Workplace stressors are pushing employees out the door

Americans are overworked, undercompensated and on the hunt for new jobs.

Workplace stressors exacerbated by the pandemic are pushing employees to their breaking point, according to a report by Achievers Workforce Institute, an engagement and performance platform. Over half of surveyed employees are planning on getting a new job this year, up from 35% last year.

“People are reconsidering and reevaluating their priorities and the way that their organization is supporting their well-being and the balance that they have in their lives,” says Dr. Natalie Baumgartner, chief workforce scientist at Achievers.

It’s not enough to simply provide a salary and health benefits — employees are willing to brave an unsteady job market for more support. The economy saw the loss of global working hours equivalent to 255 million full-time employees in 2020, according to the International Labour Organization, yet voluntary job changes and skills development are still top of mind for employees, according to a recent study by the IBM Institute for Business Value.

Read more: Companies aren’t prepared to deal with employee burnout

The rising dissatisfaction among employees comes down to a lack of compensation and a failing work/life balance, according to Baumgartner. At the beginning of the pandemic the concern was that productivity would plummet, instead the labor force seems to have overcorrected.

With less distractions at home, workers are forgetting to step away from work and employers and forgetting to remind them to, which has led to an overextension of work hours. Fifty-one percent of employees currently working from home worry their manager doubts their productivity, the report found. To compensate, 70% of employees say they work on the weekends and 45% are working more hours per week than pre-pandemic, according to data from consulting firm Robert Half.

Forty-six percent of employees feel less connected to their company or colleagues since the start of the pandemic, according to the report. Additionally, 42% say company culture has diminished since the start of the pandemic due to a lack of communication or lack of effort to make remote employees feel connected.

The solution to an unhappy employee base is simple, according to Baumgartner. Just look at workers planning to stay where they are — 20% of which stated they would stay in their current role cited recognition as the reason why, the report found.

“Employees’ needs haven't changed,” Baumgartner says. “They still need to be recognized. They still need their feedback to be acted upon and mostly they still need connection.”