More women experience burnout than men while only one in 33 women had not been stressed at work in the previous three months, according to a survey from Employment Hero.
The survey of 1,000 UK workers for Employment Hero’s State of Wellbeing at Work report found seven in 10 women experienced burnout in the workplace.
Of this group, 18% said they felt stressed at work every day for three months, twice the amount of men.
But the survey also showed while rates were lower for men they were still high, with 56% saying they experienced burnout and 9% saying they felt stressed at work every day for the past three months.
Women were also found to be more likely to take stress-related or burnout leave at 36%, compared to 32% of men.
Only 3% of women had never felt stressed at work over the three month period while for men it was 9%.
Despite feeling more stressed and burned out, women were disproportionately affected by the cost of living, according to the data. Nearly half of women, 48%, said they were not on track with their financial goals, almost twice the number of men, at 27%.
The report looked at industries such as banking and financial services, education and training, engineering, legal, real estate and property, sales, trades and services, and self-employment.
It also included entry-level through to senior executive roles, employment status, small to large companies and other demographics including parents and non-parents as well as remote and flexible hybrid working arrangements.
Burnout and financial insecurity
Employment Hero UK HR lead Clair Flynn said the report showed there was still a long way to go before closing the mental health gap.
Flynn said: “It’s concerning that many employees across the board face burnout and financial insecurity. Clearly, there’s a need for increased support.
“We hope this report highlights the current market conditions and offers valuable insights for employers and employees to foster positive change and improved outcomes for everyone.“
The data showed that women do not feel as comfortable as men talking to their manager about a disagreement with a colleague, personal financial concerns, professional stress and burnout, or the end of a marriage or long-term relationship.
Women also felt less comfortable (41%) providing feedback about the workplace to management or HR than men (48%).
Flynn continued: “It’s disheartening that less than half of employees are comfortable speaking with their management or HR teams. Open and direct lines of communication are the first step in understanding and addressing issues in the workplace.
“However, sometimes this can be easier said than done. When mounting pressure comes from all areas of life, reaching out to your manager can feel like an impossible task – especially if the concerns are particularly personal.
“While setting up monthly check-ins is a step in the right direction, they can sometimes become routine and fail to address deeper issues. We are all unique, so we can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to communication.”
Happier mentally and physically
More than half of men in the UK (59%), agreed they were happy with their overall mental health compared to less than half of women (44%), as well as being happier with their physical health than women (63% vs 46%).
Men also felt more productive, have more time to relax and dedicate to their hobbies and interests than their female counterparts.
Meanwhile, half of women and nearly half of men agreed that the number one perk outside of pay that would convince them to work for a company is remote and flexible work options.
Flynn concluded: “Often, women are the primary caregivers, and it can feel like they’re on seven days a week with little to no time to decompress.
“This could be heightened by the cost of living crisis as childcare in the UK has risen significantly, meaning the extra care provided by institutions may no longer be accessible.
“This is why flexible working options are so important. They give working parents the chance at an exciting career, without sacrificing important family moments like the school pickup.
“Remote work can help all employees achieve a better work-life balance and reduce burnout.”