20+ Alarming Burnout Statistics [2023]: Stress And Lack Of Motivation In The Workplace

Research Summary: Whether you work from home or in the office, are a gig worker or a CEO, burnout is an indiscriminate and deadly force many of us have had to grapple with. The stress and lack of motivation caused by burnout can have disastrous consequences in the workplace.

But how disastrous? To find out more, we’ve gathered all of the most interesting trends and statistics about burnout. According to our extensive research:

• 89% of workers have experienced burnout within the past year.

• 77% of employees have experienced feelings of burnout at their current job.

• 21% of workers say their company does not offer any program to help alleviate burnout.

• Even long after the COVID-19 Pandemic, up to 37% of Americans will be working from home by 2030.

• The burnout rate is 59% as of 2022, which is up 13.5% from 2021.

For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Burnout Response | Stress at Work | Demographics | Remote Burnout

Employer Burnout Response

The way many employers have responded to recent spikes in burnout has only exasperated the problem. The fact is that many employees feel unsupported in the workplace, and according to our research:

• 70% of professionals feel that employers aren’t doing enough to prevent and alleviate burnout.

  While excessive hours and understaffing can often be the reason for causing burnout, the fact is that 21% of workers also don’t have access to programs that would alleviate burnout once it sets in as well.

• Unsupported employees are 70% more likely to experience burnout.

  And the situation is even worse for employees that feel as though they’re treated unfairly, as poor treatment leads to them being 2.3x more likely to experience burnout.

• 40% of workers have left their jobs due to burnout.

  Believe it or not, burnout is the #1 reason why employees in the US leave their jobs. This is part of the reason why remote work has become so popular, as a good portion of employees believes having more flexibility, and a better work-life balance will prevent burnout (24%).

• Workplace stress costs the US economy an average of $300 billion per year.

  Many of these costs include things like: absenteeism, diminished productivity, and accidents, which also contribute to hefty annual healthcare costs of $190 billion.

Stress at Work Statistics

Burnout is costly, but what are the true effects of stress in the workplace? To find out more, we’ve gathered all of the most interesting trends and opinions:

• 67% of workers report that stress and burnout at work have increased since the pandemic.

  Only 13% believe burnout has gotten better, and there’s a reason why. Between December 2020 and July 2021, employees have reported an overall 21% increase in burnout.

• 83% of Americans deal with work-related stress.

  And this stress can be intense, as 40% report that their job is “extremely stressful,” and 25% say their job is the #1 stressor in their lives.

• Three in five employees report negative impacts of work-related stress.

  The abundance of work-related stress is especially concerning when considering the fact that a majority of employees are suffering physical and mental symptoms.

• 44% of employees experience physical fatigue from work-related stress.

  Physical fatigue is the most common symptom, but there are others as well. Employees also experience cognitive weariness (36%), emotional exhaustion (32%), lack of interest, motivation, or energy (26%), and lack of effort at work (19%).

  

  Impacts of work-related stress	Share of employees
  Physical fatigue	44%
  Cognitive weariness	36%
  Emotional exhaustion	32%
  Lack of interest, motivation, or energy	26%
  Lack of effort at work	19%

• 79% of workers have experienced work-related stress in the past month.

  At the same time, a whopping 57% of US workers are feeling work-related stress daily.

Workplace Burnout by Demographics

Workplace stress disproportionally affects some demographics over others, in part due to their circumstances and the jobs available. Here are some insights our research uncovered:

• 59% of Millennial workers feel burnt out at work.

  Millennials are the most burnt out compared to any other generation, and this is especially true for managers. 42% of Millennial managers feel burnt out, followed by Gen Z (34%), Gen X (27%), and Baby Boomers (21%).

  

  Generation	Share of managers who feel burnt out
  Gen Z	34%
  Millennials	42%
  Gen X	27%
  Baby Boomers	21%

• 74% of women experience work-related stress.

  That’s compared to 61% of men, meaning that women are over 21% more likely to experience work-related stress.

• 48.5% of White American workers report feeling burnt out in the workplace.

  Comparable, 45.3% of Hispanic and Latino workers report feeling burnt out, and 41.7% of Black Americans feel burnt out as well.

Remote Burnout Statistics

While remote work does come with added flexibility, that doesn’t mean remote workers are immune to burnout in the workplace. In fact, remote work comes with its own unique set of challenges. Overall, here are some insights our research uncovered:

• 86% of full-time remote workers have experienced burnout at their current job.

  While many do argue that remote work comes with more flexibility and a better work-life balance, unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. On the contrary, many remote workers feel as though they don’t know when to stop working, which can lead to burnout.

• 76% of remote workers say workplace stress affects their mental health.

  For the entire US workforce, that number is 73%, meaning remote workers are just as likely, if not slightly more likely to say that stress at work takes a toll on them mentally.

• 48% of remote workers feel no emotional support from their employers.

  This can come in the form of a lack of connection between managers and staff, as well as a lack of beneficial programs or professionals to communicate with.

• 40% of remote workers say being unable to unplug from work is the biggest challenge they face.

  When working in the office, it’s easier to pack up and leave work there when you go home, but when your work is in your home, it can be much harder to disconnect. Ultimately, this can lead to higher rates of burnout.

Burnout Statistics FAQ

1. What percentage of people suffer from burnout?

   89% of Americans have suffered from burnout within the past year. This burnout can be characterized by many symptoms, including:

   • Physical fatigue (44% of people)

   • Cognitive weariness (36%)

   • Emotional exhaustion (32%)

   • Lack of interest, motivation, or energy (26%)

   • Lack of effort at work (19%)

2. What causes burnout?

   An excessive workload is the #1 cause of burnout, but there are many others as well. For example, here are several causes of burnout:

   • Workload. There’s a reason why so many nurses became burnt out during 2020. Whether caused by understaffing, poor management, or the employee’s own choice, taking on an excessive workload is extremely damaging.

   • Lack of control. When workers feel like they have no agency in their projects or they can’t stop their boss from contacting them after hours, the lack of control can be demoralizing.

   • Lack of support. Many employees feel like they don’t receive support from their employers. 91% of employees feel as though their bosses don’t communicate effectively.

   • Lack of resources. 21% of workers say their company does not offer any program to help alleviate burnout, and many more don’t believe the programs offered by their company are adequate.

3. What job has the highest burnout rate?

   Physicians have the highest burnout rate, with 62.8% experiencing burnout symptoms. Other jobs with high burnout rates include:

   • Nurse

   • Retail and Fast Food Worker

   • Social Worker

   • Police Officer

   • Air Traffic Controller

   • Emergency Response Worker

   • Lawyer

   • Teacher

   • Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

4. What job has the lowest burnout rate?

   Geoscientists have the lowest burnout rate (as low as 29%). Other jobs with low burnout rates include:

   • Dog walker

   • Biomedical engineer

   • Jeweller

   • Hairstylist

   • Massage Therapist

Conclusion

With burnout affecting 89% of Americans within the past year, it’s no wonder the issue is beginning to take a toll. 44% of employees are experiencing physical fatigue, and 32% are suffering from cognitive exhaustion due to their workplace stress.

Young women are especially vulnerable, with Millennials being 2x to experience burnout than Baby Boomers and women being 21% more likely.

Further, remote work hasn’t done anything to alleviate burnout, as remote workers are just as stressed as their in-office counterparts. Overall, employers need to offer more mental health support for employees in the form of open communication and beneficial programs.

References

1. Deloitte – Workplace Burnout Survey

2. Visier – When Vacations Aren’t Enough: New Visier Survey Finds 70% of Burnt Out Employees Would Leave Current Job

3. Indeed – Employee Burnout Report: COVID-19’s Impact and 3 Strategies to Curb It

4. Gallup – Employee Burnout, Part 1: The 5 Main Causes

5. Inc. – Why Are People Really Quitting Their Jobs? Burnout Tops the List, New Research Shows

6. AIS – Workplace Stress

7. Forbes – Indeed Study Shows That Worker Burnout Is At Frighteningly High Levels: Here Is What You Need To Do Now

8. APA – Burnout and stress are everywhere

9. CNBC – Millennial managers are more burned out than any other generation

10. GDC – Why women are more burned out than men

11. eClinicalMedicine – Prevalence and correlates of stress and burnout among U.S. healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national cross-sectional survey study

12. Zippia – 25 Crucial Remote Work Burnout Statistics [2022]: How to Recognize and Avoid Workplace Stress

13. Insight – Remote workers struggle most to switch off from work

Author

Jack Flynn

Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.