Employee burnout reports: why are burnout levels so high and what action can managers take?

A 2024 Wellness at Work report by Employment Hero reported that 61% of Singaporeans are burnt out. In this article, we’ll examine this statistic in greater detail and look at global reports into workplace burnout. We’ll also investigate how employers and managers can provide relief for their staff and start bringing this number down. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout is an occupational phenomenon. It’s included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a workplace hazard resulting from workplace stress.

The WHO defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Essentially, burnout is characterised by three indicators:

1. Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
2. Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
3. Reduced professional efficacy

While it’s not a medical condition, it is a major occupational phenomenon that has become increasingly important to monitor and address. The WHO has increased their focus on burnout by including it in their development of evidence-based guidelines on mental health and well-being in the workplace. 

With the WHO giving burnout more attention, it follows that businesses need to monitor and address this issue as well. 

The Future Forum Pulse report, which surveyed nearly 11,000 workers in six countries, found that women are 32% more likely to experience burnout than men, and that workers aged between 18 and 29 are more burnt out than workers over 30. Another report by the Boston Consulting Group identified that members of the LGBTQ+ community, those with disabilities, and deskless workers experienced 26% higher burnout than other workers. 

High burnout rates are worrying for businesses, as it affects employee performance, productivity, and attrition, so this is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed – both from a human and corporate point of view. Leaders need to work to understand the causes of burnout, and take action to address it, before the figures rise further. 

While the statistics in these reports are shocking, it’s even more shocking knowing that, while managers understand that their staff are burning out, they are struggling to understand and address the causes. 

Even though burnout is recognised as a problem, it will continue to get worse if leaders aren’t empowered to take action. If they continue to bury their heads in the sand, it will further negatively impact workplace culture, employee engagement, and staff retention. 

To start understanding burnout, let’s explore some of the root causes. 

The Great Resignation was a period marked by a tight labour market and a historically high number of employees choosing to quit their jobs. This gave some workers more bargaining power, but also resulted in employers being short-staffed. The knock-on effect of this was that remaining employees felt overworked and under-supported.

The Great Resignation was followed by labour market growth in 2023, when both employment and vacancies rose, but unemployment has crept up again in 2024, and fewer workers are securing new roles within six months of retrenchment. The fear of being unable to find a new role may lead employees to stay on longer in jobs that are negatively impacting their health and well-being. 

As the Covid pandemic ended, workers trickled back into offices. Now, mandated return-to-office policies are making headlines around the world. In direct contradiction to this, the Future Forum report recognises flexibility as one the key factors influencing workplace satisfaction. In fact, they highlight not just where an employee works, but when as a prime factor in employee sentiment and performance.

Hybrid working is the preferred work pattern, and workers with full flexibility report higher productivity and focus than workers on strict schedules. It makes sense, then, that flexible workers are 26% less likely to be burned out, and have more than five times the ability to manage work-related stress. 

It stands to reason that heavier workloads resulting from understaffing also increases burnout. Many workers claim that the main source of burnout is actually a reduction of available resources and time to accomplish their work.

As anyone who’s ever had to get things done on a deadline knows, limited resources and timeline pressure can seriously damage productivity, making a heavy workload even heavier. Employees feel unable to achieve adequate results, as they lack sufficient time to work and insufficient resources to do the work well.

Fractured working relationships can lead to breakdowns in communication, feelings of resentment and unfairness, and exclusion – all of which can contribute to burnout. 

When employees feel that they aren’t supported and aren’t provided with the resources they need to succeed, it’s their leaders that get blamed for the resulting burnout. 

Employees are more willing to work hard for their employers if they know their efforts will be supported with adequate resources and recognition. Without this, maintaining a high level of productivity may come at the expense of employee engagement and well-being, further damaging productivity and the company’s bottom line, and hindering its ability to afford sufficient staffing and resources.

Essentially, the combination of all of these factors – inadequate staffing levels, heavier workloads, a volatile job market, a lack of resources, and diminished faith in leaders – creates a cycle of employee burnout that further impacts these same negative factors, resulting in even greater burnout.

Unfortunately there’s no quick fix, but there are certainly steps that businesses and leaders can take to improve the situation. Recent reports highlight several potential solutions – let’s take a look at some of them. 

Managers must provide processes that enable employees to focus on their work. That could mean extending deadlines or providing additional equipment. It could also incorporate reworking established processes and identifying and eliminating unnecessary tasks to increase efficiency. When employees are able to tick tasks off their to-do list, are satisfied with the work they’ve done, and have completed it in a reasonable timeframe, they become more resilient to burnout. 

Of course, workloads are also a huge part of this. After all, if workloads weren’t so heavy, many employees would probably be able to handle the reduced resources. Therefore, managers need to have a handle on how their employees are balancing the work on their desk. To achieve this, it’s helpful to create an environment and culture where they feel safe sharing honest feedback about their workload, where their concerns will be listened to, and where managers will take action to address any issues raised. Options such as putting projects on hold or redistributing work, either internally or externally, can be considered. 

Clear and consistent communication from leaders is key to improving workflows and alleviating burnout. It’s crucial that priorities and expectations are understood by everyone involved, which includes conducting regular employee check-ins and team conversations. This feedback is invaluable in understanding how staff are coping and where improvements can be made. 

Along with clearer employee communication, burnout can be reduced through improved employee inclusion. Inclusion is central to building and maintaining a successful workforce. Another report by the Boston Consulting Group revealed that when inclusion increases, burnout can be halved.

This means that businesses need to focus their efforts on helping employees feel valued, respected, supported, and like they belong. Regular communication to understand the employee experience and address pain points is key here. 

Employee coaching

Finally, a great way to support employees struggling with burnout is to offer coaching services. Career and leadership coaching can help everyone to understand and advocate for their own needs, as well as the needs of their coworkers and teams, which in turn creates a more cohesive and productive work environment.

Employee burnout has reached record levels across the globe, with Singapore consistently demonstrating some of the highest levels. Causes include time pressures (long hours and demanding deadlines), under-resourcing (in staffing levels and equipment), inefficient workflows, lack of recognition and inclusion, and poor support from management. 

Recommended solutions include better workflow and workload management, clearer leadership communications, greater efforts in inclusion, and coaching. The exact shape of these solutions will vary, depending on the organisation, its employees, and its dynamics, but by providing the foundations to build on in corporate efforts will help to reduce burnout. 

While workplace culture and employee engagement have been buzzwords across organisations for many years, action in tackling burnout hasn’t kept up with the hype. 

At Careerminds, our career coaches aim to nurture growth, enabling both businesses and individuals to achieve their goals without compromising health and well-being. To learn more, click below to find out whether we’re the right fit for your business. 

Jen David

Jen is a careers writer and CV specialist, with over 13 years' experience in the job search sector. Find out more by connecting with her on LinkedIn or visiting her website.