Women Do More to Fight Burnout — and It’s Burning Them Out

Summary.    Women are caught in a Catch-22 when it comes to burnout at work: They suffer it more and also do more to combat it. Forty-two percent of women and 35% of men in Corporate America have felt burned out in the last few months (up from 32% and 28%...

Burnout is real and getting worse. The numbers are discouraging, for both men and women: 42% of women and 35% of men in Corporate America have felt burned out in the last few months (up from 32% and 28% respectively last year). One of three women surveyed say they have considered downshifting or leaving the workforce altogether. (Last year, it was one in four.)  These figures come from McKinsey and LeanIn.org’s latest Women in the Workplace report, which surveyed 65,000 people in the United States.

Despite their own increasing levels of burnout, our research also indicates that women are much more likely than men to take action to fight it, for example by managing workloads of their teams, supporting diversity equity and inclusion efforts, and simply checking in on how employees are doing. This makes a difference: We found, for example, that when managers actively managed the workload of their team, their staff were 32% less likely to be burned out and 33% less likely to leave.

On the whole, however, companies are not recognizing or incentivizing this work — meaning they risk losing the very leaders they need right now. While 87% of companies surveyed agreed that it was “very or extremely” critical that managers support employee wellbeing, only a quarter do much about it.

To do better, companies must fully invest in and equip day-to-day line managers — those in the closest supervisory position to staff — for this work. In fact, people managers, especially women, are more likely to be burned out than those who do not manage people, so companies must do more to alleviate pressure and retain these employees who have stepped up to lead at a critical time.

Here are three actions companies can take to support managers’ efforts in addressing burnout.

Set company-wide norms.

While many employees value the greater flexibility of remote work, a major downside is the idea that they are “always on,” or available to work 24/7. This cohort, which accounts for more than a third of those in our survey, are much more likely to report being burned out.

To take pressure off managers, companies should establish basic working norms, such as putting guardrails around off-hours communications and clearly setting expectations on response time. This is not currently happening: Only 1 in 5 employees told us their company has said they don’t need to respond to non-urgent requests outside of traditional work hours.

Companies should also make it clear that evaluations are based on performance, not promptness in answering a late-night email. And most importantly, managers should model these behaviors: show that it is okay to not always be “on” by unplugging and setting healthy boundaries.

Equip managers with the training and resources to lead.

When managers support employee well-being, employees are 25% more likely to be happy at work. But companies must equip managers to be part of the solution by first raising awareness on the challenges employees face within the workplace. This can be done, for example, by providing managers with tools, such as a survey, to easily pulse check their teams.

Companies then need to move this awareness to action, by regularly offering and promoting trainings and resources for managers on topics such as how to spot burnout, be an ally or an inclusive leader. Our research shows that employees who have strong allies are happier and less burned out, yet in the past year just 14% of employees received allyship training.  Managers need to be at the forefront supporting employees and modeling these positive behaviors, but there has to be clear investment from companies to indicate the strong intent to create a better workplace.

Formally recognize the work managers do to support employees

Senior leadership must challenge managers to do more to alleviate stress and exhaustion — and reward them when it is being done. At the moment, neither is happening often enough. For example, while two-thirds of companies have instructed managers to check in with employees about their workload and well-being, these efforts are generally not incorporated in formal evaluations or performance reviews. Our research shows women managers are notably more likely to step up this way, but when the work is not formally part of the job description, it can go overlooked.

To effectively address burnout, companies should measure how managers are supporting their direct reports as part of performance reviews. Without accountability and formal recognition, this critical work could be at risk of being relegated to the “office housework,” or that which contributes to the business but doesn’t typically lead to advancement or compensation.

Company-wide actions are a necessary compliment to the work that managers are already doing to address burnout. Burnout is trending the wrong way, but the above actions are key to turning it around.

Women are caught in the ultimate burnout Catch-22: They suffer it more and also do more to combat it. Managers are in the best position to spot and address burnout, but senior leadership has a role to play too, by establishing norms, empowering managers and recognizing their efforts. With this companies can catch an elusive win-win: creating a better workplace, and helping women at the same time.