Nearly all (97 per cent) employees aged 18 to 34 say they’re feeling burned out, according to a new survey by Cigna Corp.
The survey, which polled about 12,000 employees from across the globe, found half (51 per cent) of young workers said they don’t feel fully present or engaged in their work and 48 per cent expect to look for a new job in the next 12 months. The main sources of stress cited by these respondents are the rising costs of living (40 per cent) and a lack of learning and development opportunities (20 per cent).
Read: Survey finds majority of Gen Z, millennials dealing with anxiety, depression
Nearly three-quarters of employees aged 25 to 34 (73 per cent) and those aged 18 to 24 (71 per cent) said they’re spending more time evaluating their priorities compared to two years ago. Even though more than three-quarters of young workers said they’re “always on” with work, many reported feeling as though their work has become purely transactional with no in-person interaction.
“Business leaders must not become complacent in this new flexible workplace era,” said Michelle Leung, human resources officer at Cigna, in a press release. “If we’re not careful, this could quickly escalate into a generational divide — those who built lasting professional careers during the years of traditional onsite work and those who were disenfranchised during the remote transition — the so-called ‘Great Resignation’ and the ‘quiet quitting’ phenomena.”
Read: ‘Quiet quitting’ a rallying cry for more focus on work-life balance, employee engagement