The majority of global office workers are feeling increased pressure at work due to colleagues resigning in the past year. As a result, 48% say they would consider resigning from their jobs in the next six months, according to a survey from UiPath.

UiPath’s 2022 Office Worker Survey also found that 83% of global respondents have had to take on up to six new tasks outside of their job descriptions due to their coworkers resigning, and 77% of Americans and 68% of global respondents reported that they do not know what their responsibilities are anymore.

Meanwhile, 70% of respondents worldwide say they are interested or could be swayed into looking for a new job in the next six months. Nearly one-third of global respondents are currently applying for another position. Globally, people are motivated to seek a new position because of increased pressure on work/life balance, spending too much time on administrative tasks, and lack of training to develop or enhance new and existing skills.

Most, or 94%, of global respondents say they feel exhausted at the end of a workday at least one day per week. The study showed they are frustrated by tasks such as responding to emails (42%), scheduling calls and meetings (35%), and inputting data/creating datasets (34%).

UiPath’s survey also found that 73% percent of global respondents contend that incorporating automation, including training on automation, could help their organisation attract new and retain existing talent. Business leaders are already on board, with 85% of executives surveyed agreeing that incorporating automation and automation training into their organisation will help them retain employees and attract new talent.

Bettina Koblick, Chief People Officer at UiPath, said, “Workers around the world are feeling the stress and strain of labour shortages in very personal ways, and without a shift toward more meaningful work, businesses will continue to face productivity and competitive pressures. While this issue is complex, technologies like automation can free workers’ time, enable a better work-life balance, and create vastly improved efficiencies that allow business to be agile and responsive to customers. The world of work has changed and retaining and attracting workers with the aid of emerging technology is a business imperative.”

The 2022 Office Worker Survey polled more than 5,000 office workers across the US, UK, France, Germany, India, Australia, and Singapore and was conducted in February 2022.