More than half of the U.S. workforce (55%) is experiencing burnout, according to new research from Eagle Hill Consulting, threatening organizational performance, undercutting efficiency, innovation, customer service, and retention. In addition, many employees say their concerns go unaddressed by managers.
These findings are from the Eagle Hill Consulting Workforce Burnout Survey 2025, conducted by Ipsos in November 2025. The survey includes responses from more than 1,400 U.S. employees across a random national sample.
The survey comes as organizations head into the busy holiday season, a time when workloads often spike, customer expectations climb, and employee stress intensifies. For many employers, the end-of-year period magnifies the very pressures that fuel burnout, making the data even more urgent for leaders planning 2026 priorities.
“This research is a wake-up call for employers,” Melissa Jezior, president and CEO of Arlington, VA-based Eagle Hill Consulting, a woman-owned management consulting firm, said in a statement. “Burnout isn’t an employee experience issue, it’s a performance, customer service, and retention issue. Leaders are wise to really dig in and understand the root causes of burnout specific to their organization. Implementing pragmatic strategies will enable employees to optimally perform their job functions, which ultimately drives organization-wide performance.”
Jezior noted that the holiday season is a particularly critical moment for employers.
“For many employers, November and December are the most demanding months of the year. If employees are already burned out before the busy season begins, leaders should expect even deeper performance challenges unless they intervene,” she added.
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The new Eagle Hill Consulting survey finds that burnout’s effects are widespread:
- 72% say burnout diminishes their efficiency.
- 71% say it hurts their overall job performance.
- 65% say it weakens their ability to serve customers.
- 64% say it reduces their ability to innovate.
- 56% say it impacts attendance.
Burnout is also a major driver of turnover. Burnt-out employees are nearly three times more likely to say they plan to leave their employer in the coming year.
Burnout disproportionately affects younger workers, with rates highest among Gen Z (66%), followed by millennials (58%), Gen X (53%), and baby boomers (37%). Burnout is also elevated among fully remote (61%) and hybrid (57%) employees.
Employees attribute burnout equally to the work itself (50%), including workload and work type, and the people aspect of work (50%), such as collaboration, relationships, and team dynamics.
Yet many employees struggle without support. Only 42% of burned-out workers have told their manager about their burnout. Among those who do speak up, 42% say their manager takes no action to help reduce their burnout.
Illustration credit: rudall30/iStock
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