Employee burnout is rising again in 2025. More employees are feeling the effects of chronic stress and exhaustion, with the highest burnout rates among Gen Z, mid-level managers, and caregivers. While awareness has grown, most employers still miss key risks, and many benefits go unused.
This article explores the latest research on workplace burnout in 2025, including what’s driving it, who’s most affected, and how employers can respond to protect performance, retention, and morale.
What is workplace burnout, and what’s driving it in 2025?
Employee burnout can happen when the pressures inside and outside of work start to outweigh the support employees receive. It shows up as exhaustion, stress, and a sense of being stuck or disconnected. Over time, burnout can drain motivation, impact performance, and take a toll on people’s health, at work and at home.
Research shows workplace burnout is at record levels. Forbes recently reported that 66% of U.S. employees are burned out. Another report shows 79% of full-time workers say they’re burned out. And Fortune reported that up to 82% of employees are at risk. These employee burnout statistics show just how widespread the problem has become.
The leading causes of employee burnout in 2025 include:
- Work-life imbalance 34%
- Heavy workloads 35%
- Long hours 58%
Remote and hybrid workers face added stressors, from digital fatigue to unclear boundaries to isolation. And women are especially affected: 46% report burnout, compared to 37% of men.
The following trends point to a growing epidemic of stress and burnout in the workplace, where a shortage of employer support is fueling chronic worker burnout and disengagement.
Trend #1: Younger workers are burning out faster
Burnout is hitting Gen Z (ages 18–27) and millennials (ages 28–43) harder than any other group. Many are still establishing themselves at work while navigating debt, economic uncertainty, and caregiving responsibilities. Our 2025 Employee Caregiver Top Needs Report shows Gen Z and millennial caregivers:
- are twice as likely to say caregiving affects their focus at work
- report childcare disruptions as their biggest source of work stress
58% of Gen Z say burnout is a top reason for job dissatisfaction, and they’re more likely to leave roles that lack flexibility, caregiver support, or mental health resources.
What employers can do:
Support starts with recognizing the load younger workers carry. That means offering flexible schedules, childcare navigation, and benefits that support life outside of work, so people can grow without burning out.
Trend #2: Caregiver burnout is still flying under the radar
Caregivers now represent 73% of the U.S. workforce, balancing jobs alongside responsibilities for a child, partner, parent, or loved one. Despite being among the most burned-out employees, they’re often overlooked in workplace burnout strategies.
Research shows:
- 83% of employees who pay for care say caregiving increases their burnout
- 64% report higher stress levels
- 40% have lower job satisfaction
- Nearly 1 in 5 have quit a job due to a lack of support
Caregivers are also more likely to use mental health benefits, and twice as likely to leave if those benefits fall short.
What employers can do:
Build caregiving support into your core benefits strategy. Support should include paid leave, flexible schedules, and care provider navigation. When employees can manage life, they’re more present and productive at work.
Trend #3: Managers are feeling the heat
It’s not just individual contributors who are burned out at work. Managers are under intense pressure, with 82% feeling burned out—a higher rate than entry-level employees (73%). These burned-out employees often sit in middle management, where expectations are high and resources are thin. They’re balancing team dynamics, performance targets, organizational change, and personal responsibilities, often with limited support.
Many managers are also part of the sandwich generation, caring for both children and aging parents. According to Cariloop’s 2025 report:
- 78% of caregiving managers say it affects their focus at work
- 52% of sandwich generation employees report feeling distracted, anxious, or overwhelmed at work due to care responsibilities
Despite these pressures, most managers aren’t trained to support others’ mental health, or their own. They’re asked to model balance and catch burnout warning signs, often without tools to do so. When managers burn out, it affects whole teams through disengagement, turnover, and low morale.
What employers can do:
If managers are expected to support others, they need practical support themselves. That includes real-world tools, training, and benefits that ease their mental load, especially for those balancing work and life in every direction.
Mental health benefits aren’t doing enough
Employees value mental health support, but most aren’t using what’s available. A 2025 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) poll reveals that 91% of employees feel mental health benefits are important, but only 1 in 5 has tried to use them. Usage is higher among high-stress groups: 28% of working caregivers, 27% of LGBTQ+ workers, 26% of Gen Z employees.
So why the gap? Many employees aren’t sure where to start, worry about judgment, or don’t have time to search for support. And those who need help most often face overlapping pressures. A new parent might be juggling postpartum needs and daycare searches. A manager might be managing a team while also arranging care for an aging loved one and advocating for a neurodivergent child. Standard programs don’t always account for this complexity.
This disconnect highlights why even the best-intentioned benefits may not help burned-out employees if they’re too hard to access or poorly communicated.
The business cost of workplace burnout
Burnout takes a toll on performance, health, and retention. For many companies, the cost of employee burnout shows up in everything from absenteeism to disengagement. Recent estimates show that disengagement tied to burnout can cost a 1,000-person company up to $5 million annually in absenteeism, turnover, and lost productivity.
Supportive cultures pay off. Companies that prioritize well-being see a 67% boost in performance and are 21% more productive. Still, most employers haven’t adapted—A Mercer report reveals fewer than half have redesigned work with well-being in mind, and fewer than one-third view burnout as a substantive risk.
What employers can do now
Burnout is a structural problem, not a personal failing. Solving it takes more than perks or wellness apps. To make real progress:
| What you can do: | What it means: |
| Identify high-risk groups | Younger workers, caregivers, and managers |
| Set better boundaries | Reassess workloads, communication norms, and after-hours expectations |
| Support care responsibilities | Offer flexible leave, Backup Care, and access to care guidance |
| Normalize mental health support | Make benefits visible, accessible, and manager-endorsed |
| Redesign work for human capacity | Align expectations and feedback cycles with how people actually function |
Learn more about how to reduce workplace burnout with targeted support for working caregivers, managers, and beyond.
Explore Cariloop’s Caregiver Support Platform or connect with our team today.