Fewer Canadians reporting burnout: survey

There seems to be some progress when it comes to fighting burnout in Canada, judging by the result of a recent survey.

Overall, 24% of Canadians report feeling burnout at work in the past 12 months, down from 35% in December 2021, according to a report Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, compliments of Canada Life, and Mental Health Research Canada.

"I'm pleased to see we're headed in the right direction, with fewer workers reporting burnout than during the pandemic," says Mary Ann Baynton, director of collaboration and strategy, Workplace Strategies for Mental Health. "But too many Canadians are still struggling. We're encouraging employers to continue finding ways to reduce work stressors and stop burnout before it starts."

The number of employee reviews that mention "burnout" on employment platform Glassdoor has reached the highest level since 2016, according to a previous report.

What are the physical symptoms of burnout?

Despite the number of Canadians experiencing burnout dropping, 69 per cent of working Canadians have experienced symptoms that can develop into burnout, according to the survey of over 3,200 respondents in July 2024.

Specifically:

• 40% experienced fatigue
• 38% reported lowered levels of motivation
• 29% experienced reduced levels of efficiency and energy
• 26% indicated feelings of irritability

"Each symptom by itself is not an indication that someone is experiencing burnout," says Baynton. "However, it's important to look for these signs before the negative effects of burnout happen. Burnout isn't something that most people can easily bounce back from, so it's important we recognize the symptoms to identify and address it early."

A majority of employees who shifted to hybrid work are reporting reduced symptoms of burnout and improved wellbeing, according to a previous study from the International Workplace Group (IWG).

How can employers prevent employee burnout?

Employee burnout caused by overwork or stress may be one of the greatest hazards to your organization right now, notes Paul Flaharty, district president, Robert Half.

“And any company having trouble placing open positions is at risk of losing employees who are struggling to cover the workload, becoming physically and mentally exhausted, and disengaging from their work,” he says.

He shares six tips to help keep work burnout at bay in your organization:

1. Don’t pull back on hiring - “I’m urging hiring managers to continue searching for new hires even when it’s difficult to find talent. While you shouldn’t compromise on quality, consider broadening your search to include candidates with high potential who may not have logged as much time in the role or have the typical credentials or degree,” says Flaharty.
2. Help by staffing gaps with contract talent - “Hiring contract professionals delivers more benefits than just a temporary fix,”he says. “Almost two-thirds (64%) of managers we surveyed say they’ve converted more contract/temporary roles to full-time positions than they did the previous year.”
3. Reassess roles and communicate with your team members regularly and keep everyone in the loop when priorities change.
4. Be realistic - “One sure way to set employees on the short track to burnout is burdening them with overly ambitious or unclear assignments,” says Flaharty “Take a step back and ask yourself the following questions: Am I assigning manageable workloads to my employees? Do my employees have all the resources and information they need to handle their duties and assignments?”
5. Recognize employees’ contributions.
6. Emphasize wellness - “Encourage your workers to reestablish work-life balance with clear boundaries between their work and personal lives, especially if they have moved into remote or hybrid work arrangements,” says Flaharty. “Encourage your team members to take advantage of any perks and benefits your business provides to help support employee health and well-being.”