More than half of UK professionals say they are experiencing workplace burnout, with heavier workloads caused by understaffing emerging as the most common pressure in new research from Robert Half.
The talent solutions and business consulting company found that 55% of UK respondents reported burnout, compared with an average of 48% across the nine countries included in its research. The UK recorded the fourth-highest proportion, behind Canada at 62%, and the United States and Brazil, both at 59%.
Workload pressure was the most frequently cited cause. Some 54% of UK respondents experiencing burnout pointed to heavier workloads because of understaffing, while 39% linked it to lower team morale after restructuring or workforce reductions. A further 39% said they felt stuck in their careers.
Robert Half surveyed 1,000 employed professionals in the UK as part of a wider study across nine international markets. Respondents rated their level of burnout from one to ten, with scores from six upwards classified as burnout for the analysis.
Matt Weston, Senior Managing Director for the UK and Ireland at Robert Half, said: “Burnout is clearly no longer an issue affecting a small group of employees. When more than half of professionals say they’re experiencing it, employers recognise it as a workforce issue with implications for productivity, retention and long-term business performance.”
The results come as employers continue to balance staffing costs with productivity expectations. Where vacancies remain unfilled or headcount falls without a corresponding reduction in workload, the remaining team can absorb more responsibility for longer periods.
Official figures underline the scale of the wider problem. The Health and Safety Executive estimates that 964,000 workers in Great Britain suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25. Those conditions accounted for 22.1 million lost working days.
Robert Half’s findings also suggest that workload is only part of the picture. Nearly four in ten respondents connected burnout with lower morale following restructuring or labour reductions, indicating that the effects of organisational change can continue after the formal process has ended.
Career progression presents another pressure. The same proportion said feeling stuck professionally contributed to their burnout, raising questions about how businesses retain people when promotion opportunities or pay budgets are constrained.
Weston said employers should look beyond support offered after problems have developed and examine whether workloads, staffing levels and expectations are sustainable. Robert Half recommends regular reviews of workforce capacity, clearer workload prioritisation and ongoing conversations about career development.
Managers also have a central role. The research recommends equipping line managers to identify signs of burnout and providing additional support during periods of organisational change, when uncertainty and additional workload can combine.
Those interventions are closely linked to workforce planning. Businesses reducing costs through restructuring may achieve immediate savings, but persistent pressure on the remaining workforce can create other costs through absence, reduced productivity and employee turnover.
The research was released ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, but the figures point to a longer-term management issue. More than half of the UK professionals surveyed are reporting burnout at a time when many employers are asking teams to absorb technological change, restructuring and tighter resource allocation.
Whether those demands remain manageable depends in large part on how organisations set priorities, allocate people and create realistic expectations around what existing teams can deliver.
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