Stress me out some more, why don’t you?

According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report , the world’s employees are feeling even more stressed than they were in 2020 (the previous all-time high).

Whilst these employees may not have been stressed about work, they were certainly stressed at work.

Stress among the world’s workers reached an all-time high again.

Source: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx#ite-393248

The report also reveals that whilst before the pandemic, engagement and well-being were rising globally for nearly a decade, they are now stagnant. Only 21% of the global workforce is engaged at work and only 33% are thriving in their overall well-being.

Burnout is also an international crisis. It is not bounded by location, gender, or job title.

Microsoft surveyed 20,0000 people in 11 countries and 48% of employees and 53% of managers report that they’re burned out at work. The survey was conducted by an independent research firm, Edelman Data and Intelligence, among 20,006 full-time employed or self-employed knowledge workers in 11 countries between July 7 and August 2, 2022.

Deloitte and Workplace Intelligence research (June 2022) found employees were dealing with many burn-out and well-being issues.

·??????43% of workers reported being exhausted always or often

·??????42% were stressed

·??????35% were overwhelmed

·??????And 23% reported they were depressed.

The World Health Organisation included burnout in the 11th Revision of the Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon in 2019.?It describes it as follows.

“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.

Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

I have never been more stressed

Owl Labs in conjunction with leading remote working firm Global Workplace Analytics surveyed over 2,300 full-time US workers in July 2022.

The key findings included:

·??????62% of workers feel more productive when working remotely

·??????Almost half (45%) of workers saw their level of work-related stress increase somewhat or substantially in the past year

·??????If the ability to work remotely was taken away, two-thirds (66%) of workers would immediately start looking for a job that offered flexibility, and 39% would simply quit.

·??????The number of workers choosing to work remotely in 2022 increased 24% since 2021. Those choosing hybrid work went up 16%. Interest for in-office work dropped by 24%.

With more and more workers preferring to work remotely all the time or part of the time, some employers are losing sight of just how productive yet stressed their employees are on a day-to-day basis.

All of us have been through so much since March 2020 and as we perhaps start to see some light at the end of the tunnel, we should expect our stresses to decrease. The opposite is the fact. The concern over an impending recession is the highest concern of employees (58%) – 9 points higher than any other source of stress.

According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2022 Report , employees have never been more stressed. Among workers surveyed, 60% report feeling “emotionally detached” while at work, and 19% consistently feel “miserable.” These numbers are higher than those reported in 2020, which had previously set records for the percentage of employees who reported feeling stressed daily.?

The scary thing is that rather than trying to alleviate the causes of stress in the workplace such as excessive workload, lack of control, lack of support, poor leadership, lack of training and development, and work/life balance, employers are adding to the stress by not being clear about the future of work in their organisation.

I am concerned about flexibility at work

According to the ADP Institute report “People at work 2020: A Global Workforce View ” which surveyed 32,924 workers in 17 countries around the world, 64% of employees would consider looking for a new job if forced to return to the office full-time.

For many employees, there is a lack of clarity on when – and if – they will be required to attend the office. This leaves many in limbo which takes a toll on uncertainty, anxiety, and stress.

We have all seen accounts on social media of companies flip-flopping about what the future working model will look like. Employees want to get on with their lives and determine whether the working arrangements they have become familiar with are going to last.

What is crazy is that during the pandemic, we collectively worked out how to remain productive and get on with the job. There was no continual changing of mind, lengthy debate, or conversations. Many workers went and worked from home. There was no choice. Now that we have a choice, it is the choice that is causing the angst.

Many households have organised their lives around the flexibility that remote work has given them. The activities that used to need careful choreography around work schedules are now easy to fulfil and life has become easier. Most employees do not want to give this up and the uncertainty is causing additional stress.

Many employees made big changes or planned big changes such as relocation, assuming they would not be required to attend the office full-time. They may still be within commuting distance, but they have logistics to figure out depending on their employer’s decision. Those that relocated outside of commuting distance have even bigger worries to contend with and may be required to uproot their lives once again.

Action

Employers must provide clearer directives about a return to the office that enables employees to make plans and manage the stress of uncertainty.

Whilst there is no perfect plan or roadmap, organisations must be clear about what they want to accomplish, how they think they can do that, and be transparent with employees.

Employees must be involved and allowed to co-create solutions whilst accepting that they will be subject to experimentation, trial, and error. There must be a collaborative approach to finding a solution that works for everyone.

I am concerned about job security

Job security means something different today than it may have meant pre-pandemic. It is not so much a fear that the organisation will become obsolete or that an employee’s role will be made redundant which are still valid concerns. It is more around the emerging sense that a secure job is one that allows employees to earn a living on their own terms, without compromising on essentials like their health, well-being, family time or even their personal beliefs and values.

The findings from the ADP Institute research indicate the paradox. More than half of workers (54%) say job security is important whilst a quarter (25%) think their job or industry is secure. That is a drop from 2021. Job security is no longer just about a secure job or working in a secure industry.

When we look at the statistics in the ADP Institute research, we can sense the concerns of employees. The vast majority (71%) said they had considered a major career change over the last 12 months. One in four contemplated changing industries or requesting a sabbatical. One in five has thought about starting their own business, taking a temporary break from employment, or going part-time.

We know that The Great Resignation has been renamed The Great Reflection (Gartner) or The Great Realisation (Me) indicating that this has been a time of great reflection for employees about what they want from an employer and a great realisation that they deserve better than they did previously.

So, job security is more about an employer providing an employee value proposition that aligns with the expectation of employees.

76% of workers said they would consider looking for a new job if they discovered there was an unfair gender pay gap or diversity and inclusion policy at their company.

Action

Employers must ask and listen to employees and find out what they want from an employer to remain with that employer. This must be actioned and reflected in the employee value proposition (EVP).

Employers must also remember that this is not a one-off activity. Employee needs, desires, and preferences will change over time and therefore the EVP may need to be changed to reflect this.

The bottom line is as an employer, are you prepared to value the contribution of your employees and reward them accordingly?

I am anxious about my location

The other fear adding to employee stress is whether their choice of location will have an adverse impact on their learning and development and career path.

They worry about proximity bias which is the idea that preferential treatment is given to those who spend the most time physically close to us. In the workplace, this can manifest itself in many ways. It is mostly applied when a leader or manager believes that on-site employees work hard and are more productive than remote employees simply because they can physically see them doing the work and must trust that the remote ones are.

In the Owl Labs research, 42% of workers were concerned that working remotely would impact their career progression.

Action

Wherever employees work, there must be a level playing field. There must be equity and inclusivity.

It is the responsibility of every leader to make sure that all employees feel connected. This may mean more intentional inclusivity to keep everyone informed, increase collaboration, and enable everyone to contribute to decision-making.

It is important that employees working remotely do not feel disadvantaged by the resources that are available to them. You must create conditions that allow every employee to perform at their best, regardless of where they are working from. Wherever your employees are working, their experience should be equal to their co-workers. This will mean identifying any barriers impeding performance and removing them. This could entail the provision of additional technology or equipment or the provision of coworking spaces.

I stress about my well-being

There are numerous concerns over well-being in the workplace adding to employee stress. Many employees now feel stressed and worried about returning to the office knowing that there are new variants of COVID spreading.

In March 2022, the BBC reported bout the social anxiety many employees have about the return to the office. Since lockdowns lifted, the pattern of social anxiety holding people back is finding its way into the workplace.

The American Psychological Association (APA) Work and Well-being Survey 2022 found that 81% of individuals said they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health when they seek future job opportunities.

“The data reveals that mental health problems are associated with a number of workplace issues, such as compensation failing to keep up with inflation, electronic monitoring of employees, certain groups experiencing discrimination and feeling a lack of acceptance, and some employees even experiencing toxic or abusive workplaces.”

Employers must listen to employees, acknowledge the challenges, and stresses they face at work, and look for opportunities to improve well-being and health that incorporate the suggestions their own employees offer.

Action

Organisations must consider how to alleviate the fear of the further spread of COVID. The easiest option would be to allow these employees to remain working remotely until the cause of the fear subsides. As that could be an unknown, then new and stringent policies around workplace sanitisation and hygiene must be put in place and enforced. Make sure these arrangements are communicated to employees. Employees shouldn’t just feel like they’re working in a clean space, they should?know?they are.

Employers must offer mental health support in different ways. There is no one-size-fits-all. The mental health support provided must be both holistic (meet the needs of all employees) and contextual (address the causes of stress currently experienced by employees).

Summary

It is time that organisations and the leaders within them realise the impact of their inaction on employees' well-being. The lack of clarity, the lack of conversation and collaboration, the lack of transparency, and the lack of care, are just adding to the stress that will lead to burnout. No one should want anyone to go there.

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I am an organisational change management rebel?with?a cause.?

I am an author, sought after keynote speaker, coach mentor and facilitator. My latest and fourth book, "Balanced Diversity: A Portfolio Approach to Organisational Change" is available?here .

I am passionate about enabling individuals and organisations to triumph in the face of constant and disruptive change and I do so through programs regarding organisational change, resilience, agility, leadership, transformation and adaptation.

To inquire about me working with you or your organisation please contact me?here .