Pandemic Burnout: 60% Of Professionals Are Working More Hours

Six months into the pandemic, and there is no sight of life as it was. Burn out is becoming an increasingly common workplace experience as professionals remain isolated from coworkers, friends, and loved ones. On Blind, an anonymous professional network, with 3.6M verified users, we asked our app users 4 questions:

1. During WFH, overall you feel:
2. During WFH, overall you are:
3. Are you doing any of the following activities to avoiding burnout:
4. Do you feel that your  managers/employers are understanding of your mental health needs during WFH?

Key Findings 10/01-10/06 (3,023 responses)

• During WFH, 68% of professionals feel more burned out than when they did while working in an office
  • During WFH, 81% of Facebook professionals feel more burned out than when they did while working in an office
  • During WFH, 79% of Google professionals feel more burned out than when they did while working in an office
• During WFH, 60% of professionals are working more hours 
  • During WFH, 67% of Amazon professionals are working more hours 
  • During WFH, 70% of Microsoft professionals are working more hours 
  • During WFH, 80% of Paypal professionals are working more hours 
• 42% of professionals are doing a combination of taking PTO, dining out, exercising and hobbies to avoid burning out
  • 0% of JPM Chase & Co. professionals reported taking PTO
• 51% of professionals feel that their employers are understanding of their mental health needs during WFH
  • However, 65% of Paypal professionals responded “No” when asked if their employers are understanding of their mental health needs during WFH
  • 57% of Amazon professionals also  responded “No”

You can see the report highlighting the overall responses here.

You can link to our blog for the data here.

A user at Microsoft shared “I have been working day and night for the last year now. I have reached a point where I am unable to finish simple tasks because I keep procrastinating. I did this hard work for a promotion and just got one. To my surprise, the extra money is no longer making me happy. I cannot take OOFs because the product I’m working on right now is at its crucial stages. I have no time and energy to spend with my spouse. This is the first time I am experiencing something like this. What should I do?” 

It has become a tired phase, but these are uncertain times. Uncertainty drives anxiety — an emotion neuroscientists are trying to understand better, and psychologists are trying to treat better. However, these emotions also tie to professional burnout.  

Are you feeling burnt out? Do you have tips to combat it? Join the conversation, download the Blind app.