Fear of the Workplace
Since this is Stress Awareness Month, do you think the findings of this survey research might generate a stress response in employees?
My morning at the computer started with reading a very interesting article. A sub-head in the article says it all. It read: The Return To Office Is A Frightening Prospect.
The article was based on a survey of 3,853 American respondents between February 7–15, 2024. The survey asked about work preferences. The questions “included yes/no questions, open-ended questions, scale-based questions relating to levels of agreement with a statement, and questions that permitted the selection of multiple options from a list of answers.”
I found the findings to be quite startling and eye-opening. The findings included:
- “53% fear on-site full-time work for the rest of their life more than climate change.
- 43% are more scared of having to work on-site full-time than losing their romantic relationship or getting a divorce.
- 41% are more scared of having to work on-site full-time for the rest of their life than getting into a car accident.
- 41% are more scared of on-site full-time work than natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes).”
According to the article, “the survey investigated and compared a number of additional scenarios and found returning to office work elicits a much greater fear among respondents than many other potential disasters:
- 34% fear on-site full-time work more than having $10,000 stolen.
- 24% are more scared of having to work on-site full-time for the rest of their life than developing a chronic illness.
- 23% are more scared of having to work on-site full-time than losing their retirement savings.
- 20% are more scared of working on-site full-time than running out of financial resources during retirement.
- 16% are more scared of having to work on-site full-time for the rest of their life than losing a loved one.”
It is well validated by researchers that most fears today are mental and not physical. They are the result of our mental chatter or mental worries and not the result of an actual direct threat to our physical safety (There is no saber-toothed tiger lying in wait in the grass for us to pass by).
These survey results not only support the established research findings, but also support why employers must do more in the arena of employee mental health than just supporting the treatment of employees who unfortunately experience a mental illness. Employers must begin to address mental wellness/wellbeing or positive mental health, as well as mental distress and struggling. Left unaddressed, fear can be the ultimate momentum and growth stopper.
From my perspective as a workplace wellbeing architect, the survey findings are quite remarkable. The findings make me want to see the actual survey questions that yielded the results they got and the occupations of the survey respondents. Obviously, both the way the questions were asked and the professions of the respondents can drastically influence survey results.
In light of the findings, I also think it would be interesting to re-survey the respondents to see what the linkage might be, if any, between these survey results and today’s predominant beliefs around entitlement and victimhood.
Within the workplace literature and social media, conversation and debate today about Return-to-Office (RTO) policies is hot and heavy. Based on the survey findings, the article reported: “Companies that require employees to return to the office full-time, may find only a small portion of workers thrive in a strictly on-site work environment. The study found that an extremely small portion of participants performed better on-site compared to remote and hybrid models.” They survey found:
- “2% of workers prefer fully on-site work over a remote or hybrid model.
- 3% say their overall job satisfaction is greatest when working on-site 100% of the time.
- 3% feel most motivated working on-site 100% of the time.
- 3% feel most productive working on-site 100% of the time.
- 44% work longer hours while working remotely than from the office (including 48% of men working longer vs. 43% of women).”
As someone who helps employers develop a positive, supportive, healthy, human — centered organization culture, workplace climates and workplace environments, these numbers are music to my ears. With numbers like these, addressing workplace non-clincal mental health related issues will become a must do for employers. It is well established that employee wellbeing is a function of both individual factors and organizational/workplace factors. In order to capture the heart and minds of employees, employers must address both.
The financial services firm CapitalOne is fond of asking: “What’s in your wallet?” Based on these findings, I am now going to start asking employers: “What do your employees fear most about working here?”
Might fear of work and workplaces be the next hot topic debated and discussed in today’s workplaces?
Reference:
Ciechanowski, Eric. 2024. Fears and Remote Work: LiveCareer Report. LiveCareer. March 25, 2024. Available electronically at:
https://www.livecareer.com/resources/remote-work-fears-and-sentiments Accessed: April 19, 2024.
