July 22, 2022 | Article
Increasing burnout and anxiety are not surprising given the extraordinary crises of the last two years (e.g., COVID-19 with a global death toll over 6 million and its subsequent variants, rising inflation, protests about racial injustice, supply chain shortages, war in Ukraine). Leaders should be aware that a potential recession could exacerbate anxiety among employees, especially if they are forced to increase their workloads as a result of layoffs.
In March 2022, The Conference Board’s fourth Reimagined Workplace study found that 77% of the participating US HR leaders reported an increase in the number of employees who identified as being burned out since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another recent survey found that half of workers (50%) report their mental health has deteriorated since the start of the pandemic. Part of the increasing voluntary turnover of the Great Resignation can be attributed to employees who are taking new jobs because they don’t think they’ll have to work as hard.
The Conference Board recommends nine ways to address employee burnout:
For a deeper dive, see an April 2022 op ed in HRO Today, Addressing Burnout.