Anxiety at Work summary

How comfortable are you with disagreeing with someone? Perhaps you’re comfortable putting yourself in opposition to a friend or a loved one, but when it comes to the workplace, you shy away from it. The prospect of engaging in conflict with your teammates, or your boss, might make you highly anxious. But, there’s a big difference between healthy debate and unhealthy hostility in the office.

One common complaint that managers have is that their employees are too conflict-averse. They shy away from having difficult conversations and become distressed when they’re given tough feedback. Unsurprisingly, this is a source of frustration to managers.

Not all workplace anxiety is the same, and sadly, some of us feel anxious because of who we are. We’re now talking about the psychological distress that marginalized groups may feel at work. These groups include, but aren’t limited to, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those affected by disability.

Some leaders still refuse to believe that bias affects people at work. They think that saying otherwise is simply a case of political correctness. But the evidence is clear; some people have been historically treated differently, and have suffered as a result.

Have you ever experienced the crushing feeling of being left out? Perhaps other people went to a party, but your invite never arrived. Often, these feelings of exclusion are associated with the schoolyard, but you can feel left out as an adult, too, even in the workplace. 

Evidence suggests that, when workers feel like a cohesive group, they’re actually much more effective at their jobs. So when employees feel excluded by their teammates, it's not just a problem for the individual, but for the company as well.

Your job security might be uncertain, but in the modern workplace, there’s one thing most of us can be sure of: having too much work. Bosses are placing greater demands on their employees and expecting them to do more in an ever-shrinking timeframe. But all these expectations are pushing workers over the edge.

In a 2019 survey, a shocking 91 percent of American employees reported feeling burned-out at some point during the previous year. When you’re burned-out, you feel either physically or emotionally exhausted. You might start feeling cynical about your work and the people you work with; you may feel irritable, or even start to dislike yourself for putting up with other people’s unreasonable demands.

Have you experienced FOMO; the fear of missing out? Perhaps you’ve scrolled through social media and worried that your friends all seem to be having more fun, and living a better life than you? If so then you’re not alone. Millions of young Americans are feeling exactly the same, and are feeling anxious as a result.

And it's not just fun and parties that we feel we’re going to miss out on. For younger generations in particular, it's also the big things; things like getting a good job, progressing in a career, or even getting a mortgage. What’s the cause of all this FOMO? It all comes down to job insecurity.

Do you have any perfectionist traits? Do you hold yourself, or others, to impossibly high standards? Are you very self-critical, or operate with an all-or-nothing mindset? If you recognize any of this in your own behavior, then you might be causing yourself unnecessary anxiety at work.

While some professions, such as being an airline pilot or a medical technician, require extreme accuracy and attention to detail, perfectionism isn’t exactly about being accurate or highly meticulous in your tasks. Actually, perfectionism is usually about seeming to be perfect. In many cases, perfectionists feel an overwhelming sense of judgment from the people around them, and constantly try to live up to what they perceive to be others’ expectations.