Managers Unaware of Employee Burnout

Employees at U.S. companies are experiencing high levels of burnout, but managers are lagging behind when it comes to their awareness of the problem, according to a recently released study from communications consulting firm The Grossman Group in collaboration with The Harris Poll.

The survey of 1,115 employees and 971 managers, which was conducted in January, found that only 24 percent of employees surveyed said they were “thriving” in their current position. However, things look much rosier from the vantage point of the managers surveyed. Almost nine out of 10 of them (89 percent) said their employees were thriving in the jobs they now hold, revealing a major disconnect between employees and managers.

But only 37 percent of the managers themselves said they were thriving in their own positions, with 63 percent referring to themselves as “burned out or ambivalent.”

The biggest factor behind work-related burnout for employees was “constant change,” which was cited by 43 percent of them. Coming in a close second was “senior management creates unnecessary work,” which 41 percent mentioned. High employee turnover (39 percent) and limited mental health benefits (37 percent) were also major contributors to on-the-job stress. Constant change was also listed as the top cause of burnout for managers (50 percent).

Younger workers also prioritized different factors when saying what provoked burnout for them. They were twice as likely to say that a “toxic work environment” and “communication overload” were sources of burnout than older employees were, and were three times as likely to attribute it to “interpersonal conflict.”

The study notes that this state of affairs is leading to a job environment in which 33 percent of U.S. hiring managers say that they predict employee turnover will increase this year. And it turns out that employee turnover is rather expensive, with each turnover estimated to cost on average, $36,295 annually in lost productivity and rehiring costs.

So how can the employee turnover wave be slowed down? First off, the study says, managers need to sharpen their listening skills—being open to new ideas and feedback, using multiple vehicles to solicit opinions and focusing on talking less and paying more attention to the employees.

Other key strategies include emphasizing manager training, ensuring regular check-ins with all employees and managers, and ensuring that there’s plan in place to manage change-fatigue.

“Top leaders need to ensure that well-being isn’t just left to chance,” the study notes, “Purposeful plans should be in place, recognizing that everyone has a role to play in building a thriving culture.”