Professional burnout reported by about 4 in 10 US desk workers, survey finds

Many desk workers in the U.S. are experiencing professional burnout, a recently-released survey found. 

In the Future Forum survey, approximately four in ten (41%) of desk-based workers in the U.S. indicated they “feel burned out at work.” That figure has risen 2% from the 39% who said so in May 2021 but fallen the same percent from 43% in August, according to the report.

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The survey, conducted for Future Forum by Qualtrics, involved over 10,200 full-time desk-based workers in six countries and took place Nov. 16 to Dec. 22. The six countries were the U.S., the U.K., Australia, France, Germany and Japan. 

The share of desk workers surveyed globally reporting feelings of burnout, meanwhile, came in 1% higher than the U.S., at 42%, Future Forum said. In May 2021, it was 38%.

Of the six countries, Australia had the highest percentage of the workforce expressing job burnout: 50%, according to the survey. The U.K. and France tied at 48%, while 37% of desk workers in Germany reported feeling that way. Japan, with 27%, had the lowest share of the countries surveyed.

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For those who said they feel burned out, the likelihood of them searching for new employment this year was over three times higher than workers who do not feel that way, the survey found. They were also almost twice as likely to “feel disconnected from company values, direct managers, immediate team and executive leadership,” Future Forum said. 

When comparing workers who have “moderate” flexibility with their job schedules and those who have none, those lacking flexibility were 26% more likely to report burnout, according to the survey.

“Little to no ability” to make alterations in their work schedules was reported by more than half of the survey’s respondents.