Study: Pandemic continues to grind down employee well-being

We’re well over a year into the pandemic, and things aren’t getting easier for employees.

A new meQuilibrium study found a 21% rise in worker burnout and 17% increase in somatic stress symptoms.

The study examined changes in overall well-being among 5,474 employees from a broad range of industries representing managers and individual contributors.

Brad Smith, chief science officer for meQuilibrium, breaks down the gist of the findings:

“Our data shows that workers continue to feel the cumulative mental health impacts of the crisis in the form of increased stress symptoms, burnout and diminished motivation. We need to take action now to protect employee well-being before the clock runs out.”

Although burnout and somatic symptoms of stress were up overall, employees who felt strongly supported by their employer, Smith points out, had half the rate of increase as those who felt less well supported.

Smith adds that workers who proactively pursue “self-care by engaging in digital resilience coaching” are seeing better outcomes than those who are not. “Where reports of high somatic stress were up 36% among the least engaged, there was no change among the most engaged members,” he writes.