'No surprise' 33% considering quitting, researchers say
For the rest of world, it was the Great Resignation that immensely challenged workplaces at the peak of the pandemic.
In Australia, however, it's the so-called "The Great Burnout."
This is the conclusion of researchers from The Future of Work Lab at the University of Melbourne, who discovered in a survey of 1,400 Australians the lasting toll of the pandemic on the workforce.
The 2023 State of the Future Work found that young (18 to 34-year-old) and middle-aged (35 to 54-year-old) employees have "poorer mental health than other workers. "
These young and middle-aged employees make up the prime-aged workforce of Australia, where one in two said they feel exhausted at work.
"Australian prime-aged workers are exhausted, less motivated about their work and unable to concentrate at work because of responsibilities outside of work," the report said.
These prime-aged workers are also twice more likely to feel like they don't have enough time at work to do everything they need to do.
Impact on businesses
The situation is prompting over one in three prime-aged workers to consider leaving their roles, according to the report.
"It's perhaps no surprise 33% of this prime-aged workforce is thinking about quitting. These workers may be showing up to their jobs, but they are definitely burnt out. They are the 'quiet quitters,' and they are sounding the alarm bell," said the researchers in an article for The Conversation.
If left unaddressed, the report warned businesses that they could see a decline in productivity as well as workforce attrition.
What can be done?
The report is urging workplaces to prioritise mental health and "provide greater support that addresses issues like burnout and mental distress."
"We need to acknowledge the trauma of the pandemic is lingering and identify clear solutions to support this exhausted, fatigued, and overexerted workforce," the researchers said.
A new way of working, such as flexible work, is also essential as they have been shown to lessen the burden for many workers, according to the report.
"We must understand pre-pandemic ways of working didn't work for many. It especially didn't work for mothers. It didn't work for caregivers. It didn't work for people living with chronic illness. It didn't work for groups vulnerable to discrimination at work. It didn't work for people forced to commute long distances. So, going 'back to normal' means continued disadvantage for these groups," the researchers said.
