Is there such a thing as burnout?

If it is true, how many of us affected by it?

According to new research from the American Psychological Association and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago the prevalence of burnout is increasing as technology further blurs the line between work and home. This research reported the following:

• 48 per cent of Americans experienced increased stress over the past 5 years
• 31 per cent of employed adults have difficulty managing their work and family responsibilities
• 53 per cent say work leaves them “overtired and overwhelmed.”

A Society for Human Resource Management poll found that “burnout from my current job” was one of the top reasons that people quit.

If you are a manager I am sure you understand that it is costly to replace workers because of the productivity losses when someone leaves a job and the slower productivity that takes place until the new employee gets up to speed in their new job.

According to a report by the Center for American Progress, and the economic studies they examined reveal a number of patterns about the cost of turnover:

• For all positions except executives and physicians—jobs that require very specific skills—across the remaining 27 case studies, the typical (median) cost of turnover was 21 percent of an employee’s annual salary.
• For workers earning less than $50,000 annually—which covers three-quarters of all workers in the United States—the 22 case studies show a typical cost of turnover of 20 percent of salary, the same as across positions earning $75,000 a year or less, which includes 9 in 10 U.S. workers.
• Among positions earning $30,000 or less, which includes more than half of all U.S. workers, the cost of replacing an employee is slightly less than among positions earning less than $75,000 annually. The typical cost of turnover for positions earning less than $30,000 annually is 16 percent of an employee’s annual salary.

So what does that tell you?

Does it say that taking care of your employees can save you a great deal of money?

What can you do today that would help your employees avoid burnout?

What preventative action could you take to help them become more resilient?

Why don’t you give me a call?