Stressful Working Environments Contribute to the Great Resignation of 2021
In the previous blog post on workplace wellness, I highlighted some key facts and figures that provide The Business Case for Workplace Wellness. I will be sharing this data next week (November 8) at the Global Workplace Wellness Summit.
While the business case for workplace wellness is very obvious, the key question often becomes, “where do we start?”
I would suggest the first two areas of focus should be in helping employees 1) manage and control stress and 2) understand the warning signs of burnout. We will tackle the latter in the next blog post. For now, let’s take a look at workplace stress.
As the American Institute of Stress (AIS) noted in 2019 (before the pandemic), “Job stress is far and away the major source of stress for American adults and has escalated precariously over the past few decades. Additionally, AIS estimates that 120,000 people die every year as a direct result of work-related stress.
Other statistics from the AIS website are astonishing:
40% of workers reported their jobs as very or extremely stressful
25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives
29% of workers felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work
Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial or family problems
Nearly half of workers say they need help in learning how to manage stress, and 42% say their coworkers need such help
19% had quit a job because of stress
Again, these are pre-pandemic statistics. Undoubtedly, the figures today are bleaker. Additionally, stress impacts decision-making at all levels of organizations, causing less-than-optimal decisions to be made in reaction to people, situations, and events. (For more on this, see Impact of Stress on Decision Making.)
Actions You Can Take
Here are some recommended actions for reducing stress in the workplace: 
- Implement organization-wide training on coping, controlling, and managing stress.
- Teach employees to become First Responders, instead of First Reactors, when making decisions.
- Encourage the use of mindfulness techniques throughout the organization, including purposeful breathing, mental refresher breaks, and using lunch and break periods for socializing (not working).
If you need help in implementing these ideas, let’s talk. My virtual workshop Making Better Decisions: Shifting from MIND FULL to MINDFUL covers all these actions and more. It can be delivered as four 90-minute virtual workshops or in a full-day classroom setting.
Additional steps you can take include:
- Understand the stress you put people under with late night and weekend emails or text messages.
- Re-evaluate job scopes in terms of stress inducement, time commitments, proper resources, and tools.
- Create a culture of openness and transparency in communications, especially during times of change.
- Stop promoting and rewarding leaders who use bullying and intimidation in achieving results.
Unacceptable workplace stress is one of the key factors contributing to the Great Resignation of 2021. Along with inflexible return-to-office policies and the lack of respect by supervisors, managers, and leaders toward team members. It’s hard to sustainably grow a business when a priority need is replacing team members who have quit.
So reducing workplace stress and helping employees cope with workplace stress has two immediate benefits: 1) creating a healthier workplace and 2) reducing the impact of the Great Resignation on your current and future business growth.
In the next blog post, I will share actions you can take to help mitigate burnout in yourself and others.
In the meantime, if you would like to join me at next week’s Global Workplace Wellness Summit (Nov 8-10), you can register for free to attend this three-day virtual event at: https://globalworkplacewellnesssummit.com/membership/
For more information, the Summit Agenda is at: https://globalworkplacewellnesssummit.com/2021-summit/
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