As the federal government grapples with a multitude of issues, national polling of the federal workforce indicates a majority of employees are burnt out (57 percent). Among employees who report burnout, one in three say it is attributable to COVID-19 circumstances.
HR Technology News: Whirlpool Corporation’s Chairman And CEO Marc Bitzer To Be Founding Member Of OneTen Coalition
Additionally, supervisors and senior executives in the federal government report significantly higher levels of burnout. Among these senior executives, 70 percent report burnout, and 43 percent attribute the burnout to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Federal employees remain under immense pressure – from the COVID-19 pandemic, to a far-reaching data hack, to implementing a presidential transition,” said David Witkowski, public service industry lead with Eagle Hill Consulting. “This level of burnout at all levels of the federal workforce is deeply troubling. Federal leaders have got to find a way to make workloads sustainable for employees and better equip managers to lead. Otherwise, agencies will struggle to retain talent and deliver on their mission.”
HR Technology News: TecHRseries Interview with Benjamin Granger, Ph.D., Sr. Principal at Qualtrics XM Institute
The research also found a substantially higher level of burnout among Millennials (64 percent), which is higher than Gen X (55 percent) and Baby Boomers (50 percent). Millennials are significantly more likely to report burnout at work from COVID-19 pandemic (41 percent) as compared to Gen X (26 percent) and Baby Boomers (19 percent).
“While younger workers make up about 24 percent of the federal workforce, the impact will grow as they move up the career ladder. Failure to address Millennials’ burnout means these employees will either look for opportunities outside of the federal government or they won’t be operating at peak performance,” Witkowski explained.
HR Technology News: The Reality Of Being Childfree In The Workplace