In 2020, we released our original Impacts of Perfectionism in the Workplace report, based on a national survey of 1,217 professionals and 34 in-depth interviews with leaders across industries. The findings were striking—92% of respondents identified as perfectionists, and many shared how these unrealistic expectations impacted their performance, relationships, and mental well-being. That research sparked long-overdue conversations about how deeply perfectionism is embedded in workplace culture—and it laid the foundation for the expanded studies that followed.
93% of people struggle with perfectionism.
73% of respondents report setting extremely high expectations for themselves, and 57% acknowledged that those expectations are difficult to meet.
54% say that perfectionism has negative effects on their work.
59% say perfectionism increases their risk of burnout.
58% report feeling overwhelmed more often due to perfectionist tendencies.
46% say perfectionism contributes to a low trust environment.
3/5 employees may be thinking about leaving your organization because of perfectionism.
53% say unspoken expectations cause ongoing stress.
Leaders rated the impact of perfectionism on turnover a 6 out of 10. This isn't a minor issue, it's a warning sign.
48% hesitate to admit mistakes at work due to fear of judgment.
48% say perfectionist expectations in their workplace create a fear of failure, making it difficult to build trust.
88% of respondents say they spend part of their workday overthinking decisions.
85% report rereading emails for errors during the day—often obsessively.
83% say they work beyond standard hours on a regular basis.
83% procrastinate tasks during the day.
84% say they spend time obsessing over past mistakes at work.
These behaviors aren’t just draining – over time, they compound into disengagement, anxiety, and diminished performance.
Perfectionism is not a path to high performance – it’s a barrier to trust, creativity, and sustainable leadership. As this research makes clear, perfectionism isn’t just showing up in individual behaviors; it’s embedded in our cultures, expectations, and systems.
The good news? Cultures of perfectionism can be unlearned.
Organizations that prioritize psychological safety, normalize learning through failure, and celebrate progress over perfection will lead the future of work. Leaders have a critical role to play: modeling self-awareness, creating space for honest conversations, and setting expectations rooted in clarity and compassion – not control.
The most innovative, high-performing teams aren’t flawless. They’re human, honest, and connected.
It’s time to trade performance for presence – and create workplaces where trust, not perfection, sets the standard.
Perfectionism is not a path to high performance – it’s a barrier to trust, creativity, and sustainable leadership. As this research makes clear, perfectionism isn’t just showing up in individual behaviors; it’s embedded in our cultures, expectations, and systems.
The good news? Cultures of perfectionism can be unlearned.
Organizations that prioritize psychological safety, normalize learning through failure, and celebrate progress over perfection will lead the future of work. Leaders have a critical role to play: modeling self-awareness, creating space for honest conversations, and setting expectations rooted in clarity and compassion – not control.
The most innovative, high-performing teams aren’t flawless. They’re human, honest, and connected.
It’s time to trade performance for presence – and create workplaces where trust, not perfection, sets the standard.
The full executive summary is packed with insight — email us at connect@vitaleandco.com and we’ll send it your way.
Perfectionism runs deep for me. I grew up in a household where perfectionism was indirectly encouraged – I received praise for the perfect grades, the perfect extracurriculars, and the perfect outside image. I quickly learned that if I looked good on the outside, then I was worthy. I carried this coping mechanism with me into college and when I was a junior, I was introduced to the prescription stimulant Adderall. It was the “perfect drug” for me. I carried on for 10 years addicted to Adderall, because I thought it made me perfect – I could work 28-hour days and thrive in my corporate career, and I could maintain a slim figure and body image. This worked for me until it didn’t. When I was 31, a series of events happened (you can read all about it in my memoir, Addicted to Perfect), and I finally came to grips with my addiction. I realized I couldn’t live the rest of my life this way and I drove myself to inpatient rehab.
Since that day over eleven years ago, I’ve been doing the deep inner work to understand my insecurities, coping mechanisms, and my many layers. Through this inner work, I found that my real issue was perfectionism – and my Adderall addiction was just a symptom. I started looking into perfectionism and found that there was little to no information out there about it. So, I started creating my own. I created programs and content about it – and I knew having some research behind my programs would be powerful. I also wanted the world to know about perfectionism so they could learn to thrive without it.
Perfectionism held me back – I thought it was the way to success, but it was blocking me. I’m so grateful you have visited this page, and I cannot wait to connect with you to help your leaders and your organization overcome perfectionism.
You can learn more about my complete story by reading my memoir, Addicted to Perfect.
