatigue” as the word of the year, addressing the tumultuous state of employment amidst the many changes in 2025. (Image: Pexels)
Glassdoor Selects “Fatigue” As the Word of the Year for Employees: Where Do We Go from Here?
Glassdoor‘s pick for the word of the year for 2025 isn’t random. It is a choice that reflects where the minds of employees have strayed to this year, aptly encapsulating the tension that has built up over the year. So why do we think “fatigue” represents the state of the workplace? There has been a 41% spike in the mentions of the word fatigue within the Glassdoor Community this year. The demographic may not include the entirety of the workforce, but their concerns represent a significant slice of the worker community.
While it might be easier to isolate this fatigue to the job market and blame the strain on the changes within the workplace, workers have also been influenced to feel drained by the larger socio-political context and its impact on their personal and professional lives. When asked if professionals felt that events in the news were draining their energy at work, 78% of respondents answered “yes.”
Why Is Fatigue on the Rise in the Workplace in 2025?
There are many ways to answer the question of “what drives worker fatigue?”, but the platform breaks it down into a few key factors. For one, 2025 shaped up to be a highly divisive year for politics, redefining how such topics were discussed in and out of the workplace. Many workers either picked sides voluntarily or were forced to do so.
Most workplaces forbid any form of discussion of politics within the workplace, and workers generally agree just to avoid the discomfort that comes with bringing up sensitive topics. Unfortunately, this year, there were many ways in which these conversations made their way into the workplace as well.
Aside from politics, workers are also fatigued from the constant stress over the future of their jobs or their ability to thrive in the current economic climate. Everything is now seen as a recession indicator, and the term stagflation is now a part of the daily vocabulary. AI has definitively disrupted the job market, and CEO confidence in the technology suggests that it will continue to do so.
Graduates are regretting college degrees, white-collar workers are contemplating switching to blue-collar work, layoffs have evolved as the preferred strategy, and no one can explain to workers what they need to do to be considered AI literate. Burnout and fatigue are expected results of this strain.
Can We Do Better in 2026?
The workforce sentiments for 2025 align with the conditions of work, and many have seen their careers stagnate or regress over the course of the year. Under such conditions, it’s hard to build engagement or convince employees to stand behind the efficiency drives that companies want to pursue. Many workers only work a 9-to-5 so they can enjoy their 5-to-9 break from work, but this only causes their aversion to their day jobs to grow. With AI positioned to take over a number of jobs, it’s best to ensure that the roles are nourished by individual creativity and passion.
It is now up to CHROs and HR teams guiding organizations on workforce management to explore ways to address the drivers of workplace fatigue that were identified in 2025. Addressing mental health needs, improving work-life balance, setting clear guidelines on politics within the workplace, providing convincing evidence of job security, and building unity within the workforce are just some of the ways in which organizations can encourage workers to adopt a new mindset for the new year.
Employees thrive when there is stability on offer, and their ability to work together depends on the culture of the workplace. Glassdoor’s word of the year may have summarized the tone of the workplace this year, but it’s within our hands to ensure it doesn’t set the tone for the next year as well.
Do you agree with Glassdoor’s pick for the word of the year? What would you pick instead? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.