In a concerning new report, nearly half of workers around the world say they are currently experiencing burnout, according to a survey of 11,000 employees across eight countries by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The report, titled “Four Keys to Boosting Inclusion and Beating Burnout,” reveals that an average of 48% of desk-based and frontline workers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UK, and the US indicate they are grappling with burnout symptoms like exhaustion and disenchantment with their job.
However, the study also found that when employees feel included and valued in the workplace, the likelihood of burnout is cut in half. BCG quantified inclusion using its BLISS Index, a tool measuring factors like access to resources, managerial support, psychological safety, and equal opportunities.
“Inclusion doesn’t end at recruitment. It requires listening to workers on an ongoing basis and addressing their pain points,” said Gabrielle Novacek, a BCG managing director and report co-author. “It must address both the employee offer and the daily experience of employees with their managers.”
The report identified four key sentiments that most impact employees’ overall sense of inclusion: good access to resources, senior managerial support, psychological safety with direct managers, and fair/equal opportunities. Unfortunately, these were also areas where survey respondents showed the lowest satisfaction levels.
Certain groups like women, LGBTQ+ employees, those with disabilities, and deskless workers experienced burnout rates up to 26% higher than others and reported lower feelings of inclusion.
“Businesses in India and globally have a substantial opportunity to improve employee well-being and performance by focusing on the impactful yet currently low-performing sentiments related to inclusion,” said Roshni Rathi, Pride BCG India lead ally and AP DEI topic lead.
The inverse relationship between inclusion and burnout underscores inclusion’s criticality for engaged, productive workforces and avoiding costs like higher attrition, BCG stated. In India specifically, 58% of employees reported burnout, 10 percentage points above the global average.