Are Employers Doing Enough to Address High Incidence of Worsening Wellbeing?
Grokker Innovation Labs, the research division of Grokker, the award-winning wellbeing engagement solution, issued recent findings about worker stress and how it manifests in life and across the workplace. Beyond the stress resulting from the challenges presented throughout 2020, the results reveal deeply troubling trends and a lack of attentiveness on the part of employers.
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Overall, there is no doubt that social and political unrest, coupled with the uncertainties created by the global pandemic, have elevated feelings of being anxious and overwhelmed. Dealing with an endless stream of negative news and the loss of connection to family, friends and colleagues, worker stress levels have been intense and concentrated in a manner never previously experienced.
Grokker founder and CEO Lorna Borenstein commented, “Our research reveals that more than 75 percent of workers readily identify themselves as stressed. What is surprising is how little most employers are doing to help their workforces, especially when you appreciate just how profoundly stress impacts workers across age groups, socioeconomic status and job level.”
Conducted in November 2020, the Grokker Innovation Labs 2021 Working Americans’ State of Stress Report examined the causes of stress, its impact on workforce productivity and its relationship to proactive management by employers. American workers were asked to respond to questions related to the top stressors affecting their health and safety and their families.
Resulting from the sustained trauma of COVID-19 conditions and ongoing turmoil across the country, the research found that workers are experiencing numerous problems that correlate with being unable to deliver optimal job performance. These struggles include trouble with concentration and motivation, a lack of creativity and inspiration, difficulty connecting socially and a general avoidance of colleagues or clients.
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Among the key findings:
- Executives are upwards of 3x more likely to feel overwhelmed by stress than middle managers, general employees and entry-level workers.
- The rate of those reporting significant levels of stress increases steadily across younger demographics:
- 84 percent of workers 18 to 29
- 76 percent of workers 30 to 44
- 73 percent of workers 45 to 49
- 67 percent of workers 60 years of age or older
- In addition to psychological and mood issues at present, workers reported a number of worsening lifestyle behaviors as a result of stress:
- 50 percent of workers have increased video/tv watching
- 48 percent have increased consumption of unhealthy foods
- 42 percent have decreased physical activity
- 25 percent have increased use of alcohol or other controlled substances
- Across categories, 51 percent of employees report that employers are either not providing or providing less access to stress management resources. To date, on-demand virtual/video resources and counseling services are the top areas of expansion for employer-led stress management.
Borenstein continued, “It’s clear that in 2020, many American workers went into survival mode, trying to get through their day despite having their schedules and routines completely disrupted. Although the trauma of the pandemic will linger well into the New Year and beyond, employers have the opportunity to learn from this research.”