The Hartford’s July 2021 Future of Benefits Pulse Survey found that over one-third of US employees are likely to search for a new job in the coming six months. With the high burnout levels for US workers, Americans want additional time off and flexibility to be provided by their employers.
Hartford, the leading provider of employee benefits and absence management, has revealed a widening gap between men and women in workplace burnout rates in its survey. The overall exhaustion level remains high as that reported in February – at 61%. Exhausted employees were also more likely to look for another job, the survey showed.
The Head of Employee Benefits, The Hartford, Jonathan Bennett, said that the high level of burnout and the growing gap for women (68% females as compared to 52% of male workers reported experiencing burnout at work) should be cause for alarm for business leaders. This drives the need for flexibility in the workplace in a much greater way than before, as the lines between work and home get increasingly blurred amid the pandemic. The required step to address burnout and help employees remain productive is to foster an open, inclusive work environment that will provide flexibility.
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The Hartford’s Survey Reports Workplace Changes Due To The Pandemic
The 16 percentage point difference between genders in the burnout levels marks a significant increase as compared to The Hartford’s February survey, which showed a nine-point gap in workplace burnout rates. The more burnout employees are experiencing, the more likely they are to look for a new job: of those who are “extremely likely” to look for a new job in the next 6 months, 55% always feel burned out while 16% often feel burned out.
The top 3 factors that motivate job search are:
- Better pay: 74%
- Career growth: 44%
- Tie between benefits offered by their employer: 38%; better workplace culture: 38%; and a more flexible schedule: 38%
Bennet says that the pandemic has changed the workplace, including the hiring landscape. Employee benefits and flexible work culture have once again come to be the critical elements for attracting and retaining talent.
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The workers surveyed mentioned the following factors that they want their employers to address:
- Condensed 4-day work week: 22%
- Additional paid time off: 22%
- Schedule flexibility: 17%
- Company-wide mental health days: 13%
- Remote work options: 13%
- Lighter workload: 12%
The Hartford has claimed that the data demonstrates unplanned absences and prolonged disability arise as a result of untreated mental health and substance use disorders.
Methodology
The survey was conducted on July 27-30, 2021 among approximately 2,000 adults aged 18+, which included 966 full-time and part-time employed respondents. The national omnibus online survey has +/- 3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level.
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