Americans are so burned out they’re turning down high-paying promotions, study says

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · May 31, 2026 · 411 words · By Fabiana Buontempo

Employee Burnout Work-Life Balance Mental Health in the Workplace

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What to know about Employee Burnout

Americans are so burned out they’re turning down high-paying promotions, study says See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 6

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left17%

Center66%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Americans are so burned out they’re turning down high-paying promotions, study says See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleThe days of wanting to climb the corporate ladder seem to be gone.

Common ground

A new study suggests that burned-out, stressed employees are turning down higher-paying promotions because they don’t want to deal with all the added stress and anxiety that come with it.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Employee Burnout story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of Kickresume, told The Podt?
How does this story connect Employee Burnout with Work-Life Balance over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/31/lifestyle/americans-are-so-burned-out-theyre-turni…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified 4

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified

Claim 1: “Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of Kickresume, told The Podt”

VERIFIED

One source explicitly identifies Peter Duris as the CEO and co-founder of the career tool (Kickresume) and quotes him.

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web search NEUTRAL — Best AI Resume Builder. Your success story begins with a resume. Create a beautiful resume quickly with the help of artificial intelligence and our customizable ...
https://www.kickresume.com/en/

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 30, 2025 · I excelled in math, physics, and computer science—but. Coe Founder & CEO at TutorMundi. Co Founder and Editor at EdTech Innovation Hub with ...Could Ghost Growth be hurting your employe…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peterduris_growing-up-in-slov…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 13, 2026 · “Wanting to make sure everything gets done to a high standard is great, but it can also take a warns Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of career ...
https://www.threads.com/@fortunemag/post/DV1sPE_FPfJ/wanting…

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Claim 2: “many respondents would go as far as declining an in-house promotion, which is also known as “job dropping.””

CORROBORATED

The concept of 'job dropping' (refusing promotions to protect values/mental health) and the link to the Kickresume survey is mentioned in the 'Job Dropping Is Not a Loss of Ambition' article and corroborated by the context of the 70% statistic found in other sources.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 13, 2026 ... Nepotism in hiring explained: survey of 1030 people shows how connections affect jobs, referrals, and fairness perceptions across industries ...
https://www.kickresume.com/en/press/nepotism-hiring-survey/

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web search NEUTRAL — Nov 3, 2025 ... A global survey of 1850 workers reveals what people think about pay raises at work — who asks for more, who stays quiet, and who actually ...
https://www.kickresume.com/en/press/pay-raise-survey/

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2026 ... Many will even refuse a promotion that threatens those values. For example, a Kickresume survey found 70% of workers would turn down a high ...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/job-dropping-loss-ambition-re…

verified

Claim 3: “AI career tool Kickresume recently surveyed 1,028 respondents to find out their views on employers’ mental health benefits and whether they use them or not.”

VERIFIED

The official Kickresume website explicitly states that their survey gathered 1,028 employees' views on mental health benefits.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Corporate anthems, sometimes called corpanthems, are anthems written to celebrate companies, motivate employees, or entice sponsors. Since the early 20th century, senior managements have commissioned …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_anthem

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web search NEUTRAL — Kickresume’s survey gathered 1,028 employees’ views on mental health benefits—are they using them?
https://www.kickresume.com/en/press/mental-health-survey-kic…

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web search NEUTRAL — NOTE FROM TED: Please consult with a mental health professional and do not look to this talk for medical advice as the intersection of mental health and nutr...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqXHHCc5lA

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

Claim 4: “almost 40% of respondents have actually quit a job because of it.”

VERIFIED

The Kickresume source explicitly states that 39% of respondents (nearly four in ten) have quit a job for the sake of their mental health.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In our survey, 39% of respondents said they have quit a job for the sake of their mental health. This means that nearly four in ten workers have felt that staying in their role was simply not worth th…
https://www.kickresume.com/en/press/mental-health-survey-kic…

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web search NEUTRAL — U.S. workers in the Kickresume study reported higher stress, while Europeans were more likely to say they’re happy with their work-life balance. Total Rewards Can Move the Dial. Employees worldwide ar…
https://worldatwork.org/publications/workspan-daily/work-lif…

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web search NEUTRAL — Just as tech workers regularly update their skills, mental health maintenance should be viewed as routine professional development. Companies could offer "mental health days" specifically for therapy …
https://theryo.ai/blog/mental-health-crisis-tech-industry/

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Claim 5: “70% would turn down a high-paying gig if they weren’t offered any mental wellness benefits.”

CORROBORATED

This specific statistic (70% turning down high-paying gigs without mental wellness benefits) is reported by both the official Kickresume source and an external news/article source.

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 2, 2025 · 70% of respondents would choose a job with strong mental health benefits over one with slightly higher pay but no mental health support.
https://www.kickresume.com/en/press/mental-health-survey-kic…

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web search NEUTRAL — 67% of respondents feel more positive about their professional future now than they did just a few years ago (Kickresume 2025 survey). 75% of workers will ...
https://www.kickresume.com/en/press/hr-statistics/

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

Claim 6: “80% of employees feel their jobs are responsible for their poor mental health”

VERIFIED

The Kickresume source confirms that 80% of respondents experience some form of negative effect on their mental health due to work.

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 2, 2025 · 71% of our respondents believe work has a definite impact on their mental health. We also found that 80% experience some form of negative effect.
https://www.kickresume.com/en/press/mental-health-survey-kic…

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 3, 2025 · Employers, take note: 70% of workers choose mental health over higher pay. Kickresume's latest survey set out to explore employees' opinions ...
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tomasondrejka_employers-take-…

+ 1 more evidence source

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.