The vast majority of Australian workers are experiencing burnout and some are not telling their managers, according to a new report.

A survey of 1,000 full-time office workers in Australia conducted by specialised recruiter Robert Half found that four in five respondents said they were experiencing some level of burnout.

The report defines burnout as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion as a result of prolonged or excessive workplace stress.

Of those surveyed, just under 60 per cent said they were feeling a little burnt out, under 20 per cent said they were very burnt out, and just over 5 per cent said they were completely burnt out.

The top two contributors of this burnout were found to be heavy workloads and an insufficient number of staff within a workplace.

Australian workers experiencing burnout were at times also not informing their employer about this, with just under a quarter having not expressed their feelings to their manager.

“Burnout is reaching alarming levels in the Australian workforce,” Robert Half director Nicole Gorton said.

“The past year has seen a surge in stress, exhaustion, and disengagement among employees.

“The consequences of companies working with lean teams, the pandemic, economic uncertainty, and lack of job security have all contributed to this burnout epidemic.”

The report found younger employees were experiencing higher rates of burnout compared to their older peers.

Of the Gen Z workers surveyed, more than 85 per cent were experiencing burnout, compared with 81 per cent of Millennials and Gen Xers, and just over 70 per cent of Baby Boomers.

Of the workers who told their manager about their burnout, 22 per cent said they were encouraged to take time off, 20 per cent were assisted in prioritising projects, and 18 per cent had some responsibilities delegated to other team members.

“It’s crucial for employees to recognise the signs and communicate their struggles to their managers,” Gorton said.

“Ignoring burnout won’t make it go away and that can lead to decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and even long-term health problems.”

Burnout ‘on the rise’

Research from Gartner has also found that about three-quarters of Australian workers are experiencing burnout to some extent.

“There’s definitely a rise in burnout,” Gartner Human Resources Advisory director Neal Woolrich told Information Age.

“That’s a real problem, and it’s on the rise as well.”

A significant driving force behind this was the sheer rate of change within today’s workplaces, Woolrich said.

According to Gartner research, employees experienced about two major changes annually in 2016.

By 2023, employees were experiencing up to 11 major changes each year — almost one each month.

“The average employee doesn't have time to refresh and reset and get ready for the next change,” Woolrich said.

“That’s where the sense of burnout and fatigue is coming from — it’s one change after another.

“We just don’t do change management well — employees know more change is coming and they’re expecting it to not be a good experience, so that’s affecting willingness to support the organisation’s change as well.

“That’s really what we see as a primary driver in the increase in burnout.”

Managers needed to be proactive in identifying symptoms of burnout and not rely on employees disclosing this voluntarily, Woolrich said.

“Some employees just don’t want to share that with their employer,” he said.

“They don’t want to be perceived as complainers or weak or not able to cope.

“To some extent it’s up to the manager or organisation to try to detect those signs of burnout and fatigue.”

Woolrich said workplaces should look to implement prioritisation programs, embrace a culture of saying no to low-value work, undertake open conversations with their teams about upcoming changes, and look to reduce work frictions in order to address burnout rates.

Another advent that has been shown to improve burnout rates is the implementation of a four-day working week, with numerous studies finding this has improved employee health and wellbeing, and efficiency.