Glassdoor's word of the year is "fatigue." This year, workers spent a lot of time on edge — worried about the next headline, technology shift, or economic surprise coming around the corner. Politics dominated, layoff fears lingered, economic concerns mounted, and AI disruption accelerated. The result? A workforce running on empty.
The term “fatigue” saw a 41% spike in mentions across Glassdoor Community, capturing the sentiment that defined workplace conversations all year long. When we asked professionals in the spring, "Do you feel like events in the news are draining your energy at work?", 78% said yes*. Turns out, that exhaustion never really went away.
Glassdoor users found solace in engaging in real conversations with other job seekers, venting about topics that were genuinely top of mind and spilling into work, even when they weren’t “work-related.”
Zoom in: When sifting through the most-used terms, a few driving factors of fatigue stood out among workers.
- Politics at work — whether workers wanted it or not. Gone are the days of leaving politics at the office door. Research from Gallup shows that talking politics at work is a double-edged sword, yet conversations around the political climate still find their way into work chatter. For example, mentions of "inauguration" increased by 875% year-over-year. Other political mentions showed that even workers who preferred to avoid the topic found themselves pulled into discussions.
"I wore my 'I Voted' sticker to the office and had to take it off because people kept using it as an invitation to debate." - Senior Manager
“I never initiate conversations about politics at the office, and I tried to avoid it; however, if I hear someone saying something hateful or ignorant, outright wrong, I have a hard time not jumping in, which I know isn’t the best way to respond, but I just can’t let talk like that slide.” - Lead 1
- Economic uncertainty and stagflation. Broader concerns about the economy weighed heavily on workers' minds. Mentions of "stagflation" increased more than threefold compared to 2024. Workers expressed frustration about their compensation not keeping pace with inflation, and concerns about a recession lingered throughout the year.
“Anyone else absolutely "ecstatic" about the lack of compensation not keeping up with inflation every year?” - Employee at Lintech Global, Inc.
“What’s the general vibe in your org around pay bumps this year? Ours was 2% across the board — basically nothing with inflation.” - Senior Tech Recruiter
- AI disruption and job search overwhelm. The rapid acceleration of AI in the workplace created new anxieties. Mentions of "agentic" skyrocketed 2,244% year-over-year as workers grappled with how to stay relevant. Meanwhile, frustration with looking for a job hit new heights, with professionals expressing job search overwhelm and job security fears time and time again.
“It’s been less than a year since everyone was scrambling to hire GenAI experts, and now if your resume doesn’t say “agentic AI” or “autonomous agents,” you’re behind.” - Senior Analyst
“Anyone else a bit overwhelmed with progress around AI? I see new developments every day (AI coding assistants, agentic apps, etc.). Things are moving too fast, and there’s so much uncertainty.” - Employee at PWC
But, there's hope: Despite the heaviness, workers found moments of joy. When we looked at emoji usage across Glassdoor Community, the first half of 2025 painted a rather concerning picture, with red flags and shocked faces being used the most. But in the second half, the story shifted. Top emojis became those of optimism: rolling-on-the-floor laughing, raised hands, and grinning smiley faces. Workers are still finding reasons to smile.
A solution for fatigue: To manage burnout, organizational psychologist Adam Grant advises, "Instead of letting work dictate our lives, it might be time to start fitting our jobs into our lives." When facing the competing pressures of avoiding burnout at work while protecting job security, Grant recommends two evidence-based strategies:
- Distraction: Shift your attention to small wins and silver linings. Yes, things could be better, but they could also be much worse.
- Reframing: Change your perspective on the chaos. This isn't about ignoring problems — it's about maintaining perspective when everything feels heavy.
In addition, he suggests having a conversation with a trusted manager:
"Ask them, 'I'm trying to avoid burnout, but I'm also concerned about job security. Do you have any guidance on how to make sure I don't burn myself out? Do I need to be worried about taking breaks?”
- Adam Grant
Seeking advice is one of the easiest ways to turn a manager into your advocate.
Looking ahead: Worker sentiment trends show that fatigue isn't disappearing overnight. But what 2025 demonstrated is that workers don't have to face it alone. Whether you're processing politics in the workplace, managing AI shifts in your role, or working through economic anxiety, there's value in finding your people and sharing the load.
Join fellow job seekers on Glassdoor Community, a place to validate your experience and remind you that you're not the only one feeling it.
Methodology:
*The poll ran from April 14, 2025 through April 16, 2025 and was answered by over 1,000 U.S. professionals. Respondents could answer with either “Yes” or “No” to the question, “Do you feel like events in the news are draining your energy at work?” For subgroup breakouts, including gender identity and industry, all categories received at least 100 responses from U.S. professionals on the platform.