Report shows frontline industries experiencing increased levels of burnout

Pleasanton, CA — The transportation, health care and government sectors have experienced the greatest increases of “higher worker burnout risk” over the past year, according to a recently released report from software provider Workday.

Addressing Burnout Risk in 2022 measures how burnout risk has evolved over the past 12 months across various industries based on an analysis of survey data from 1.5 million employees from more than 600 organizations worldwide. Researchers calculated burnout risk based on three factors: energy, fulfillment and connectedness.

The majority of the industries surveyed demonstrated greater or sustained levels of higher burnout risk this year, compared with 2021. Notably, sectors that operated on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic – including transportation, government and health care – saw the steepest increases year over year, while the technology, consumer, and energy and resources sectors saw steady levels of higher burnout risk.

Workday recommends that employers take a number of actions to help mitigate the risk of employee burnout, including:

• Build transparency around the issue of well-being and strengthen workplace policies to support it.
• Encourage open dialogues about workload, workplace fulfillment and the impact of employee contributions.
• Clearly articulate the organization’s strategy and how new ideas contribute to that vision.

“The increasing levels of higher burnout risk in frontline industries like government, health care and transportation reflects an urgent need to address the energy, connectedness and fulfillment levels of employees,” Phil Chambers, general manager at Workday, said in a press release. “It is vital that leaders understand employees’ evolving needs and take positive action to help keep them engaged, motivated and meet them in the moment.”