Young employees are burned out and eager to return to the office

Closeup of sad young Asian woman at cafe leaning head on clasped hands and staring into vacancy. Tired freelancer feeling burnout. Stress and bad news concept

Young employees are burned out and eager to return to the office, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by Glassdoor, found that working from home due to COVID-19 has had a disproportionately negative impact on young employees in the UK.

Over half of employees, aged 18-24 who were surveyed, were keen to return to the office, more than double the average of 26 per cent for all employees.

According to the survey, working from home does not generally seem to have been as beneficial for younger employees. Three quarters of those aged 18-24 say they feel burned out from working from home during the pandemic, compared to 39 per cent of those aged 45-54 and 28 per cent of those aged 55-64.

Younger employees also feel that working from home on an ongoing basis would have a negative impact on their career prospects: 65 per cent feel it would impact their training and development and 64 per cent worry it would affect their chances of getting a promotion.

Speaking about the findings, Joe Wiggins, Director at Glassdoor, said, “It seems we may have a two-speed return to work based on how far people are into their careers.”

“Young employees will be flocking back to the office to get their careers and social lives back on track.”

“Older workers with more experience are less keen to rush back, being more concerned about the commute and feeling less impacted by burnout.”

“The number one concern though for young employees upon their return?”

“Having to make themselves look presentable and dress up for work.”

“It goes to show that Zoom meetings definitely have their advantages.”


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About the author

Alison is the Digital Content Editor for WeAreTheCity. She has a BA Honours degree in Journalism and History from the University of Portsmouth. She has previously worked in the marketing sector and in a copywriting role. Alison’s other passions and hobbies include writing, blogging and travelling.
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