Meet the post-pandemic workforce: bibliography.

The following are the data points and sources that inform our infographic: Meet the post-pandemic workforce.

20% of workers said they would like to leave their employer but didn’t actually leave. (Allas, T. (2024). The hidden costs of quiet quitting, quantified. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/uk/our-insights/the-mckinsey-uk-blog/the-hidden-costs-of-quiet-quitting-quantified)

100% of C-suite leaders anticipate significant changes to their workforce. (Azagury, J., & Close, K. (2024). Change reinvented [PDF]. Accenture. https://www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/accenture-com/document-2/Accenture-Change-Reinvented-Report.pdf)

5 years in 60 days: McKinsey reported businesses jumped forward 5 years in digital transformation in the first 60 days of lockdown. (Baig, A., Hall, B., Jenkins, P., Lamarre, E., & McCarthy, B. (2020). The COVID-19 recovery will be digital: A plan for the first 90 days. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-covid-19-recovery-will-be-digital-a-plan-for-the-first-90-days)

Studies show “employee cynicism and organizational change are positively associated” ie when one is high, so is the other. And that cynicism over time leads to resistance.. (Behazad, T. (2020). Employee cynicism and organizational change. Market Forces, 15(1), 16–40. https://core.ac.uk/reader/327251690)

85% of senior leaders have been involved in two or more major transformations in the last five years alone. (Gardner, E., & Fealy, L. (2022). How do you harness the power of people to double transformation success? EY. https://www.ey.com/en_gl/insights/consulting/how-transformations-with-humans-at-the-center-can-double-your-success)

Political anxiety leads to “reduced job performance due to decreased productivity and impaired concentration.”. (Gomez Mojica, M., Sjoberg-Varney, T. L., Rodriguez-Fernandez, R., Renshaw, A., Ebringer, A., & Kalia, N. (2024). It is time for employers to recognize and address political anxiety in the workplace. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 66(8), e379–e381. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000003156)

69% of remote workers [US] report increased burnout from digital communication tools. (Haan, K. (2024). Internet surveillance in the workplace: 43% report having their online activity monitored. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/internet-surveillance-workplace/)

10-year low in employee engagement. (Harter, J. (2025). U.S. employee engagement sinks to 10-year low. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/654911/employee-engagement-sinks-year-low.aspx)

73% of employees report their organisation has undergone some form of disruptive change in the past year. (Harter, J., & Wigert, B. (2025). The post-pandemic workplace: The experiment continues. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/657629/post-pandemic-workplace-experiment-continues.aspx)

Job burnout at 66% all time high. (Karmali, M. (2025). Over half of American employees have used AI to take workplace training, according to new data. Moodle. https://moodle.com/us/news/ai-for-workplace-training-in-america/)

49% of employees are ‘struggling’ or ‘suffering’. (Pendell, R. (2024). U.S. employee life evaluation hits new record low. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/653396/employee-life-evaluation-hits-new-record-low.aspx)

44% of workers say their work stress has increased due to the pandemic. (Petitta, L., & Ghezzi, V. (2023). Remote, disconnected, or detached? Examining the effects of psychological disconnectedness and cynicism on employee performance, wellbeing, and work–family interface. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(13), 6318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20136318)

Almost 2/3 of workers say the pace of change at work has increased. (PwC. (2024). Global workforce hopes and fears survey. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/workforce/hopes-and-fears.html#lead-in-new-ways-to-build-resilience-among-a-stressed-out-workforce)

61% of people globally believe business leaders purposely try to mislead. (Ries, T. (2024). Trust barometer global report [PDF]. Edelman. https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2024-02/2024%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer%20Global%20Report_FINAL.pdf)

80% of workforce report ‘Productivity Anxiety’. (Robinson, B. (2024, June 15). 80% of employees report ‘productivity anxiety’ and lower well-being in new study. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2024/06/15/80-of-employees-report-productivity-anxiety-and-lower--well-being-in-new-study/)

27% of employees feel professionally “stuck” in their current role due to economic or other external factors. (Rodriguez, R. (2025). Rise of revenge quitting. Software Finder. https://softwarefinder.com/resources/rise-of-revenge-quitting)

Only 38% of employees are willing to support change, down from 74% in 2016.(Turner, J. (2022). This new strategy could be your ticket to change management success. Gartner. Adopt This New 14x More Successful Change Management Strategy | Gartner)

Employees are feeling overwhelmed by change at work: 71% of employees; 86% of 16 – 24 year olds. 54% of change-fatigued workers are a looking for a new job. (Westfall, B. (2022). Change fatigue is making employee burnout worse. Capterra. https://www.capterra.com/human-resource-software/change-fatigue-in-the-workplace/#methodology)

Under 50% of employees know what is expected of them at work. 55% of organisations are reporting team restructuring. 30% record low in employee connection to company mission. (Wigert, B., & Tatel, C. (2024). The great detachment: Why employees feel stuck. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/653711/great-detachment-why-employees-feel-stuck.aspx)

45% of organisations report a ‘low trust’ culture. (Wyatt, H. (2024). Employee trust has declined since 2022, study finds. HR Magazine. https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/employee-trust-has-declined-since-2022-study-finds/)