Employee Burnout Statistics

According to online sources, the following statistics are characteristic of employees who are experiencing burnout:

• 63% More likely to take a sick day

• 50% Less likely to discuss how to attain performance goals with manager

• 23% More likely to visit the Emergency Room

• 3x As likely to be actively seeking a new job

Factors that can lead to burnout include the following:

• High expectations;

• Long working hours;

• Not feeling appreciated;

• Low pay;

• Lack of autonomy or room for creativity in the workplace;

• Lack of health benefits;

• Toxic work environment full of favoritism, competition, gossip;

• Verbal abuse from clients, coworkers or management;

• Unsanitary or unsafe working conditions.

Individuals who are experiencing burnout often experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Physically exhausted;

• Sleep deprived;

• Tense;

• Anxious;

• Stuck;

• Bored;

• Angry;

• Resentful

Signs that an employee is experiencing burnout include the following:

• Showing up late or calling in sick more frequently

• Significant decrease in productivity and/or work quality;

• Increase in small mistakes and errors;

• Flippant or negative attitude, sarcasm;

• Decreased willingness to help;

• Tearfulness, anger outbursts;

• Decreased engagement in staff meetings (e.g., not showing up, not participating, looking at their phone, etc.).

Because anxiety or depression (or worse) could be covered conditions under the ADA or FMLA, employers must be careful to pay attention to employees with any of the indications above so that they can receive the attention or care they may need. The key here is to focus any questions objectively on their job performance (e.g., workload, output, etc.) and not on their feelings or emotions, which are subjective.