Burnout is widespread among U.S. workers, with 67% reporting at least one symptom—and the numbers are even more alarming for younger employees, according to a survey from Seramount. Most millennials (77%) and Gen Z (72%) employees report experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, such as exhaustion or lack of motivation, compared to 62% of Gen X employees and 38% of baby boomers.  

“Millennials already weathered several seasons of significant turmoil during their relatively short careers, from the Great Recession to the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Diana Forster, senior director of qualitative research at Seramount. “Now, many are in mid-level management roles with increased responsibilities, intensifying stress and burnout.”  

Fewer than half of Gen Z (45%) and millennial (47%) employees rate their personal well-being above average, while a majority (84%) of boomers and more than half (56%) of Gen X employees rate their personal well-being above average. 

Likewise, 68% of Gen Z employees and 61% of millennials do not feel supported balancing mental health and work, compared to 57% of Gen X workers and 45% of boomers. Fewer than half of all employees surveyed (40%) believe their company provides adequate mental health resources. “Younger employees joined the workforce in an era when mental health needs were more public and support more prevalent, and many younger workers have different expectations of their employers than their predecessors,” Forster continues. 

The survey also showed a difference in how executives and their employees experience burnout. When segmented by career level, 72% of senior managers, 80% of managers, and 66% of non-managers report burnout, compared to just 18% of executives who report being burned out.