We may be just three months into 2025 but already more than a third of working Britons have experienced burnout, a poll has warned.

The research by music licensing company PPL PRS has argued work-related burnout is at “crisis point” as three-quarters (75%) of people have experienced it in the past 12 months alone.

Its survey of 2,000 workers found that almost a third (28%) had experienced burnout in the past month, with a further quarter (27%) hitting it within the past six months.

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The research also revealed that the main contributors to feeling burned out at work were a heavy workload (53%), long working hours (46%), unrealistic expectations (34%), lack of recognition (30%) and unfair pressure from leadership (29%).

The finding has come as a separate poll from software firm Atlassian has argued nearly two-thirds (64%) of UK workers are reporting their workloads are more overwhelming than before.

The Atlassian poll surveyed 12,000 knowledge workers across the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany and India, as well as 200 executives from Fortune 1000 companies.

As well as the 64% of UK workers who were finding work overwhelming, 44% argued it was becoming harder to coordinate work with other teams, 43% believed AI will help them to show up as a better team mate to others, and 25% of executives and teams admitted to spending a quarter of their working week simply searching for information.

The PPL PRS study concluded burnout was leaving people feeling frustrated (45%), lacking in motivation (42%) and feeling undervalued (37%). Worryingly, 14% admitted to having no coping mechanism when it came to dealing with burnout.

Respondents also complained of feeling anxious (45%) and unable to relax (45%), while more than a third (36%) suffered from headaches as a result.

One in five (19%) said their work-related burnout affected their appetite, and a quarter said their work stress saw them take it out on friends or family (24%).

Responding to the PPL PRS research, leadership coach Debbie Green said: “Staff that are burnt out, stressed out or anxious at work aren’t going to be producing their best, and this can have a huge impact on a business as well as the rest of the staff.

“As an employer it’s important to lead by example and to set boundaries for your staff with a clear work/life balance. This is particularly useful for younger employees who might be keen to show their best side and not realise the impact of staying late or doing more than their hours,” she added.

Dr Molly Sands, head of teamwork labs at Atlassian, responding to its study, said: “This research highlights a critical issue in the modern workplace: the systems designed to support employees are not keeping pace with the increasing demands of work.

“As teams become more cross-functional, the inability to quickly access information is creating bottlenecks that slow progress. This ‘digital hide-and-seek’ not only wastes time but also stifles creativity and innovation, as employees are forced to focus on administrative tasks rather than high-impact work,” Dr Sands added.

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