Maybe all the social distancing and remote work we had to do over the past 18 months really did break our brains. A new report from Oracle and Workplace Intelligence finds that stress and burnout are worse this year: 62% of over 14,000 people polled globally said they found 2021 to be the most stressful year at work ever, and 52% admitted the struggle with mental health was real.
Across 13 countries and the strata of professional positions (employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives), people are not only feeling lonely and isolated but out of control on a number of fronts:
- the future (43%)
- personal lives (46%)
- careers (41%)
- relationships (39%)
Three-quarters of respondents (76%) said they feel stuck in their professional lives. So it’s not surprising that people want to make radical changes, starting with their jobs (Great Resignation Tsunami, anyone?) but don’t even know where to start. The sense of disconnectedness is leading them to seek solutions in where else? Technology.
Virtual everything and Zoom fatigue notwithstanding, an overwhelming majority (82%) “believe robots can support their career better than humans” by giving unbiased recommendations (37%), quickly answering questions about their career (33%), or finding new jobs that fit their current skills (32%).
Of course, they still think humans are better at giving advice based on personal experience (46%). But as we’re seeing with Gen Z, a cohort convinced that career development can (and should) happen virtually, AI is becoming a more reliable companion on the path to climb that ladder.
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