Workers around the globe have something in common: they’re exhausted. In 29 out of 30 countries, more than a third of respondents to a McKinsey Health Institute survey of 30,000 employees reported experiencing fatigue. Senior partner Drew Ungerman and coauthors explain that workplace “enablers” aimed at offsetting job demands, such as career customization and access to health resources, could improve workers’ job satisfaction.

Although the global level of burnout is around 20 percent, cognitive and emotional impairment, exhaustion, and mental distance vary by country.

Image description:

Area squares show a percentage of global respondents’ reported experience of burnout symptoms, including exhaustion, mental distance, cognitive impairment, and emotional impairment. Symptom squares are arranged around a central square representing an integrated view of burnout symptoms, to form a stress map. Below that, similar stress maps represent the burnout symptoms for 30 countries around the world. Countries reporting high stress and burnout include Saudi Arabia, Chile, and India. Countries reporting low stress and burnout include Cameroon, Colombia, and the Netherlands.

Footnote: Data on cognitive impairment, emotional impairment, exhaustion, and mental distance represent percentage of respondents scoring average of ≥3 (scale of 1–5) on items for each dimension. Data on burnout symptoms represent percentage of respondents scoring average of ≥3 across all 4 dimensions.

Source: McKinsey Health Institute Employee Holistic Health Survey, 30,392 participants at all levels of the organization, Apr–Jun 2023.

End of image description.

To read the article, see “Reframing employee health: Moving beyond burnout to holistic health,” November 2, 2023.