“I’m so stressed!”

Badge of honour, helpful share, or toxic brag?

According to multiple research studies, approximately 80% of employees experience work-related stress (the number varies slightly across industries and geographies).

With the increasing trend of paying attention to employee wellbeing, we encourage people to talk more openly about their feelings.

“Oh, I’m so stressed” might sometimes seem like a badge of honour, but it carries significant relational and organizational consequences.

A comprehensive study combining laboratory experiments and field research (https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12645) has shed light on the implications of "stress bragging."

Stress Bragging Definition

Stress bragging is not merely sharing or communicating about one's stress in a neutral or supportive way; it involves a boastful, prideful presentation of one's stress as a burden they carry, which implicitly or explicitly suggests their capability or commitment (demands exceed the "norm" for my role/situation, but hey, I’m so committed I handle it).

Social Presentation

In stress bragging, individuals use their stress as a tool for self-promotion or impression management. They aim to project an image of themselves as highly committed, hardworking, and valuable employees by highlighting how much stress they handle.

However, the outcomes might not be what you think.

Findings indicate that individuals who brag about their stress are perceived by their colleagues as less competent and warm.

This perception adversely affects the type of support and interaction they receive from coworkers, ultimately isolating them socially within their professional circles.

Moreover, stress bragging does not merely impact the braggarts.

The behavior contributes to a higher level of burnout among coworkers due to stress crossover effects.

This not only deteriorates team morale but also enhances the overall workplace stress environment, making it a less productive and more toxic space to work in. (I will explain stress crossover in tomorrow’s post, so connect or follow me if you’re curious to learn about this interesting mechanism.)

So what?

While stress is often an unavoidable aspect of jobs today, the way it is communicated can significantly influence personal and organizational wellbeing.

These insights are invaluable for developing healthier work environments.

For individuals:

• sharing how you feel and asking for help is ok, wearing your stress as a badge of honour doesn't serve you (you're perceived as less competent and less warm), your colleagues (your stress impacts them), your organisation

For corporations:

• understanding the negative impacts of stress bragging can lead to better management strategies that focus on reducing boastful behaviors about stress and encouraging more supportive and positive interactions among employees; this might include:
• training managers to recognize and mitigate stress bragging and promoting a culture that values clear and humble communication.
• encouraging employees to share their challenges in a constructive manner that seeks support and collaborative solutions rather than boasting.

This approach not only helps in stress alleviation but also fosters a supportive team environment, and can enhance both employee satisfaction and corporate productivity.

Questions:

• Have you experienced “stress bragging” in your workplace?
• How do you react when people seem to compete over who’s busier and more stressed?

If you’re a leader and want to address such a problem on your team – let’s talk.

#MentalHealth is #Health.

Make #future better than the past.

#Unfear?

#careers #personaldevelopment #psychology #leadership #wellbeing