Gen Z employees are experiencing some of the highest levels of burnout ever recorded, with new research suggesting they are under unprecedented levels of stress.
Generation Z youth PHOTO: Freepik
While people of all ages report feeling burned out, Gen Z and Millennials report “peak exhaustion” at younger ages. In the United States, a survey of 2,000 adults found that a quarter of Americans are burned out before the age of 30.
Similarly, a British study measured burnout over an 18-month period after the COVID-19 pandemic and found that members of Gen Z reported burnout levels of 80%, writes The Conversation.
Globally, a survey covering 11 countries and more than 13,000 employees and frontline managers found that Gen Z workers were more likely to feel burned out (83%) than other employees (75%).
Another international well-being study found that almost a quarter of 18-24 year olds were experiencing a “unmanageable stress”, 98% of them reporting at least one burnout symptom.
And in Canada, a study by Canadian Business found that 51 percent of Gen Z respondents felt burned out—less than millennials (55 percent), but more than boomers (29 percent) and Gen Xers (32 percent).
What is burnout really?
Burnout can vary from person to person and from occupation to occupation, but researchers generally agree on its main characteristics. Burnout occurs when there is a conflict between what a worker expects from their job and what the job actually demands of them.
This mismatch can take many forms: ambiguous work assignments, an overload of tasks, or a lack of resources or skills to meet the demands of a role.
In short, burnout is more likely to occur when there is a growing mismatch between one's job expectations and one's actual reality. Younger workers, women and employees with less seniority are consistently at greater risk of burnout.
Burnout usually progresses in three dimensions. While fatigue is often the first visible symptom of burnout, the second is cynicism or depersonalization, which leads to alienation and detachment from one's work. This detachment leads to the third dimension of burnout: a diminishing sense of personal accomplishment or self-efficacy.
Why Generation Z is particularly vulnerable to burnout
Several forces are converging to make Gen Z particularly vulnerable to burnout. First, many Gen Zers entered the workforce during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was a time of deep convulsions, social isolation and changing work protocols and requirements. These conditions disrupted the informal learning that typically occurs through daily peer interactions that were difficult to replicate in a remote workforce.
Second, broader economic pressures have intensified.
Intensifying economic disruptions, rising inequality, rising housing and living costs, and rising precarious jobs have placed increasing financial pressures on this generation.
A third factor is the restructuring of work taking place within artificial intelligence. As workplace strategist Ann Kowal Smith wrote in a recent Forbes article, Gen Z is the first generation to enter a job market defined by a “new architecture of work: hybrid programs that fragment connection, automation that removes context, and leaders too busy to shape judgment”.
What can be done?
If you are reading these lines and feeling exhausted, the first thing you need to know is that you are not exaggerating and you are not alone. The good news is that there are ways to recover.
One of the most overlooked antidotes to burnout is combating the alienation and isolation it produces. The best way to do this is to establish connections and relationships with others, starting with co-workers. This could be as simple as checking in with a teammate after a meeting or setting up a weekly coffee with a colleague.
Additionally, it is important to let go of the idea that overwork is better work. Set boundaries at work by blocking time on your calendar and making your availability clear to colleagues.
But individual coping strategies cannot go very far. More fundamental solutions must come from the workplace itself. Employers must offer more flexible working conditions, including support for wellbeing and mental health. Leaders and managers should clearly communicate workplace expectations, and workplaces should have policies to proactively review and redistribute excessive workload.
Kowal Smith also suggested building a new one “architectures of learning” in the workplace that includes mentoring, provides feedback loops, and rewards curiosity and agility.
Taken together, these workplace transformation efforts could humanize the workplace, reduce burnout, and improve engagement, even as AI approaches. A workplace that works better for Gen Z ultimately works better for all of us.
