A new report has found that women still face many challenges at work, including higher rates of burnout, a lack of freedom and greater financial stress compared to their male colleagues.
The survey of 1,000 Brits, commissioned by Employment Hero, found that 69% of women experience burnout in the workplace. Of these, 18% say they’ve felt stressed at work every day for three months, twice the amount of men.
The rates were noticeably lower for men, though still high, with 56% saying they’ve experienced burnout and 9% saying they’ve felt stressed at work every day for the past three months.
Three times as many men have never felt stressed at work over the same period compared to women (9% vs 3%). Women are also more likely to take stress-related or burnout leave at 36%, compared to 32% of men.
Despite feeling more stressed and burned out, women are disproportionately affected by the cost of living, according to the data. Nearly half of women, 48%, say they ‘aren’t on track’ with their financial goals, almost twice the number of men, at 27%.
The State of Wellbeing at Work report looked at industries such as banking and financial services, education and training, engineering, legal, real estate and property, sales, trades and services, and self-employment.
It also included entry-level through to senior executive roles, employment status, small to large companies and other demographics including parents and non-parents as well as remote and flexible hybrid working arrangements.
Clair Flynn, Employment Hero UK HR Lead, says the report shows there’s still a long way to go before closing the mental health gap.
Clair says, “It’s concerning that many employees across the board face burnout and financial insecurity. Clearly, there’s a need for increased support. We hope this report highlights the current market conditions and offers valuable insights for employers and employees to foster positive change and improved outcomes for everyone.”
Employers and managers could be doing more to support women.
The data shows that women don’t feel as comfortable as men talking to their manager about a disagreement with a colleague, personal financial concerns, professional stress and burnout, or the end of a marriage or long-term relationship.
Women also feel less comfortable (41%) providing feedback about the workplace to management or HR than men (48%).
Clair says, “It’s disheartening that less than half of employees are comfortable speaking with their management or HR teams. Open and direct lines of communication are the first step in understanding and addressing issues in the workplace.”
“However, sometimes this can be easier said than done. When mounting pressure comes from all areas of life, reaching out to your manager can feel like an impossible task – especially if the concerns are particularly personal.”
“While setting up monthly check-ins is a step in the right direction, they can sometimes become routine and fail to address deeper issues. We are all unique, so we can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to communication.”
Women also struggle more with work-life balance.
More than half of men in the UK (59%), agree that they’re happy with their overall mental health compared to less than half of women (44%), as well as being happier with their physical health than women (63% vs 46%).
Men also feel more productive, have more time to relax and dedicate to their hobbies and interests than their female counterparts.
Meanwhile, half of women and nearly half of men agree that the number one perk outside of pay that would convince them to work for a company is remote and flexible work options.
Clair says, “Often, women are the primary caregivers, and it can feel like they’re ‘on’ seven days a week with little to no time to decompress. This could be heightened by the cost of living crisis as childcare in the UK has risen significantly, meaning the extra care provided by institutions may no longer be accessible.”
“This is why flexible working options are so important. They give working parents the chance at an exciting career, without sacrificing important family moments like the school pickup. Remote work can help all employees achieve a better work-life balance and reduce burnout.”
