A new report finds employees may be feeling pressured to accept additional workload. HCAMag reports that nearly all US employees are experiencing burnout due to accepting additional work, according to a new report from LiveCareer.
The report surveyed approximately 1,160 workers and found that 77% are requested weekly to do additional work beyond what is normally expected. Another 36% said they receive these requests daily.
More than 93% of employees experience burnout as a result, including 59% who said this is a result of not being able to say no.
Accepting extra work
So, why can’t you say no? More than half of the surveyed employees feel pressured to accept the tasks.
Approximately a third said that accepting extra work can help their skill development and may potentially result in financial rewards such as bonuses or raises (32%).
Accepting more work isn’t a foreign concept. Previous findings highlighted that some employees take on more tasks due to fears of potential layoffs or termination.
According to LiveCareer, the types of work that employees accept include:
- Coordination of work events (37%)
- Administrative duties (37%)
- Another department’s jobs (34%)
- Overtime (32%)
- Tasks from vacant positions (29%)
- Training colleagues (28%)
- Covering for absent coworkers (28%)
LiveCareer’s career expert, Jasmine Escalera, said that extra work can be a stepping stone for career growth but noted that this could lead to other consequences.
“Balancing additional tasks with core responsibilities can lead to burnout and job dissatisfaction for some, especially when expectations are unclear or unfairly distributed,” Escalera said.
Also read: Ex-hedge fund EA opens up on burnout | Executive PA Media