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The term “burnout” has become ubiquitous in the workplace in recent years. Tackling the issue is now a top priority for HR leaders, both for their organization’s workforce and within their own teams. But leaders might also need to look out for the problem popping up in the next crop of workers—graduating college students are already burned out, and expect future employers to support their mental health as well as provide work-life balance.
Around 80% of upcoming college graduates report having experienced symptoms of burnout during their undergraduate career, according to a new survey of 1,148 students expected to graduate next year, published by Handshake, a career and recruiting platform for college students and alumni. The survey defines burnout as “characterized by persistent feelings of mental or physical exhaustion, accompanied by lack of motivation, reduced productivity, and/or feeling negative or cynical about your academic work.”
Around 80% of students also report worrying about experiencing burnout once they start their professional careers, and 25% of them said they are “highly worried” about workplace burnout.
“This particular generation and class of graduates recognize that there are so many components to living a purposeful and meaningful life. Because, quite frankly, they experienced the pandemic in the middle of some very formative years,” says Christine Cruzvergara, chief education strategy officer at Handshake. This incoming class of workers was confronted with existential questions about their career plans and priorities, all while finishing high school or starting their undergraduate education.
Their burnout concerns are translating into high expectations about their future employers’ support for work-life balance. “This generation, more than any other in the past, [is] not just looking to work for work’s sake,” she adds. “They’re looking for work to be a complement to the life that they want to live. And they don’t want to wait until they retire to be able to live that life.”
Sixty-six percent of respondents said that receiving mental health days is “very important,” and 67% said the same about getting flexibility to deal with personal responsibilities. Even the majority of respondents who are “not at all worried” about career burnout said these benefits are “very important” to them, and want work-life guidance from their future employers.
While older generations may have taken time off work for mental health or personal issues, they would likely have done so by just calling out sick, Cruzvergara says. But Gen Zers, who are more likely to be vocal about their mental health, are bringing that candidness to the workplace, and expecting the same openness from employers.
Some organizations are taking note. The share of job descriptions mentioning mental health, well-being, and work-life balance rose from 6% in early 2019 to 15% in 2023, according to Handshake’s survey. And it appears to be paying off. A previous Handshake survey published in May 2022 found that job posts for high-stress or competitive roles—such as investment bankers and software developers—that explicitly mentioned mental health and wellness keywords received up to twice the amount of applications compared to similar jobs that did not explicitly mention these words.
“If HR folks are not paying attention to that, you’re going to lose some really great talent,” says Cruzvergara. “You’re going to lose a whole swath of this generation that, quite frankly, will go to your competitor. They’ll just go to another company, because there are companies that are paying attention to this.”
Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion
Reporter's Notebook
The most compelling data, quotes, and insights from the field.
Even as pandemic restrictions eased and return-to-office mandates soared in autumn of 2022, full recovery was still out of reach for downtown areas in 20 of America’s largest cities. Weekday transit ridership was still down and remote work stayed high compared to the same time period in 2019, according to a Bloomberg analysis of data from Replica, a platform that provides urban planning intelligence.
“The coronavirus pandemic has eased, but U.S. cities might never be the same,” write Bloomberg reporters Skylar Woodhouse and Dorothy Gambrell. Some cities are faring worse than others. Detroit, Washington D.C., and Columbus, Ohio, saw the largest percentage drop in weekday transit ridership from 2019 to 2022.
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
- Companies are reassigning employees to different roles more frequently, a move that can both save internal talent from pink slips, and push workers to quit. Wall Street Journal
- Only around half of workers spend more than six hours in the office when they show up, a steep drop from pre-pandemic stats. Washington Post
- Atlassian CEO Scott Farquhar is part of a shrinking minority of tech execs who are allowing employees to work from home whenever they want. Farquhar himself only goes into the office once every three months. Insider
- Industries that need workers the most—like health care and law enforcement—are having the hardest time finding employees. Axios
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Heat not beat. A summer of record-high temperatures has prompted a referendum on extreme heat protections for workers. Despite government pushes, the summer will likely end without clear heat regulations. —Gabe Stern, AP
Make work matter. Hybrid workers are the type of employee most engaged with the missions of their companies, according to a new survey, and remote workers are the least engaged. —Jane Thier
Employer expectations dip. Workers in the U.S. are feeling gloomier when it comes to the future of their employers, according to data from Glassdoor. In July, employee confidence in their employer’s six-month outlook fell to 47.6%, its lowest number since the survey began. —Alex Tanzi, Bloomberg
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