Stress, burnout and tired black man with headache, frustrated or overwhelmed by coworkers at workplace. Overworked, mental health and anxiety of exhausted male worker multitasking at desk in office.


Southern states are most susceptible to employee burnout, according to Wave Connect’s research. This study indicates which benchmarks contribute to excess labor output and their subsequent impact on staff engagement and wellbeing. Globally, total employee and manager engagement reduced, affecting profits by an estimated $438 billion, Gallup reveals in its State of the Global Workplace 2025 report. This shift in work culture shows the industry needs to adapt to promote worker productivity and prosperity.

Metrics—weekly work and personal hour average, multiple job holder rate, employee engagement rate, burnout treatment web searches, and more—established Wave’s composite Employee Workaholism Scores. Results revealed Louisiana as the leading workaholic state, with workers pulling 36.5 hour work weeks, and additional southern states listed in the top 10. As affirmed by Minimum-Wage and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal minimum wage rate is $7.25 per hour, and many states in the south matched or established a lower rate in contrast with northern states. To make ends meet in these states, employees may work more hours and work more than one job.

When workers increase their workload—through hour accumulation or multiple job holdings—their output and mental health are adversely affected. The World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) found that consistent overworking is linked to health concerns such as heart disease and stroke, ScienceDirect shares. It may even restructure the brain, MSN declares—a study published in the journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine found that problem-solving and memory portions of the brain are affected when employees overwork. From management to cleaning teams, health is an important budgetary concern as it can contribute to increased employee absences.

Health considerations, worker motivation, and current minimum wage rates are all factors to review when structuring the workplace to support all levels of staff.