Deloitte reports that over three-quarters of full-time US professionals have experienced employee burnout at their current job. And the American Institute of Stress has published that job stress costs US employers over $300 billion annually as a result of absenteeism, employee turnover, diminished productivity, and more. But since the COVID-19 outbreak, these numbers are rising. ABC News/Washington Post poll reveals 70% of Americans report personal stress as a result of the coronavirus crisis, exceeding the highest level of stress caused by the Great Recession (61% in March 2009). And according to a SHRM survey, work-related concerns left more than 40% of employees feeling hopeless, burned out or exhausted as they grapple with lives altered by COVID-19.
Job-related burnout and chronic stress share many of the same physical and emotional symptoms: low energy, aches and pains, loss of appetite, anxiety, and more. They all add up to employees who don’t feel their best. And employees who don’t feel their best can’t bring their best to work.
[Read More: Stress Management in the Workplace]
Let’s take a closer look at pre-COVID-19 numbers:
- 83% of employed Americans are stressed out on the job. (Harris Interactive)
- Burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day — and 2.6 times as likely to be actively seeking a different job. (Gallup)
- 35% of employees "Always" miss 3-5 days a month because of workplace stress. (Mental Health America)
- 1,000,000 employees miss work each day because of stress. (Tinypulse)
- Over 20% of workers spend more than five hours on the clock each week thinking about their stressors and worries. (Colonial Life)
- 56% of employees say stress and anxiety most often impacts their workplace performance — and 50% say it most often impacts their quality of work. (Anxiety and Depression Association of America)
- The #1 driver of burnout cited in the survey is lack of support or recognition from leadership. (Deloitte)
- 70% of professionals feel their employers are not doing enough to prevent or alleviate burnout within their organization (Deloitte)
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, employee stress and burnout is an even greater challenge:
- 45% of US employees are feeling burnout with 1 in 4 of them feeling that way due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, attributing these feelings to:
- workload
- juggling personal and professional life
- lack of communication, feedback, and support
- time pressures
- performance expectations (Eagle Hill)
- 45% of employees feel "emotionally drained" from their work and 55% report often having little interest or pleasure in doing things since COVID-19 began (SHRM)
- One-third of employees’ top need in response to COVID-19 is for emotional and social support (Josh Bersin)
- More than one-third of all respondents said they have not done anything to cope with their feelings (SHRM)
Employers can provide resources to help employees recover from the mind/body stressors they experience at work — and feel their best, even during the most challenging and uncertain times. Don’t miss our next article on work life balance to learn more.
Updated 5/11/20
