Workers With Burnout Aren’t Waiting For A New Gig To Drop Their Old One
Adding to employer concerns of the so-called great resignation and anxiety over retention, a new study shows workers aren’t as worried about finding a new job before ditching the current one.
A study of 1,000 workers commissioned by Limeade, a firm focused on employee well-being, found that burnout was a key factor in leaving. Nearly a third of those who left their jobs, 28%, did so without another gig lined up; this group was 1.7 times more likely to cite burnout as their reason for leaving.
Three of the top reasons given for leaving a position were burnout (40%), organizational shifts within the company (34%) and lack of flexibility (20%).
In 2020, there were roughly 6 million fewer resignations than in 2019, a sharp contrast to 2021, which has seen 19 million workers quit, 7 million more than the same time in 2020.
There are signs across corporate America that burnout continues to be a significant issue across industries. A number of firms, especially in advertising, have instituted mandatory, all-staff breaks. Leaving a job for burnout and taking time off to recover has become so common that many job seekers are working on ways to tailor their résumé to reflect the break when they re-enter the workforce. An increasing number of workers, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, have instituted mandatory breaks and time limits during the week, to combat stress and create much-needed separation between work and home life, a more challenging feat during an era of remote work.
