In a Tight Labor Market, Employees Bear the Burden

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Ryan Pendell

Fifty-eight percent of employees say their organization has asked workers to take on additional responsibilities, according to Gallup’s first-quarter survey of the U.S. workforce.

This comes in the middle of a tight labor market. Job openings remain high, and layoffs have fallen below 2019 levels , according to the BLS. 1

The Busy Few

One consequence of a labor shortage is a higher demand for individual worker productivity. Employers look to their current workforce to fill the gaps of essential job openings that remain unfilled.

However, the risk is increased employee stress and burnout. When employees say that their organization has asked them to take on additional responsibilities, they are also:

2.5x as likely to feel burned out at work very often or always

55% more likely to watch for or actively seek a new job

39% less likely to be engaged at work

half as likely to think their employer cares about their wellbeing

Feedback loop : Employers are in danger of overloading their people, leading to increased sick days, disgruntled employees and departures, making their workforce problems even worse than before.

Fit New Work to Individual Strengths and Aspirations

The current labor shortage is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Forty-eight percent of senior leaders and team managers say that their organization is hiring new people and expanding the size of their workforce.

Forty-four percent of Fortune 500 CHROs agree.

In order to grow, employers need to increase the productivity of their people -- without burning them out or driving them to competitors. That means maximizing human potential in sustainable ways .

Keep this in mind: New responsibilities can supercharge career development, if communicated clearly and structured carefully. When possible, roles and responsibilities should be customized to match individual talents to organizational needs. Team leaders should assign new work with an eye toward individual strengths. When people have the chance to do things they are naturally good at , they are less stressed, even as they accomplish more.

Maximize your employees’ potential.

Use CliftonStrengths to match organizational needs to your employees’ natural talents.

Develop an employee experience strategy to better support and retain your workers.

Discover the key factors influencing employee retention and attraction now and in the future.

Author(s)

Ryan Pendell is a Workplace Science Writer at Gallup.

References and Survey Methods

1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/jlt/latest-numbers.htm.

The Gallup CHRO Roundtable Q2 Survey. June 26-July 8, 2023. N-Size=135

Results for this Gallup poll are based on self-administered web surveys conducted each quarter in 2023. Q1 surveys were conducted Feb. 6-20, 2023, with a random sample of 18,943 adults who are aged 18 and older, working full time or part time for organizations in the United States, and members of the Gallup Panel. For results based on this sample, the margin of sampling error is ±1.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For results based on the total sample of U.S. leaders and managers, the margin of sampling error is ±2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Gallup uses probability-based, random sampling methods to recruit its panel members.

Gallup weighted the obtained samples to correct for nonresponse. Nonresponse adjustments were made by adjusting the sample to match the national demographics of gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education and region. Demographic weighting targets were based on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. population. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Subscribe to the Gallup at Work newsletter to create an exceptional workplace.

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Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter. Share on LinkedIn. Share via Email. Print. Ryan Pendell. Fifty-eight percent of employees say their organization has asked workers to take on additional responsibilities, according to Gallup’s first-quarter survey of the U.S. workforce. This comes in the middle of a tight labor market. Job openings remain high, and layoffs have fallen below 2019 levels , according to the BLS. 1. The Busy Few. One consequence of a labor shortage is a higher demand for individual worker productivity. Employers look to their current workforce to fill the gaps of essential job openings that remain unfilled. However, the risk is increased employee stress and burnout. When employees say that their organization has asked them to take on additional responsibilities, they are also: 2.5x as likely to feel burned out at work very often or always. 55% more likely to watch for or actively seek a new job. 39% less likely to be engaged at work. half as likely to think their employer cares about their wellbeing. Feedback loop : Employers are in danger of overloading their people, leading to increased sick days, disgruntled employees and departures, making their workforce problems even worse than before. Fit New Work to Individual Strengths and Aspirations. The current labor shortage is unlikely to change anytime soon. Forty-eight percent of senior leaders and team managers say that their organization is hiring new people and expanding the size of their workforce. Forty-four percent of Fortune 500 CHROs agree. In order to grow, employers need to increase the productivity of their people -- without burning them out or driving them to competitors. That means maximizing human potential in sustainable ways . Keep this in mind: New responsibilities can supercharge career development, if communicated clearly and structured carefully. When possible, roles and responsibilities should be customized to match individual talents to organizational needs. Team leaders should assign new work with an eye toward individual strengths. When people have the chance to do things they are naturally good at , they are less stressed, even as they accomplish more. Maximize your employees’ potential. Use CliftonStrengths to match organizational needs to your employees’ natural talents. Develop an employee experience strategy to better support and retain your workers. Discover the key factors influencing employee retention and attraction now and in the future. Author(s) Ryan Pendell is a Workplace Science Writer at Gallup. References and Survey Methods. 1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/jlt/latest-numbers.htm. The Gallup CHRO Roundtable Q2 Survey. June 26-July 8, 2023. N-Size=135. Results for this Gallup poll are based on self-administered web surveys conducted each quarter in 2023. Q1 surveys were conducted Feb. 6-20, 2023, with a random sample of 18,943 adults who are aged 18 and older, working full time or part time for organizations in the United States, and members of the Gallup Panel. For results based on this sample, the margin of sampling error is ±1.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For results based on the total sample of U.S. leaders and managers, the margin of sampling error is ±2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Gallup uses probability-based, random sampling methods to recruit its panel members. Gallup weighted the obtained samples to correct for nonresponse. Nonresponse adjustments were made by adjusting the sample to match the national demographics of gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education and region. Demographic weighting targets were based on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. population. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. Subscribe to the Gallup at Work newsletter to create an exceptional workplace. ( * ) Required. * Country or Region Select One United States of America Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory (the) Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands (the) Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands (the) Colombia Comoros Congo (Kinshasa) Congo Brazzaville Cook Islands (the) Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic People's Republic of Korea Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (the) [Malvinas] Faroe Islands Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories (the) Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong S.A.R. of China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao S.A.R. of China Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands (Kingdom of the) New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthelemy Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan (Province of China) Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkiye Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Related Topics Include: All Gallup Headlines. Article. Employee Experience. Gallup Panel. Workplace.