Why employers are bracing themselves for employee 'burnout'

Recruiter Robert Half said its research also suggested that most employers are worried about the impact remote working is having on staff loyalty and corporate culture.

Nine out of 10 of 300 chief executives and other senior managers surveyed said they were wary about their company’s ability to retain valued staff.

Maintaining corporate culture was now the most significant retention concern across businesses, said the report.

Almost a third of those surveyed said their largest concern about staff retention was dissatisfaction with corporate culture.

Business leaders said remote working has led to fewer integration activities at work, less teamwork and a growing distance between colleagues, all impacting on their company culture.

Robert Half said that with more than two in five of the UK’s workforce agreeing that flexible working should be offered as standard, employers are faced with striking a delicate balance to maintain loyalty.

Nearly half of employers have added remote working to their benefits packages in the last year, and now business leaders must make a choice between permanently revising contracts to offer hybrid perks or reducing flexibility to encourage a return to the office, said the report.

Matt Weston, Robert Half’s UK managing director, said: “Candidates are demanding flexible working conditions and businesses are delivering, but concerns are starting to emerge about the impact of home-working on corporate culture, leaving businesses between a rock and a hard place.

“It is crucial that business leaders find a way to balance flexibility with the culture and communication required to create a loyal and cohesive team.”

He added: “We’re already seeing a tsunami of turnover as employees shift their priorities and expectations in the wake of the pandemic, so business leaders need to listen carefully to strike the right balance and prevent their best talent from jumping ship.”

The report from the recruiter added that after 18 months of working from home, nearly half of employers are bracing themselves for widespread employee burnout in 2022.

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