Research shows HR pros taking on too much work

The latest survey of HR professionals in the UK has found that close to half of them continue to work past the point of exhaustion, which has raised concerns about the possibility of burnout.

This survey was conducted on behalf of Bainland Lodge Retreats and it spoke to a total of 2,000 professionals. Of those surveyed, 60 worked in HR and their answers to the questions stood out. In total, 44% of them stated that they carried on working when they knew they needed to rest – and that is a higher percentage than for all other sectors.

When it came to the reasons for this, a rise in the amount of hybrid and remote work was cited by many of them as a contributory factor. Indeed, 33% of HR employees named that as the reason for their punishing workloads.

This is not the only recent report to highlight problems within the industry. Back in June, the HR Mental Wellbeing Report found that 26% of them had not felt rested or fresh at any point in the previous fortnight.

All of this is leading to concern about the possibility of widespread burnout. One potential solution is for companies to make more use of outsourced HR services in Hertfordshire and other areas. That would take some of the strain off their own HR people.

Matt Slavin, who is a clinical psychologist, said that the nature of HR work made it emotionally demanding. He pointed out that people working in that sector spent much of their time helping others with their problems.