Three in four white-collar workers in the UK are considering quitting their jobs or changing careers due to issues such as burnout, a lack of work-life balance and toxic workplace environments, research has revealed.
A nationwide survey of people working in homes and offices, conducted by Censuswide, found that 57% of those in professional, desk, managerial or administrative work were suffering from low morale.
Nearly one-fifth believed their workplace environment was toxic and around 18% thought their employers did not care about their mental wellbeing.
Bertrand Stern-Gillet, chief executive at employee assistance programme provider Health Assured, said it was little surprise to hear of increased incidences of burnout, as work can sometimes intrude on employees' home lives, particularly during the pandemic.
He believes workplace exhaustion to have been driven not only by the response to Covid-19 (Coronavirus) and the stress it has placed on everyone, but also blurred boundaries between work and home. He added that there is an increasing consensus that staff should be taking time to be with family, friends and taking part in non-work-related activities rather than solely living to work.
“It's important for employers to look closely at what they can do to retain their staff," said Stern-Gillet. "As we've heard over the last 18 months and these figures confirm, money is not everything these days, as simply increasing wages is not going to be the end of it.
"When it comes to reasons why people leave their jobs, having comprehensive benefits such as health and childcare, and a better workplace culture, are also driving forces for many."
He added that employers need to take steps to tackle these concerns, suggesting that introducing new benefits and improving the culture of an organisation from the top down will “go a long way towards helping employees feel valued, increasing retention levels and stopping the talent drain that happens when employees move on.”
