Workers can take only so much stress, and burnout occurs when workers face a chronic, unmanageable amount. The past couple of years have been stressful for workers. They are less optimistic about their company’s business outlooks and worried about potential or ongoing layoffs. In this research, we explore trends in Glassdoor reviews related to burnout.
Burnout rates continued rising into 2026
Workers mention burnout in Glassdoor reviews at much higher rates than they did before the pandemic, and those rates continued their climb. Burnout appears 2.5x more in reviews than before the pandemic in 2019, and were up 65% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026.
Burnout mentions first climbed in mid-2021, appearing about 50% more than they had previously. This rate remained steady for a few years, but began climbing again in 2024. Last year saw the sharpest increase yet, as companies sought to contain costs and asked employees to adapt to an increasingly uncertain labor market.
Read More: https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/worker-burnout-2026/