In a Dec. 13 research overview, Gallup underscored the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for employee well-being — particularly for mitigating burnout.
Notably, 3 in 10 U.S. workers surveyed by Gallup said that they are burned out. Employees who reported feeling discriminated against in the previous 12 months were more than twice as likely to report high levels of burnout.
Where does DEI factor in? More focus on inclusion and belonging can foster a greater sense of respect among all workers at a company.
“Everyone wants to feel like they are part of their organization — that they matter and belong,” Ellyn Maese, a Gallup senior research consultant, and Katelyn Hedrick, a workplace research intern, said in the report. “Employees who strongly agree that they are accepted and valued as a person are 52% less likely to be feeling high levels of burnout. Similarly, employees who report feeling like a valued member of their team are 57% less likely to be experiencing burnout.”
Notably, the Society for Human Resource Management reported in October that 65% of employers in their survey said DEI matters, and yet 63% also said their company allots “little to no resources” to DEI. In turn, inclusion and belonging strategy — in this case, making employees feel valued — can be as simple as ensuring every team or project member’s voice is heard, Maese and Hedrick continued.
Additionally, access is a key issue at the intersection of burnout and DEI, researchers said. Respondents who felt like they had the same opportunities for advancement as their coworkers were 43% less likely to report feeling burned out “very often” or “always.” The overview authors noted a Gallup Center on Black Voices study that traced the link between exclusion, burnout and attrition, and Black identity.
“The perception of a promising, equitable future may be even more important for Black employees. Black employees who strongly agree that they have the same opportunities for advancement as other employees are 55% less likely to report feeling burned out ‘very often’ or ‘always,’” Maese and Hedrick added. “When it comes to strongly agreeing that they have an equal opportunity to advance to senior management within their organization, 43% of Black employees report being less likely to report high levels of burnout.”
