At a time when companies are multiplying «care» systems for employee well-being, collaborative modes and benevolent values, employees are expressing a state of fatigue. Post Covid, many organizations have set up systems to detect and treat psychosocial risks such as depression. Mental health has become a national cause in 2025. Workplace fatigue is no longer an individual complaint. Today, it seems to be a phenomenon affecting more and more employees. Can this be explained by the workload itself, by operating methods and/or by an environment conducive to anxiety?
The limits of care«
According to the Institut National d'Études Démographiques, nearly eight out of ten people in employment say that work-related fatigue has a direct impact on their private lives. According to a survey published by Le Monde using Odoxa data, 66 % of French people said they were already tired in 2022, compared with 47 % in 2000. Even more worrying, almost a third (32 %) reported extreme fatigue. Since the end of Covid and the emergence of telecommuting, companies have stepped up their «Care» initiatives (taking care of employees and developing well-being), emphasizing benevolence, listening, mutual responsibility and consideration of the human dimension through training, awareness-raising and surveys. According to the figures, these actions have had little impact on the widespread feeling of fatigue that many employees seem to be experiencing. This raises the question of the effectiveness of these actions and the origin of the fatigue. Is it due to the workload, to the organization of activities, or to the organization of work itself?
In his latest book, François Dupuy points out that collaborative methods are extremely time-consuming and complicate decision-making processes. The IGAS report «Quality of work, quality of employment: elements of international comparison».» (September 2025) explores the links between working conditions, management practices and employee health. It reveals that France lags behind other European countries on several points:
- Insufficient recognition of work accomplished ;
- Low decision-making autonomy ;
- Management still too vertical.
When these dimensions are deficient, they contribute directly to the deterioration of health and the onset of chronic psychological fatigue. A second report, entitled «Managerial practices» (IGAS, March 2025) shows that authoritarian and non-participatory management styles generate more psychosocial risks and accentuate fatigue.
The main determinants of fatigue at work
Recent research, notably by DARES (6) and Eurofound (7), points to a number of work-related fatigue factors:
This article was published in Forbes on November 12, 2025.
