The Hidden Impact of Stress on the Workplace

There is abundant research showing the effects of stress on individuals. From mental to physical to cognitive health, the risks of stress span every dimension of our well-being. Unfortunately, stress levels remain high as evidenced by a 2023 American Psychological Association survey that showed that 57% of workers reported experiencing negative effects from work-related stress. I see this in my own work, having coached an increasing number of professionals who have taken mental health leave because of work-induced stress.

What’s important to recognize is that the effects of stress extend far beyond the individual. We know that stress can raise healthcare costs, increase absenteeism and lower productivity. But there is one often overlooked and highly important impact of stress – the effect on workplace culture, particularly our sense of inclusion and belonging. When we neglect to address stress at individual and collective levels, we undermine the fabric of our workplaces.

What’s the connection between stress and workplace culture?

Our brains are designed to detect and protect ourselves against threats. And while abstractly we might think of a threat as a predator, in reality, our brains interpret the risk of rejection, humiliation or failure as threats as well. And when we detect such threats, which, let’s face it, are ever-present in the workplace, our stress response kicks in in the form of the fight or flight response.

The fight or flight response is a survival mechanism that redistributes our internal resources to keep us alive. In the process, our cognitive functioning is suppressed. Our ability to reason, analyze and problem solve is temporarily weakened. This makes sense from a survival perspective -- you don’t want your brain analyzing the threat level of a bear chasing you through the woods, you just want to escape. But in the workplace, this response undermines our performance and leads us to doubt ourselves.

You’ll recognize this response in your own workplace behaviors. Have you ever been in a meeting and found yourself unable to articulate a coherent thought? Have you fumbled your response to a question only to come up with the perfect response hours later? If so, it wasn’t you. You didn’t lose IQ points in that meeting. What happened was your brain detected a threat, sent you into fight or flight and you lost your ability to think clearly. But, if you don’t understand that, your interpretation might be that you don’t belong in that room.

Because of the pervasiveness of social threats in our work environments, we spend a lot of time in fight or flight. And it’s not just your cognitive functioning that gets suppressed in these moments. When you are under stress, your empathy becomes suppressed as well. Your highest priority in that moment is self-preservation. In the process, you shift from “we” to “me,” losing the ability to collaborate, show curiosity and connect with others.

Many organizations are trying to foster greater inclusion and belonging in the workplace through traditional DEI initiatives. But, let’s be honest, these initiatives aren’t working. We will never achieve this vision without a deeper understanding of its greatest threat – the fragile human ego. Without the ability to manage our emotional responses to perceived threats, we will not show up in ways that foster inclusion and belonging – for ourselves and others.

Recognize any of these common scenarios?

1.???? An executive leader is under enormous pressure to meet his goals. His CEO has made it clear that failure is not an option. Each night, he loses sleep worrying about whether he will keep his job and what will happen to his family if he loses his income. At the same time, he consistently hears from his team that they are overworked and under-resourced. He wants to be more empathetic but he feels like he’s hanging by a thread. His sole mission is to rally the troops to get things done by any means necessary.

2.???? A director-level manager is presenting to a cross-functional group of leaders. She is very anxious about what others will think. A newer employee raises her hand to ask why the director hasn’t considered a seemingly more efficient approach. The director worries that this challenge will undermine her credibility with other leaders in the room. Rather than demonstrate support or curiosity, she snaps back, “That’s not how we do things around here.”

3.???? A mid-level manager is leading a staff meeting when he notices that one of his male direct reports is consistently interrupting one of his female direct reports. He knows this is wrong and he wants to disrupt the bad behavior. He also wants to hear what she has to offer. He hesitates, however, because he’s worried that, by stepping in, he will draw more attention to the issue and make the woman uncomfortable. He knows how important it is for him to show leadership but he’s afraid of making the wrong move.

Without the background information behind these behaviors, it’s easy to assume that each of these leaders is insensitive, unsupportive or even incompetent. What is clear, however, is that their fears and circumstances are driving them to prioritize their own self-preservation above the needs of those around them.

Be honest, when was the last time you missed an opportunity to be inclusive, collaborative or supportive because you were protecting yourself? Acknowledge it but don’t beat yourself up about it. This is a fundamentally human response to perceived threats. But remember, this short-term approach doesn’t advance our individual or collective goals.

It also keeps us from being the person we aspire to be. When I ask people how they want to be experienced, virtually everyone responds that they want to be seen as supportive and empathetic. None wants to be seen as a self-serving jerk. But without an awareness of how stress is undermining our behaviors and strategies to manage our emotional responses more effectively, our best intentions fall by the wayside.

In my next article, I’ll share actionable strategies for how to manage this response so that we can show up more confidently, collaboratively and inclusively. In the meantime, I encourage you to spend the next couple of weeks noticing when and where you, or those around you, prioritize self-preservation over fostering a safer, more inclusive environment for everyone.

Want to bring this conversation to your workplace? I regularly speak to leaders, teams and employee resource groups about these and other themes designed to make it easier to be human at work. Connect with me on LinkedIn here .

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