New Survey: 70 Percent of Workers Would Quit If Another Employer Offered Better Policies to Reduce Burnout

American workers are willing to leave companies that aren’t doing enough to prevent burnout, according to a survey released Tuesday by Vancouver-based workforce analytics company Visier.

The survey polled 1,000 full-time employees across the U.S. It found that 89 percent of employees have experienced burnout in the past year, with more than half reporting that they’ve felt burned out most or all of the time. What’s more, 70 percent of respondents would consider leaving their current employers for other companies that offered comprehensive resources, benefits, and policies aimed at reducing burnout, according to the report.

More than half of employees said the main cause of their burnout is being asked to take on more work. The burden isn’t evenly distributed across generations and genders, the survey found. Younger workers (Millennials and Gen-Z) were more likely than their Gen-X and Baby Boomer counterparts to report that their workload is larger now than before the pandemic. They also reported significantly higher levels of burnout. And women reported slightly higher rates of burnout than men (91 percent versus 86 percent).

A notable share of employees–37 percent–aren’t comfortable talking about burnout with their managers, according to the survey. Of those respondents, half said they worried that if they raised the issue, they’d be seen as incapable of doing their jobs. Other reasons included the belief that nothing would change (46 percent), fear of being fired (24 percent), and not knowing how to start the conversation (23 percent). Women were more likely than men to report feeling uncomfortable talking to their supervisors about burnout.

For bosses seeking to alleviate burnout at their companies, offering more vacation time might seem like an obvious solution. But 49 percent of employees said taking time off relieves their burnout only temporarily, and 10 percent said it doesn’t help at all. For many workers, that’s because they can’t fully disconnect: A third of respondents said they’re expected to check in with work during vacations, and 19 percent said while they’re not expected to check in, they feel pressured to do so.

So what do workers believe really helps address burnout? More flexibility and support, according to the survey. When asked which employer-provided benefits would do the most to alleviate burnout, 39 percent of respondents named flexible work hours. Others said they wanted better mental health resources (31 percent), paid sick days (25 percent), and a wellness program (24 percent).