Burnout at the workplace is steadily becoming a severe problem for corporations across the globe. As employee burnout statistics disclose, a growing number of companies have been facing a burnout crisis lately.

Research shows that, out of almost 7,500 employees, 23% stated that they had experienced burnout very often or all the time. Moreover, 44% of the interviewed employees said they had experienced burnout sometimes. Such numbers imply that nearly two-thirds of employees endure burnout in the workplace.

According to data, this is the problem that neither workers nor managers should ignore. The WHO has described employment burnout in its ICD-11 (the International Classification of Diseases) as a job-related phenomenon and not a disease.

To get a better picture of employee burnout as a phenomenon, dive into this collection of insightful statistics on the topic.

  • Employees who feel burned out are 63% more likely to take a day off.
  • Burned-out workers are 2.6 times more prone to look for another job.
  • 23% of employees who burn out at their workplace tend to seek emergency help.
  • 13% of workers are less confident about their performance.
  • Unconfident workers are 50% less inclined to talk to managers about meeting their performance goals.

Employee Burnout Statistics and Facts You Shouldn’t Ignore

1. 77% of employees have experienced burnout in their current workplace.

Deloitte has carried out an internal market study that included 1,000 US employees. The goal of the study was to find the cause and effect of employee burnout. The study revealed that the great majority of workers (77%) had suffered from burnout at some point. Over 50% of them stated they had experienced burnout at work more than once.

2. 83% of employees admitted that burnout negatively affected their personal lives and relationships.

Job burnout can severely affect both professional and personal lives. Some employee burnout statistics suggest that 91% of interviewees felt a negative effect on their performance thanks to stress, uncontrollable or stressful situations, and frustration. In addition, more than 80% of them disclosed that their relationship suffered because of burnout at the workplace.

3. 64% of professionals are under constant stress at their job.

Although 87% of respondents said they loved their job, more than two-thirds of them admitted they were always under stress. This disperses the myth that best employee burnout doesn’t exist. Even if you love your job, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re safe from stress or burnout.

4. 70% of employees believe that their managers do little to prevent or minimize workplace burnout.

More than two-thirds of workers believe that their employers don’t make great efforts to prevent burnout. What’s more, job burnout statistics reveal that 21% of professionals claim their companies neither take any initiatives nor have benefits or programs that could ease or prevent burnout.

5. 42% of millennials have quit their jobs because of burnout.

Statistics on employee burnout indicate that, out of 77% of interviewees, 84% of millennials admitted they felt burned out at their current position. Meanwhile, nearly half of them confessed that they resigned due to burnout.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that burnout significantly impacts millennial employee retention.

Judging from the available data, the financial costs of burnout are too high. A few studies confirm this, as evinced by the systematic review found in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Namely, dealing with employee burnout and other workplace stressors costs almost $190 billion.

7. Social work burnout statistics show that the suicide rate among caregivers is 40% (men) and 130% (women) higher than that of the general public.

Doctors, nurses, and other professions that involve caregiving are jobs with high burnout rates and potentially fatal consequences.

Considering the pressure and stress, it might not surprise that the suicide rate among caregiving professions is impressively higher than that of the general public: 40% for men and 130% for women.

8. The global economy loses over $1 trillion due to burnout per year.

Corporate burnout and stress accumulate absolutely massive amounts of lost profits. As the burnout data suggests, a whopping $1 billion is effectively thrown out the window due to workplace stress and burnout.

This is even more depressing since every $1 devoted to improving mental health yields $4 of improved productivity.

9. Burned-out workers will take a sick day 63% more often than motivated ones.

Employee engagement statistics point out that work commitment suffers terribly due to stress and burnout. Namely, 63% of burned-out workers are likely to take a sick day and step back from the grind for a while.

But it’s important to understand that they don’t do this just to put their feet up: it’s a matter of mental health. We can see that from the shocking fact that burned-out employees are 23% more likely to wind up in the emergency room.

10. Workers in the throes of burnout are 13% less confident at work.

Employee engagement stats show that confidence takes a noticeable dip when an employee’s capacity for work is near its limits. To make matters worse, these workers are not likely to approach their managers and talk about how to improve their performance.

11. In late 2020, 45% of employees struggled with burnout.

As the coronavirus pandemic worsened, dealing with employee burnout became even harder. Economic shutdowns and social distancing have further hampered people’s ability to vent from work.

As a result, burnout became a grimly common theme in 2020. Almost half of the workers admitted that they felt burned out, 25% of them directly blaming the circumstances brought about by COVID-19.

Top Burnout Causes and Effects

What leads to workers’ burnout? According to the experts, the primary causes of burnout at work include:

  • Discrimination or unjust treatment at the workplace
  • Excessive assignments
  • Irrational time pressure
  • Not enough communication or support from a leader or manager
  • Lack of role clarity
  • Situational impact.

12. 60% of employees know their duties in the workplace.

As employee engagement facts seem to suggest, more than one-half of workers can confirm they know what their duties at work include. That leaves a significant chunk of the workforce unsure of the tasks they’re supposed to tackle.

When duties and responsibilities change frequently, employees feel drained trying to figure out what they should do. That’s one of the major causes of employee burnout, the one you need to address quickly and clearly.

Thus, the clarity of goals and responsibilities should be a high priority for managers.

13. Employees who have enough time to complete all assignments are 70% less likely to show employee burnout signs.

It’s safe to say that, over time, pressure affects the quality of work. Professionals dealing with extreme pressure, such as paramedics, police officers, and firefighters, are more likely to suffer from employee burnout.

Insufficient time, irrational deadlines, and tensions may lead to a snowball effect, causing more unrealistic deadlines and piling on more stress. It makes sense that workers who are aware they have time to finish all their tasks are 70% less prone to burning out.

14. Employees who face unfair treatment are 2.3 times more prone to feel too burned out at work.

Employee retention statistics reveal that unfair treatment tends to be quite common in the workplace, resulting in employees feeling underappreciated and less motivated.

Unfair treatment typically ranges from discrimination and bias to unjust compensation and company policies. As such, workers who feel they have been mistreated are 2.3 times more likely to suffer from burnout.

15. Workers supported by their managers are 70% less likely to experience employee burnout symptoms.

Adequate communication with managers and their support are of great importance to employees. Even when workers do something wrong, it’s crucial to know that their higher-ups will be supportive and willing to help resolve any issues.

In a healthy employee engagement environment, workers who know that their managers will never fail to support them are roughly two-thirds less likely to feel burned out.

On the other hand, managers who neglect their employees make them feel alone, stressed, and defensive. With that in mind, it doesn’t come as a surprise that ignored employees experience burnout in the workplace.

16. 96% of managers notice symptoms of burnout within their teams.

Few stats reveal as much about the proliferation of burnout as this one. Apparently, almost every manager admits to noticing some degree of burnout within their teams.

As we’ve already covered, burnout happens for a variety of reasons. That said, managers often cite workload as one of the greatest causes of burnout in the workplace. Interestingly, workers point to a different cause — constant interruptions.

17. 54% of 18–29-year-olds don’t know anyone showing burnout symptoms.

As it turns out, burnout is not that easy to recognize, be it in ourselves or in others.

Sadly, that makes it even more insidious. In a survey that included 1,029 interviewees aged 18 and older, half of 18–29-year-olds stated they didn’t know anyone with signs of burnout.

Unlike stress, burnout won’t disappear after an extended weekend or a few days off work. Though experts haven’t formally listed it as a disorder, no one should take it lightly or ignore its signs. The list of employee burnout signs and symptoms includes:

  • Disillusionment
  • Both physical and mental exhaustion or fatigue
  • Irritability, moodiness, and anxiety
  • Loss of interest and motivation
  • Incapacity to fulfill obligations
  • Poor immunity
  • Withdrawal from past involvements
  • Separation from colleagues
  • Feeling that no one appreciates your effort
  • Hopelessness and depressing attitude
  • Inefficiency at work
  • Problems with focusing and foggy thinking.

Burnout is an invisible disease that may lead to severe medical conditions if ignored for too long.

18. Social workers have a burnout rate of 39%.

Here are some rather alarming social worker burnout statistics. Namely, social workers’ current burnout rate amounts to 39%, with a lifetime rate of 75%. These figures acknowledge yet again that social work is undoubtedly one of the most typical jobs with high burnout rates.

19. Burnout is responsible for 60% of absenteeism.

Staying away from work is a commonplace getaway for employees who start feeling that work overwhelms them. Research reveals that 60% of absences are due to job burnout. Employee burnout stats also reveal that 40% of workers find their workplace extremely stressful, which would justify their need to skip a workday or two.

20. In 2017, 48% of men and 55% of women said they would turn to their family or friends for help.

In the case of burnout, it’s vital to have someone to turn to for help. The data on the matter shows that approximately 48% of men and 55% of women would seek help from family and friends in case of burnout.

It’s essential to recognize employee burnout signs and symptoms and react on time. For starters, it would help to know that burnout and stress are two different things.

The lack of enthusiasm and willingness to overcome obstacles are among the most typical signs of employee burnout. People who struggle with it often feel hopeless and disillusioned. Furthermore, it’s challenging for them to find motivation for even the slightest task.

You should also keep in mind that job burnout is a long-term condition. As opposed to stress, you can’t get over employment burnout by going on a paid vacation or doing less work. Stress puts you under pressure you need to deal with. However, burnout changes your entire state of mind.

21. The time spent at work has risen by 8% in the US.

It’s no wonder that Americans often end up with a burnout diagnosis. As the American Institute of Stress reveals, US residents work harder and longer now than they did in the past.

In just one generation, the amount of time US residents spend at work rose by 8%. Instead of 40 hours a week, Americans now work 47 hours per week.

The Institute also shared a few other alarming employee burnout statistics and figures:

  • 25% of employees felt a strong urge to scream or shout due to stress at work.
  • Almost 50% of employees felt worried about keeping their job.
  • 75% believed that work stress is now much more significant than it was for the previous generation.

The Bottom Line: Why Employees Experience Burnout

Burnout in the workplace happens when you feel incapable of meeting continuous demands at work. You end up devastated and physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. As time passes and stress keeps increasing, you may end up feeling desperate, detached, and bitter regarding your work.

But it’s vital to know that burnout isn’t a personal problem. It’s the company’s responsibility.

Christina Maslach, a social psychologist, argues that burnout in the workplace doesn’t stem from an employee’s incapacity to work. When WHO listed burnout as an illness, it was an attempt to blame people rather than define what might be wrong with corporations.

Shifting responsibility from an organization to a worker was an excuse for not taking care of the employees’ wellbeing and dismissing them when their productivity started waning.

Having a burnout diagnosis is vital to saving your mental, emotional, and physical health. Once you’ve found that you’re struggling with this invisible enemy, you can take all the necessary steps to get rid of it.