Remote Work Introduces New Era of Burnout

Internal Gigs and Social Bonds Could Aid With Employee Retention.

Austin, TX -- March 17, 2022 -- Two years into the hybrid work landscape, Beamery’s latest research has uncovered new burdens on employees. As businesses rapidly shifted to more flexible work models and the traditional 9-5 became obsolete, the hyper-connected workplace created a new era of burnout. Today, USA employees report feeling high amounts of pressure to always be online or available, with nearly two-thirds saying they are fielding work requests outside of office hours. 

Employees Feel the Pressure of Online Connection

Of the 2,500+ employees surveyed in the USA for the Beamery Talent Index, many are feeling the impact of remote work on their personal lives. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents reported receiving work-related notifications on their personal mobile phone during hours they were not contracted to work. An additional 32% felt pressured to be online and available outside working hours whilst junior employees in particular feel overloaded during their off-hours. 23% of 18-24 year-olds and 26% of 25-34 year-olds say they get work-related messages all of the time. 

"Hybrid working schedules have not eliminated burnout; it’s just manifesting in a new way,” said Abakar Saidov, Co-Founder and CEO of Beamery.

“As workplace flexibility models evolve, business leaders need to be aware that the tools that allow us to stay hyper-connected in today’s digital world may also be detrimental. Setting, implementing and modeling proper boundaries to counteract the ‘always-on’ mindset is a critical next step in improving retention and managing employees' mental health.”

Internal Gig Economy Takes Off 

As upskilling and reskilling becomes more important, organizations can work to develop inhouse talent, offering internal gig and short-term project opportunities to existing employees to keep interest high, and ultimately reduce staff turnover. Eager to develop and learn new skills, employees are increasingly taking up gig jobs within their organizations. Nearly half (46%) of men and one-third (33%) of women have already taken on an internal project within the company they are employed by and 38% say they are considering doing so. 18-24 year olds are the most likely to challenge themselves with an internal gig job, with more than half (54%) of those surveyed in this age group saying they are actively doing so. 

Social Bonds are Key for Work Culture and Happiness

Although remote work introduced new ways to connect online, many employees are still missing one critical connection: seeing work buddies. The majority (80%) of younger respondents (ages 25-34) say that coworker bonds are the most important thing to them at work. Among the same age group, 69% say they have left a company due to feeling unfulfilled or unhappy, and later gone on to regret that decision. While the data may appear to suggest social camaraderie plays a key role in retaining young talent, the theme also applies to leaders as well; nearly all C-level executives (91%) surveyed shared that coworker bonds were important to them.

Methodology

An online survey was conducted by Atomik Research among 8,021 respondents from the UK, USA, Netherlands, Nordic region, and Germany, all of whom were office workers. The research fieldwork took place on 25th February – 7th March 2022. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides to MRS code.