With major news and cultural outlets regularly publishing workplace burnout advice and exploring what a work-life balance can look like in 2023, these subjects have unfortunately retained a cultural staying power. They’re important issues that have yet to be solved at the societal level.
To gain a sense of how present these topics are at the moment, and how that may have changed over the course of the last 12 months, Nigel Frank International, a Tenth Revolution Group company, has gathered new data on Google search volumes and trends.
Google searches around burnout
| Search Term | Avg. Monthly Search Volume | Trend (Last 12 Months) |
| burnout | 823,000 | 0% |
| burnout symptoms | 74,000 | 0% |
| what is burnout | 22,000 | +22% |
| how to deal with burnout | 8,100 | 0% |
| what does burnout feel like | 3,600 | 0% |
Google searches around work-life balance
| Search Term | Avg. Monthly Search Volume | Trend (Last 12 Months) |
| work-life balance | 201,000 | 0% |
| work-life balance how to | 201,000 | 0% |
| work-life balance meaning | 12,100 | +22% |
| is work-life balance important | 5,400 | +22% |
| work-life balance examples | 2,900 | +24% |
Responding to this new data, Nigel Frank International Chairman and CEO James Lloyd-Townshend commented: “The stability in how these search terms are trending, with many of them neither up nor down over the last twelve months, is a reminder that burnout has been a critical topic for some time now. That’s still the case, and it’s still something we need to solve at the broader cultural level.
“It would’ve been great to see these search volumes around burnout trending downwards, but there’s obviously still work to do. The upward trend for some of the terms related to work-life balance indicates we are seeing a broadening of the conversation, which is hopefully a good thing. The more we can normalise the idea of work-life balance, the better.”
We’ve identified three burnout avoidance strategies that employers can implement now to benefit their employees’ well-being:
Flexible Work Arrangements: Offer adjustable hours to support a healthier work-life balance. Encourage breaks and unplugging from work during non-working hours.
Employee Wellness Programmes: Implement wellness programmes focusing on physical and mental health, including fitness facilities, mental health resources, and group activities like yoga or meditation.
Regular Feedback and Support: Foster open communication between managers and employees through regular check-ins, constructive feedback, and recognition of achievements. Encourage employees to voice concerns and to discuss workloads openly, creating a more supportive work environment.
