According to a new report from Workday, 27% of employees are at high risk of burnout. The figure is based on an analysis of employee survey data from 2.6 million employees across more than 875 companies and 12 industries around the world.
High-risk sectors for employee burnout include retail and healthcare––no surprises there. These are often fraught front-facing jobs where, in the case of health workers, their work can literally have life or death consequences.
But perhaps more surprising is the fact that 23% of tech companies are high-burnout-risk organizations, which is an 8% increase from the previous year’s analysis. Workday’s study identifies burnout using three metrics: connectedness, energy, and fulfillment. All three trended negatively for the tech industry this year.
When it comes to tech in particular, worker burnout is “driven primarily by a decline in levels of fulfillment and connectedness,” the survey’s authors say.
“Employees working remotely feel less connected to their organization’s mission. The scale of remote and hybrid working within technology also appears to be impacting employees’ sense of belonging, with organizations struggling to find ways of keeping people connected outside of an office environment.”
Tech workers have been through the mill since swathes of layoffs cut through the industry from mid-2022.
So far this year, there have been more than 124,000 employees laid off. As a result, many tech workers are nervous, and as round after round of layoffs takes out entire teams, they’re often doing the work of their former colleagues to boot.
As a result, many in tech are worried about their own futures. Layoff anxiety is a very real phenomena, as they grapple with emotional and psychological responses due to job loss fears.
That then cascades into an employee’s motivation levels, not to mention their productivity and engagement. This all results in burnout, as Workday’s research has found.
Other data backs this up. A recent study from Eagle Hill Consulting found that burnout among the U.S. workforce is at 45% this year with women reporting higher levels of 49%. By contrast 41% of men classify themselves as burnt out, but this is also generational.
Younger workers continue to report the highest levels of burnout with Gen Z at 54%, and Millennials at 52%.
Additionally, according to a nationwide survey, coming back to work after PTO or vacation days often leaves people feeling drained, with 42% dreading the return to work, and 50% reporting that burnout typically sets in within one week of returning.
Right now, that might look like a bad case of the “September Scaries”. So what can tech workers do to help themselves feel better about their jobs, and more engaged with their tasks?
The hardest step can often be the first one: admitting you feel this way. Workers are often entrenched in a culture of coping, getting things done and not complaining. Owning the situation allows you to look at it head-on and put some solutions in place.
Simpler fixes include making sure that you take your full PTO allowance so that you can get some space from your job. Minding your wider health, and attempting to put some boundaries in place to protect from being always-on are other tactics to try.
Of course, not all companies or leaders respond well to their teams pushing back. If you find that you’re not getting any traction from attempts to not be available for calls at 9pm, for example, then a job move might be the best option.
Starting as you mean to go on, and being clear upfront about what you can and can’t achieve may be the key to avoiding burnout next time around.
