The Pandemic Isn't Causing Overwork; Your Boss Is

By Sophie Vershbow, Newsweek

In a recent study of 31,000 people across 31 countries, Microsoft found that more than 40 percent of the global workforce is considering leaving their current position. This study––and one glance at social media or a group chat––reveals a burned-out workforce at the end of its rope, which was already frayed before the COVID-19 pandemic set it on fire.

“Burnout has been a rapidly evolving issue for years, but the pandemic just exacerbated an already massive problem,” said Jennifer Moss, award-winning journalist and author of the new book The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It. “Essentially, since we hadn’t addressed burnout in a real way before the pandemic hit, we missed an opportunity to prevent the extremely challenging experience of work today.”