Highly engaged but burned out: intra-individual profiles in the US workforce

Published in: Career Development International - February 2018

Written by

Julia Moeller, Zorana Ivcevic, Arielle White, Jochen Menges and Marc Brackett

Summary

What we found: We found in a representative sample of the US workforce that almost 20% of employees are not only highly engaged but also highly burned out. Those were also the employees who reported strong intentions to leave the company. This risky combination occurred most often in employees with a challenging but also resourceful job.

Why it matters: We often presume that being highly engaged buffers us from feeling burned out. Our research shows that highly engaged employees might be also the ones who are particularly at risk for feeling burned out and shows that this combination can lead to detrimental consequences.

What next: Companies should not only establish a mentally sustainable work culture but also monitor workloads of highly engaged employees. As leaders have a key role in shaping a sustainable work culture, they should set an example by monitoring their own demands as well