More than three-quarters of workers (77%) have experienced one or more symptoms of burnout in the past 12 months, and nearly a quarter of sick leave (24%) can also be attributed to it, according to a poll.
The survey of 2,012 employees by YouGov for insurer YuLife also found more than two-thirds (69%) believed their employer has a responsibility to support them on their recovery journey.
However, 43% also said their workplaces did not even track symptoms and 54% felt their employers did not effectively communicate its risks.
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Almost half again (42%) said their company did not provide a wellbeing programme, rising to 58% of those working in hospitality and leisure and 53% in construction.
Burnout was highest within medical and health services (53%), education (51%) and retail (50%). Employees in the hospitality and leisure sector felt it the least, yet a high 35% still reported it, said YuLife.
Many employees blamed high workloads (33%), followed by bad management (22%) and poor work-life balance (21%). The most common symptoms reported were tiredness (56%), followed by stress (45%), and loss of motivation (44%).
“As a widespread issue affecting a large proportion of employees, there is a need for employers to recognise burnout and address it proactively to maintain a healthy and productive workforce,” said Sammy Rubin, CEO and founder of YuLife.
“Employers must be aware of the prevalence of burnout, by better tracking burnout symptoms, and implement new strategies to both prevent it, and to help employees successfully recover from burnout before they re-enter the workforce,” he added.
Among those employers that did track symptoms, the most common way to do this was through one-on-one meetings with managers (27%), the poll also found.
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