Burnout Is Real. We’ve Got Your Back.
Appeared in the August 2025 Issue of Funeral Women Lead’s Unleash Your Greatness on August 21, 2025. www.funeralwomenlead.org
By Dr. Ruth Bedell, Executive Research and Development Director
Research shows that burnout can happen in any profession – not just those that involve caring for others, such as the nursing or funeral and deathcare professions. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)’s The State of Employee Mental Health in 2024, burnout is not new, but it is worsening. SHRM surveyed 1,405 US employees and found:
Forty-four percent (44%) feel burned out from their work.
Those who feel burned out are less likely to go above and beyond what is expected of them from their managers, supervisors, or workplace culture (40% vs 46%) and tend to be less engaged overall.
Burned-out employees are almost three times more likely to look for a new job (45%) compared to those who aren't burned out (16%).
Employees who feel they belong at work are 2.5 times less likely to experience burnout (27% vs. 69%).
When workplaces are poorly organized or managed, employees can feel burned out. This can happen when they’re overworked, underappreciated, work long hours, have bad working conditions, poor supervision, little support, or unclear job roles. Burnout can hurt their emotional and physical health, work performance, and productivity.
Burnout also affects the entire company by lowering morale and generating a bad work environment, increasing absences and turnover, and reducing the quality of customer service and the ability to be innovative. Replacing burned-out employees is expensive. A recent study found that employee burnout and disengagement from work can cost a 1,000-person U.S. company about $5 million each year.
Burnout can seriously affect employees, especially if they’re exposed to stressful parts of their job or work environment for a long time. Research shows that there are things that you can do to help ease burnout symptoms. These include living a healthy lifestyle - exercising regularly, eating nutritious foods, and getting enough sleep. Other helpful strategies include practicing mindfulness, talking to friends or family for support, speaking up clearly and confidently, looking at work problems in a more positive way, writing in a journal, and getting help from a professional if needed.
At Funeral Women Lead, we know how working in the funeral service and deathcare profession can lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, or even leaving the profession (which we hope you don’t, because you’re the future of it). While we can’t change your workplace, we can support you in handling stress, caring for others, balancing work and life, and making time for yourself, your interests, and loved ones. Join us for the first Women’s Wellness Summit, to pause, reflect, and invest in yourself because thriving women lead thriving businesses and careers.
We’ve got your back!