More Than Half of U.S. Workers Report Burnout, New Eagle Hill Research Finds

Burnout is damaging morale, performance, customer service, and retention, yet nearly half of managers take no action when employees ask for help

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- More than half of the U.S. workforce (55%) is experiencing burnout, according to new research from Eagle Hill Consulting. The findings show that burnout is a threat to organizational performance, undercutting efficiency, innovation, customer service, and retention. Many employees say their concerns go unaddressed by managers.

These findings come 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," said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. "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.

The new Eagle Hill Consulting Workforce Burnout Survey 2025 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.

Since 2020, Eagle Hill has been surveying full-time U.S. employees to better understand worker burnout. 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.

Eagle Hill Consulting LLC is an award-winning business that provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of Organizational Performance, Business Intelligence, Technology Enablement, Talent, and Change Management. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global nonprofits. Eagle Hill has offices in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Boston, MA, and Seattle, WA. More information is available at www.eaglehillconsulting.com.

SOURCE Eagle Hill Consulting LLC