Thanks in large part to the isolating and disruptive effects of the pandemic, the mental health of their employees has become a primary focus for many companies in recent years – and with good reason. More than half of employees (53%) in a recent survey from Chicago-based IPA 100 firm Grant Thornton LLP (FY21 net revenue of $1.97 billion) cited mental and emotional stress as a top reason for burnout.
The firm’s 2023 State of Work in America survey of 5,000 full-time employees of U.S. companies found that 61% of respondents reported experiencing burnout in the past year. In addition to mental and emotional stress as the top reason behind this burnout, survey participants also pointed to long hours (42%), workload (42%) and people shortages (41%) as other common causes.
When asked about how their well-being has changed in the past 12 months, 26% of respondents noted a worsening state of financial well-being, while 25% cited a decline in mental well-being and 21% saw physical deterioration.
“Mental and physical well-being concerns are top of mind for employees,” notes Angela Nalwa, people and organization practice leader and managing director at Grant Thornton. “When an organization embraces a culture of well-being, it translates into employees performing at their highest level.”
Other findings from the State of Work survey:
- Thirty-eight percent of respondents named benefits as a top reason they’re staying at their current place of employment, while 35% chose base pay and 24% selected job security.
- The ongoing talent crunch has a significant impact on employee strain, with people shortages ranking as the top stressor out of 20 different areas to choose from; length of workday/week and work/life balance rounded out the top three.
- In terms where they prefer to do their work, the remote versus in-office tide seems to be shifting, with the percentage of respondents wanting to work completely at home falling to just 16% and those wanting to work 1-2 days a week representing 15%; meanwhile, 51% prefer to work 4-5 days in the office – up from 33% last year.
