Americans in the workplace are feeling burnt out. The World Health Organization recently recognized the issue of burn-out, defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. According to the WHO, burn-out is characterized by feelings of exhaustion, feelings of negativism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy.
These symptoms might sound familiar to many Americans: New research from YouGov finds that 71% of working adults believe that burn-out is a somewhat or very serious issue among employees in their workplace. Further research indicates that 25-to-34-year-olds (38%) who work are most likely to see it as a serious issue.
The youngest and oldest working Americans are the least likely to characterize burn-out as a very serious issue, though one-fifth (21%) of 18-to-24-year-olds and 28% of Americans 55 and older believe that it is.
Many Americans may see burn-out as a serious issue because they aren’t fully satisfied in their careers. According to data from YouGov Plan & Track, 42% of Americans say that they would have chosen a different career path if they knew then what they know now.
Those between 18 and 24 are the least likely (35%) to say they would have picked a different career path if they knew then what they know now. Those between 35 and 54 (45%) are the most likely to say they’d take a different career path.
Learn more about YouGov Plan & Track and sign up to take surveys like this here.
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Methodology: Samples of 1,859 US adults and 26,160 US adults, rebased only to include those respondents who indicate that they are currently employed. Interviews were conducted online.
