Stress in the workplace is down from COVID-19 pandemic levels, but it’s climbing again, thanks to an increasingly uncertain job market in which some employees are coping with alcohol or drugs – and maybe even breaking down in tears at work.
About 53% of employees are stressed at work, according to a Gallup tracking poll in February, which asked respondents whether they experienced it during “a lot of the day yesterday.” Nearly a fourth said they also felt sadness over the same time period.
Why? There are a number of reasons, says Nellie Brown, director of Workplace Health and Safety Programs at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
A lot has changed in the workplace since the pandemic, Brown says.
"I'm seeing a lot more issues with understaffing," Brown says. "In a lot of jobs, people are working either longer hours or more unusual hours."
