Introduction

Burnout is a term that’s been a bit of a hot topic for a few years now. As job industries become more competitive and people start to test their capabilities, many are feeling the pressure to work harder and suffering burnout as a result. 

“Women are significantly more likely to suffer from burnout and hybrid positions actually facilitate this even faster,” says Adelle Archer, CEO and Co-Founder of Eterneva. “Hybrid positions are great (in theory) because they’re flexible and allow for some work from home time while also providing the office community of an in-person job. However, the balance required to work a hybrid job is often a bit more than people realize and this can be significantly more stressful for women.”

So why is burnout higher among female hybrid workers? Check out some of the reasons below.

Parenthood Pressures

Many women feel the societal and emotional pressures that come with working and having a family. Hybrid positions can be a wonderful solution to this problem, but they can also add a lot of stress that can lead to burnout. From managing the kids to trying to get things done around the house while keeping up with work, it can simply become overwhelming.

“There’s this pressure on women today that they have to be able to do it all,” says Theresia Le Battistini, CEO and Founder of Fashion League. “You feel judged if your kid is in daycare all day, but you also feel responsible for bringing in income to support your children. It’s a balance many women struggle with so at first glance, a hybrid job sounds perfect. Working from home part-time means they still get a paycheck and don’t have to put the kids in daycare or after-school programs every day. However, working while taking care of a family is nearly impossible and many are left feeling that they’re failing at both tasks instead.”

Underutilization

Female workers, unfortunately, are still typically underutilized in the workplace. This may be an honest mistake because employers are trying to prevent things like an overwhelming work-family balance, but sometimes underutilization can cause burnout too.

“If you feel like you’re not accomplishing enough in your job because you’re not being assigned enough work to occupy your time, you can burn yourself out very quickly looking for things to do,” says Christy Pyrz, Chief Marketing Officer of Paradigm Peptides. “Women are often less likely to be promoted to higher positions or given projects that they are perfectly qualified for. It’s a gap that needs to be closed because underutilization is a great way to facilitate the burnout of what could be your best employees – if you’d give them a chance.”

Supporting Each Other

This seems like it would be a positive thing and not something that would cause burnout. Women, statistically, are more likely to notice and support their female counterparts who are struggling to juggle the other issues on this list. Because of the natural desire to band together and support one another in the workplace, they put more pressure on themselves to help.

“We’ve all heard the saying ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’”, says Alexandra Fennell, Co-Founder of Attn:Grace. “Female workers – especially hybrid – are much more likely to face these feelings of burnout and turn to their female coworkers for support. When employers don’t provide productive ways for women to fight burnout through open communication and supportive measures, they’re inviting a burnout cycle where women who are already feeling burnt out are now trying to help others not feel burnt out too.”

Prove Their Worth

Women in the workplace often feel the need to prove they’re worth the pay that they’re receiving to a higher degree than men. When you’re working in the office, this can be a bit easier because people can pop by and see what you’re up to. However, the hybrid work environment is a bit different.

“Both hybrid and remote positions add a bit of stress to women in terms of proving their work quality and ethic,” says Lina Miranda, VP of Marketing of AdQuick. “Women already feel this pressure to prove they’re worth a salary that’s already likely lower than their male counterparts, and that’s only exemplified when they’re working from outside of the office. They feel the need to justify their position and often put too much pressure on themselves to work harder than they would if they were just going into the office.”

FOMO

This doesn’t necessarily sound like a workplace issue, but more than 60% of women who are working in hybrid positions – especially if it is an optional work format – often feel like they’re missing out on meetings, events, and chances of promotion. For some women, the only way they can work a job is if it’s in a hybrid format. However, they may feel that their coworkers who go to work in the office are more likely to be recognized for their work or receive benefits because they’re on workplace property more frequently.

“This isn’t exclusive to women, but women are more likely to have to make the choice to work in a hybrid format to balance family or even their personal priorities,” says Gigi Ji, Head of Brand and Business Development of Kokolu. “Even if they’re choosing to work from home on occasion, they are more likely to feel like they’re missing out on important things at the office and they’re lacking those connections that the in-person staff is experiencing. This can lead to a fear of missing opportunities or promotions in the future which can cause a lot of stress.

Conclusion

Hybrid positions have become more and more popular over the last couple of years. However, the burnout rate for women has increased along with that statistic. There are many reasons women are more likely to burn out in a hybrid workplace.

First, women have a lot of pressure to balance family and work. They feel societal pressures that men simply don’t face along with the pressure to do enough to prove their worth while supporting their female coworkers who are also facing these pressures. All of these things combined with their fear of missing a promotion can lead to a very overwhelming work setup.

Underutilization is also a major component that companies need to examine. Women are more likely to be passed upon a promotion (which only justifies their FOMO). While they may not be given a heavy workload because you’re trying to be considerate of their other pressures, this needs to be a communicated idea to make sure that’s actually something that the women in your workplace want.

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