A growing number of survey results show Generation Z is more likely than other generations to experience burnout at work.

On Oct. 12, local time, online media outlet Gigazine reported that Nitin Deka (니틴 데카), a social work lecturer at the University of Guelph-Humber in Canada, stressed that Gen Z burnout should not be seen only as an issue of individual adaptability. Rather than dismissing Gen Z workers as a generation that demands excessive work-life balance, he said their exhaustion should be taken as a warning sign exposing problems in workplace environments.

In a study that measured burnout among UK workers for 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic began, 80 percent of Gen Z respondents reported burnout. A survey of more than 13,000 people in 11 countries also found Gen Z feels burnout more easily than other generations. In a 2022 international happiness survey, about one quarter of respondents aged 18 to 24 said they were experiencing unbearable stress, and 98 percent said they had experienced burnout at least once.

Deka said burnout can appear when the gap widens between expectations about work and actual demands. He said exhaustion becomes more severe when the scope of work is unclear or workloads are excessive and resources and skills to handle them are lacking.

The symptoms do not stop at fatigue. People may become cynical about work, treat others impersonally, and see lower levels of accomplishment and self-efficacy.

A major backdrop cited was the rapid change in working conditions before and after the pandemic. Many in Gen Z entered society during a period when social distancing and isolation became routine. As work processes and job requirements changed quickly, opportunities to learn naturally through interaction with colleagues shrank, increasing the burden of adaptation, it said.

Economic pressure is also a factor that adds to exhaustion. Rising prices and living costs affected all generations, but became a more direct burden for young people just starting their working lives. Higher housing costs, unstable employment and widening economic disparities were also cited as factors increasing anxiety among Gen Z.

Restructuring of work driven by the spread of artificial intelligence also had an impact. Ann Kowal Smith (앤 코월 스미스), a workplace strategist, said Gen Z started its careers under hybrid work that weakened connections among colleagues, automated environments where it is difficult to learn work context, and leaders with little room to show their decision-making processes. She said that as job roles and employment structures change, Gen Z must respond to new roles and expectations without enough opportunity to learn and adapt.

Measures individuals can try include reducing isolation and setting boundaries between work and life. That includes increasing everyday interaction, such as briefly talking with colleagues after meetings or having coffee together once a week. It also said it is necessary to make time in schedules for personal life rather than continuously sacrificing privacy to boost performance.

Still, individual efforts alone have limits. Deka stressed that employers should provide mental health support and flexible working, and managers should clearly present job scope and the level of expectations. He also proposed putting in place a system to check whether work is excessively concentrated on specific employees and to redistribute it when needed.

Deka said these changes can help reduce burnout and raise employees' engagement with their work. He said creating a workplace where Gen Z can work well ultimately leads to a better workplace for all generations.