Nearly half (46%) of UK employees find their jobs exhausting, new research has revealed.
The study by O.C.Tanner further found that 40% feel emotionally frustrated, which it believes suggests the workplace “needs urgent attention”.
The workplace culture organisation’s 2023 Global Culture Report, which analysed the views of of more than 36,000 workers in 20 countries worldwide, including 4,653 in the UK, highlights poor work-life balance and lack of recognition as possible factors that exacerbate exhaustion.
Robert Ordever, European managing director at O.C. Tanner, said: “Employees feeling exhausted with their day-to-day work is symptomatic of a workplace that needs urgent attention.
“Leaders need to take an honest look at their culture to see whether their people have a good work-life balance, are regularly recognised, and feel part of a supportive and purpose-driven community. If these elements are lacking then employee mental health will invariably suffer, and the business will experience high levels of absence and staff turnover.”
The research suggests that individuals are 89% more likely to burn out when they don’t have the right work-life balance. Additionally, the chances of poor mental health are higher if company culture doesn’t prioritise employee recognition, with burn out 80% less likely among those who feel appreciated.
O.C.Tanner therefore suggests organisational culture must promote appreciation and support, in which “frequently and authentically recognising employees’ efforts, achievements and career milestones becomes commonplace”.
Ordever added: “For employees to feel energised and fulfilled by their work, they must know that their efforts and results are appreciated by both leaders and peers. This means nurturing a culture of integrated recognition in which acts of appreciation are given, witnessed and received every single day.”
The business also recommends that leaders give the workforce a say in how they operate, as well as the tasks they carry out, in order to help them build a good balance between their personal and professional lives. It believes people should be able to take time off work without being made to feel guilty, and that managers make work-life balance a standard part of everyday culture.
