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While U.S. employees grapple with an epidemic of loneliness and burnout, working women are at even higher risk of fatigue than their male counterparts.
About 44% of female staffers in the U.S. say they are burnt out from their job, while only 36% of their male coworkers feel the same way, according to new data from LinkedIn shared exclusively with Fortune. Catherine Fisher, career expert at LinkedIn, tells Fortune this discrepancy is most likely due to the fact that women are expected to both work full time and shoulder the majority of household responsibilities.
“Oftentimes women are balancing more in terms of life and work life,” she says.
Women are bearing the brunt of burnout, but it’s a problem that is plaguing workplaces around the world. About 82% of workers are at risk of burnout this year, according to a report from consulting firm Mercer. And there are also serious consequences for companies when the stress becomes too intense. Two out of 10 U.S. employees think about quitting their jobs daily, and 90% have “rage applied” to open positions in the past half year because of how burnt out they are, according to data from MyPerfectResume.
In some ways women are prospering in their careers now more than ever, but they often feel less supported, and women face serious obstacles when it comes to workloads and social expectations.
Fisher says that “setting boundaries and really leaning into new ways of working is the most important thing.” Other experts recommend that staffers take on less work, turn down additional assignments, and disconnect from the office outside of regular business hours. Bosses should also be proactive by sending out pulse surveys, listening to what workload adjustments employees need, and showing appreciation by increasing pay or rewards.
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
- Young women are being radically transparent about pay on social media in a generational shift when it comes to workplace norms. Washington Post
- Samsung workers in South Korea have begun a three-day strike, demanding the company change its bonus system and an extra day of leave every year. Reuters
- People switching jobs are getting pay bumps, they're just not as high as they were during the “Great Resignation.” Business Insider
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