Research Is In: Work Stress Is Not “Just in Your Head”

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class="profile-card d-flex"> <div class="profile-card__photo"> <a href="/sg/contributors/ludmila-n-praslova-phd"> <img src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/profile_teaser_small/public/field_user_blogger_photo/ludmila_praslova.jpg?itok=ITnrgggg" width="128" height="159" alt="Ludmila N. 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But they are stressed, too. </h2> <p class="blog-entry__date--full fine-print"> Posted <span class="blog_entry--date">January 27, 2023</span> <span class="blog_entry--full__review-info"> <span class="blog_entry--full__review-info-bar">|</span> <a href="/sg/docs/editorial-process" class="blog_entry--full__review-info-link"> <span class="blog_entry--full__review-info-icon"></span> <span class="blog_entry--full__review-info-text">Reviewed by Davia Sills</span> </a> </span> </p> <div class="pt-social-media blog-entry-divider"> <ul class="share-buttons"> <li> <a title="Share on Facebook" class="facebook-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" 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class="pathways_card__header"> <span class="pathways_card__title_verified"></span> <div class="h3 pathways_card__title">THE BASICS</div> </div> <ul> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="/sg/basics/stress" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold" hreflang="en">What Is Stress?</a> </li> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="/sg/tests/career/burnout-at-work" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold" hreflang="en">Take our Burnout Test</a> </li> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=anxiety" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold">Find counselling to overcome stress</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="blog-entry--body-second"> <div class="blog_entry__key-points"> <h3 class="blog_entry__key-points-title">Key points</h3> <ul class="blog_entry__key-points-item-list"> <li class="blog_entry__key-points-item">Managers impact employees’ mental health more than doctors or therapists—and even the same as a spouse or partner.</li> <li class="blog_entry__key-points-item">Work stress can negatively impact employees’ home life (71 percent), well-being (64 percent), and relationships (62 percent). </li> <li class="blog_entry__key-points-item">The culture of the workplace needs to shift systemically and become more human-centric.</li> <li class="blog_entry__key-points-item">Organizations that focus on systemic intersectional inclusion will detoxify workplaces for all. </li> </ul> </div> <div class="field-name-body"> <div class="insertArea"> <div class="image-article-inline-half"> <div class="insert-inner"> <div class="insert-image"><img alt="Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash" class="image-article_inline_half_caption" height="213" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/article_inline_half_caption/public/field_blog_entry_images/2023-01/priscilla-du-preez-dOnEFhQ7ojs-unsplash.jpg?itok=wPkSHmnU" title="Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash" width="320"></div> <div class="insertArea--origin subtext">Source: Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash</div> </div> </div> </div> <p>To paraphrase one of my graduate school professors, clinical psychologists study for years to make sure they don't mess someone up instead of helping them. But managers can mess up hundreds or even thousands of people by <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202209/well-being-work-between-burnout-and-quiet-quitting">burning out</a> and <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/11/how-bullying-manifests-at-work-and-how-to-stop-it">bullying</a> them in the name of managing and motivating. And <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90730688/to-build-a-healthy-workplace-you-need-a-toxic-culture-alarm">toxic</a> organizations burn out everyone—including managers.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-0" data-slot-position="0"></div> <p>We spend much of our lives working. What happens at work is inevitably going to impact our mental health. Different mental health conditions are linked to various biological, psychological, and environmental factors predisposing one to or triggering their <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1940091/">manifestation</a>. But in almost every case, social environments—including workplace experiences—have a major impact on individual suffering or thriving.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-1" data-slot-position="1"></div> <blockquote><p><em>According to new research, the impact our bosses have on our mental health is as large as the impact of our spouses or partners. That makes sense—many people spend more waking hours around their bosses or in activites determined by their bosses than with their family. </em></p> </blockquote> <h2>Striking New Research Results </h2> <p>The <a href="https://www.ukg.com/resources/article/mental-health-work-managers-and-money">Workforce Institute at UKG</a> surveyed 3,400 people across 10 countries to spotlight the critical role our jobs and our managers play in supporting—or harming—employee mental health.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-2" data-slot-position="2"></div> <p>And guess what—you did not imagine the connection between your boss and your stress. The results of the study are striking:</p> <ul><li>Managers impact employees' mental health (69 percent) more than doctors (51 percent) or therapists (41 percent)—and even the same as a spouse or partner (69 percent).</li> <li>Work stress negatively impacts employees' home life (71 percent), well-being (64 percent), and relationships (62 percent). </li> <li>At the end of work, 43 percent of employees are "often" or "always" exhausted, and 78 percent of employees say that stress negatively impacts their work performance.</li> </ul> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-3" data-slot-position="3"></div> <p>No wonder employees are looking for a way out.</p> <ul><li>More than 80 percent of employees would rather have good mental health than a high-paying job.</li> <li>Two-thirds of employees would take a pay cut for a job that better supports their mental wellness—and 70 percent of managers would, too.</li> </ul> <p>Workers want leaders to do more. But leaders are <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/stress" title="Psychology Today looks at stressed" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">stressed</a>, too. According to the Workforce Institute, 40 percent of the C-suite say they will likely quit within the year because of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/burnout" title="Psychology Today looks at work-related stress" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">work-related stress</a>.<strong> </strong>And middle managers are most impacted—they<strong> </strong>are more often stressed out than their team members and senior <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/leadership" title="Psychology Today looks at leadership" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">leadership</a> (42 percent vs. 40 percent and 35 percent, respectively), and 25 percent say they are "often" or "always" feeling burned out.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-4" data-slot-position="4"></div> <h2>Systemic Solutions Are Needed</h2> <p>The magnitude of the mental health crisis suggests that it cannot be addressed by half-measures and mental health apps. The culture of the workplace needs to shift <a href="https://hbr.org/2023/01/todays-most-critical-workplace-challenges-are-about-systems">systemically</a> and become more <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202210/us-surgeon-general-work-impacts-health-and-well-being">human-centric</a>.</p> <p>U.S. Surgeon General's <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html">guidance</a> on workplace mental health and well-being provides important solution mechanisms. The five essentials of the framework are grounded in foundational human needs: <em>safety and security</em> (including safety from management by <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/fear" title="Psychology Today looks at fear" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">fear</a>, crushing workloads, and psychological mistreatment), <em>social support and belonging, autonomy and flexibility, dignity and meaning, </em>as well as <em>learning and accomplishment.</em> An extensive body of research demonstrates that when organizations are structured to support these key human needs, employees on all levels benefit, along with the organizational bottom line. </p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-5" data-slot-position="5"></div> <p>While encouraging self-care and providing support for mental health are important, these are addressing the symptoms of work-related stress and burnout rather than the cause. Burnout causes must be addressed on the organizational level. There is no trick or app that will make the workload of people in chronically understaffed units manageable, and there is no self-care that will compensate for the lack of inclusion and belonging. And while training managers to be human-centric leaders is important, organizational processes, resource distribution, and reward systems should support human-centric leadership for this learning to be transferred into practice. Individual-level interventions are <a href="https://hbr.org/2023/01/todays-most-critical-workplace-challenges-are-about-systems">not enough</a>.</p> <div class="d-xl-none pathways_card" > <div class="pathways_card__header"> <span class="pathways_card__title_verified"></span> <div class="h3 pathways_card__title">THE BASICS</div> </div> <ul> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="/sg/basics/stress" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold" hreflang="en">What Is Stress?</a> </li> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="/sg/tests/career/burnout-at-work" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold" hreflang="en">Take our Burnout Test</a> </li> <li class="swatch-primary"> <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/counselling?category=anxiety" class="swatch-primary font-semi-bold">Find counselling to overcome stress</a> </li> </ul> </div> <blockquote><p><em>Well-being will remain elusive as long as employees are pushed into doing the jobs of two or three people and working long hours.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>Organizations must ensure appropriate levels of staffing. They must also regularly review the workloads and work schedules of their employees and make sure that loads are reasonable and manageable. The business will benefit from healthier work as well. Extensive research demonstrates, for example, that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/4-day-workweek-successful-trial-evidence-productivity-retention-revenue-2023-1?r=US&IR=T">shorter workweeks</a> and flexible schedules support not only employee health and well-being but also <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/productivity" title="Psychology Today looks at productivity" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">productivity</a>.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-7" data-slot-position="7"></div> <p>There are also no shortcuts to creating <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202206/practice-emotional-inclusion-at-work-not-toxic-positivity">emotionally inclusive</a> and psychologically safe workplaces. It requires consistency and <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90690568/3-things-that-might-be-missing-from-your-inclusion-efforts">embedding</a> inclusion into all practices and procedures. But benefits are also organization-wide. Organizations that focus on <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/06/an-intersectional-approach-to-inclusion-at-work">systemic intersectional inclusion</a> and ensure employee participation and voice, focusing on outcomes, flexibility, organizational justice, transparency, and the use of valid tools in <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/decision-making" title="Psychology Today looks at decision-making" class="basics-link" hreflang="en-SG">decision-making</a> will <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90730688/to-build-a-healthy-workplace-you-need-a-toxic-culture-alarm">detoxify</a> workplaces for all.</p> <div class="markup-replacement-slot markup-replacement-slot-last" data-slot-position="last"></div> </div> <div class="social-links-bottom"> <div class="pt-social-media blog-entry-divider"> <ul class="share-buttons"> <li> <a title="Share on Facebook" class="facebook-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=220580041311284&display=page&href=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202301/research-is-in-work-stress-is-not-just-in-your-head&redirect_uri=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202301/research-is-in-work-stress-is-not-just-in-your-head" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-facebook-md.svg" alt="Share on Facebook" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Share</span></div> </a> </li> <li> <a title="Share on Twitter" class="twitter-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://twitter.com/share?text=Research%20Is%20In%3A%20Work%20Stress%20Is%20Not%20%E2%80%9CJust%20in%20Your%20Head%E2%80%9D%20%7C%20Psychology%20Today&url=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202301/research-is-in-work-stress-is-not-just-in-your-head&related=PsychToday" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-twitter-md.svg" alt="Share on Twitter" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Tweet</span></div> </a> </li> <li> <a title="Share on LinkedIn" class="linkedin-share-button open-dialog" target="_blank" data-lang="en" href="https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202301/research-is-in-work-stress-is-not-just-in-your-head" onclick="window.open(this.href,'newWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,width=640,height=480');return false;"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-linkedin-md.svg" alt="Share on LinkedIn" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Share</span></div> </a> </li> <li><div class="form-item-type-email js-form-item form-item js-form-type-email form-item- js-form-item- form-no-label"> <a title="Share via Email" class="email-share-button open-dialog" data-lang="en" href="mailto:?subject=Psychology%20Today%3A%20Research%20Is%20In%3A%20Work%20Stress%20Is%20Not%20%E2%80%9CJust%20in%20Your%20Head%E2%80%9D&body=Hi%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20thought%20you%27d%20be%20interested%20in%20this%20article%20on%20Psychology%20Today%3A%0D%0A%0D%0A%20Research%20Is%20In%3A%20Work%20Stress%20Is%20Not%20%E2%80%9CJust%20in%20Your%20Head%E2%80%9D%0D%0Ahttps%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202301/research-is-in-work-stress-is-not-just-in-your-head%3Feml%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A---%0D%0AFind%20Counselling%3A%20https%3A//www.psychologytoday.com/sg&destination=node/5002253"> <div><img border="0" src="https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/theme-assets/icons/icon-share-round-email-md.svg" alt="Share via Email" width="37" height="37" /><span class="visually-hidden">Email</span></div> </a> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="pt-ad pt-ad--300x250 d-block d-none d-md-block d-lg-none block" id="block-adblock-20"> <div class="pt-ad--container pt-ad-show-text"> <div class="pt-ad--text"> <span>advertisement</span> </div> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1424993595349-0" class="pt-ad--content"> <script type="text/javascript"> if (window.googletag && googletag.apiReady) { googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1424993595349-0'); 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