Nearly three-fourths of employees report feeling burnout from their jobs

Many employers are focused on recruiting talent in today’s tight labor market. At the same time, however, the retention and productivity of current workers likely are being hurt by high levels of burnout.

Nearly 3 in 4 U.S. workers have suffered from burnout and associated symptoms as a result of their current role, according to research by Ringover, which markets office messaging products. Among the findings:

• A heavy workload (43%), lack of resources (37%) and micromanagement (37%) were the leading causes of work-related burnout.
• Men are more likely to take action following burnout than their female counterparts. More than two-thirds of male workers have considered leaving their current role because of burnout, compared to 59% of women.
• Workers in the agriculture sector (84%) are the most likely to burn out, followed by those working in finance and insurance, and information publishing and telecommunications (81%).
• Workers between the ages of 18 and 24 are the most affected by burnout, with 85% of workers in this age bracket suffering from burnout or one or more associated symptoms.
• Although 1 in 8 of workers aged 55 to 64 were unsure of the symptoms of burnout, just more than half of those in that age bracket claim to have been affected by them, indicating they may feel uncomfortable discussing their stresses in the workplace.

The top 10 industries at risk of losing employees because of burnout, based on the percentage of workers who have considered leaving in the last 12 months, are financial activities and insurance; information publishing and telecommunications; construction; public sector; agriculture; professional and business services; manufacturing; education; wholesale and retail trade; and transportation and utilities.

When asked about the main triggers and causes of burnout and associated symptoms, more than 2 in 5 said a heavy workload was the main trigger for workplace stress. Other triggers identified by the research were lack of resources (38%), micromanagement (38%) and toxic work environments (35%).

Read more: 7 strategies to combat employee burnout

When asked about potential changes that employers could implement to increase happiness levels at work, 44% of those surveyed said a four-day workweek would positively affect their happiness levels in their role, with a similar level of agreement for more vacation days. More than one-third said more remote working options would increase their happiness levels in their current role.