Surprising Remote Work Burnout Statistics [2022 update]

The ‘traditional’ workplace can be a stressful environment for many of us. Demanding bosses, difficult coworkers, unreasonable workloads and long hours in the office can really take their toll on our mental health and personal well-being – perhaps you can relate. 

When COVID-19 struck, a new era of remote working emerged and transformed the work-life balance for us all, changing perceptions among employees and employers about working from home. 

Many employees have fought to retain the right to work from home, while many employers have tried to resist. Meanwhile, some employees and employers have adapted to a hybrid model – creating a balance between home- and office-based working. 

For you, the switch to remote working may have been a welcome one. However, more than two years since the pandemic began, HR managers are now faced with another major issue – remote work burnout.

Global workplace burnout statistics 

Workplace burnout is nothing new, it has become a global issue – described by McKinsey and Company as ‘the great exhaustion‘. However, burnout among workers intensified during the pandemic, particularly in workplaces that remained open – specifically retail, manufacturing and healthcare. 

• Workplace burnout around the world reached a record high in 2020 amid the coronavirus outbreak. 43% of people from over 100 countries claimed to have experienced workplace burnout, rising from 39% in 2019 (Global Workplace Report).
• 36% of workers state that their organizations have nothing in place to help stave off employee burnout (Thrive My Way).
• Burnout syndrome accounts for 8% of all occupational illness cases (Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
• Women are more likely than men to suffer from burnout. 42% of women said they were consistently burned out at work, while 35% of men report feeling burned out (McKinsey & Co).
• Millennials (59%), Gen Z (58%), and Gen X (54%) shared similar burnout rates, whereas Baby Boomers (31%) had significantly lower rates (Business Health Institute).
• A high rate of burnout was reported in mid-level incomes with 44% in the $30,000 to $60,000 bracket. The lowest rate of burnout was 38% in the $100,000 and above bracket  (Thrive My Way).
• 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).
• 75% of workers have experienced burnout, with 40% saying they’ve experienced burnout specifically during the pandemic (FlexJobs).
• 67% of…