Burnout is decreasing, but it's still prevalent, particularly among supervisors.

Are employees feeling more motivated now that the pandemic is fading? Do they believe they have the support they need? meQuilibrium's Psychological Safety + Employee Wellbeing: A 2022 meQ Member Research Report uncovered mixed results, comparing responses from 2021 to 2022.

For example, 77 percent of respondents indicated greater employer support in 2022 compared to 71 percent in 2021. While burnout was lower at 26 percent this year versus 33 percent last year, physical symptoms of stress were four percentage points higher in 2022. And employees' desire to shift their work-life balance also was higher at 45 percent compared to 37 percent.

However, younger workers—those age 18–29—experienced the greatest decline in positivity and continued to be intent on quitting, while the data shows improvement in both for the other age groups. Additionally, the report found that younger hybrid or remote workers and women are most likely to quit if required to return to the office full time.

Delving into psychological safety, the study has largely good news: Eighty-one percent said teammates valued and respected other team members' contributions, and nearly 70 percent said it was easy to discuss difficult issues within their team. Employees likewise largely felt support from their managers. However, managers themselves did not feel that same level of support from their supervisors.

Given those areas for improvement, how can organizations extend support? For her article, "Why Gen Z Has Totally Different Work Expectations," Sarah Roach interviewed Meagan Loyst, founder of the global collective Gen Z VCs. Loyst notes that Gen Z tends to like to disrupt the status quo and enjoys being entrepreneurial and creative.

"Gen Z also fundamentally rejects the notion of the corporate ladder," she says. They want to feel seen and heard. "For managers, I think it's about having candid conversations about what's missing from your Gen Z employee's life right now," Loyst adds.

To learn about how to support managers, Tinee A. Keesmaat, founder and CEO of business consulting services company TILTCO, interviewed numerous leaders. "We're seeing burnout among middle managers. If you're a leader, create space for your managers," shared Susan Charnaux, principal and founder of Fairhill Ventures. That means leaders spending time one-on-one with managers and sharing some of their own frustrations. Amanda Setili, president of Setili & Associates, recommended to Keesmaat that leaders provide managers in the hybrid environment with technology to do their job well, including tools to cultivate trust with their direct reports, such as cameras and the correct lighting for face-to-face virtual conversations.