Not So Surprising Statistics

According to an August 2002 Gallup Poll, 31% of U.S. workers are somewhat or completely dissatisfied with the amount of stress they face at work.
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As reported in the Sept. 17 issue of Healthcare, those with white-collar salaried positions had higher stress levels than blue-collar hourly workers.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 67% of American workers are unhappy in their present work situation.
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An article in American Psychologist in 2000 revealed that 26% of adult Americans reported being on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown.
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Seven of the top-selling drugs worldwide are either antidepressants or anti-ulcer medications, and stress is cited as a prime factor in the need for both, noted the journal Behavioral Healthcare earlier this year.
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When asked how much money - base salary plus annual incentives - it would take an employee to leave his or her current position, 54 percent of those polled recently said a mere 5% to 10% would do it, notes global management consulting firm Towers Perrin.
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The American Institute of Stress claims that stress is America's No. 1 health problem, and "job stress is the major culprit."
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A recent study of 5,000 people from a variety of organizations and industries found that only 10% to 20% of the work force was truly "engaged" in its work, productive and generally satisfied with their jobs. A majority of respondents (80% to 90%) were "disengaged."
Dissatisfied employees fell into two categories: "burned out" and "rusted out." Burned-out people suffered from over-engagement, too much work, too little time. Lots of effort and very little reward. The burned-out employees were characterized by disorientation, a loss of passion and an overwhelming sense of tiredness.
The rusted-out employees were using the time to avoid committing more than absolutely necessary to keeping their jobs.
Are you in any of these categories in your work environment - burned out, rusted out, stressed out, unhappy or on the verge of a nervous breakdown? What are you doing about it? And how is it affecting your career?
Day-to-Day Work Life and Stress
The statistics are grim and the story they tell is of a serious malaise in today's workplace. But the other side of the story is the sense people have that they haven't any power to change the situation. Caught up in fear of change and comfortable in the victim's role, many direct marketing professionals are living out days of quiet misery.
Doing enough to get by can describe a new work ethic.

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To me these are not so surprising statistics. Its just plain scary, especially when employers are oblivious and/or could care less as long as their company is existing and they are collecting their compensation.

How can a company survive when the employers themselves don't care and don't have a business plan. Don't they realize that if the employees are burned out and doing just enough to keep their jobs, there can be no growth for the company.

I've been reading about how employees skim minutes off their days by arriving late, leaving early and taking extra time at lunch. They pad their expense checks and call in sick more often than not. At the company I work for the employers are guilty of the same. How can they possibly expect us to give it our all?

Burnout in the workplace seems to be becoming an epidemic.