Workers are more stressed than ever, according to Gallup's latest "State of the Global Workplace" report, which finds stress levels reached an all-time high in 2022.
44% of employees experienced "a lot" of stress at work the day before they took Gallup's survey. As a result, Gallup says people are more burnt out and disengaged in the workplace, and are increasingly fighting with their bosses.
Despite Gallup finding that workers find their work more meaningful than ever, over half of the workers surveyed are ready to quit their jobs in search of better pay and well-being.
Nearly two-thirds are "quiet quitting," or silently disengaging from their jobs.
Another 18% are "loud quitting," which Gallup describes as workers who are actively hurting the company's goals and fighting against leadership.
Combined, Gallup estimates the low engagement is costing the global economy almost $9 trillion.
Gallup says workplace stress has been rising for over a decade, but didn't ask in its survey what is contributing to record levels of stress. But they believe reasons may include the work itself, along with external factors like family health issues or inflation.
Another recent survey from the consulting firm Robert Half shows professionals are burnt out by heavy workloads, lack of communication and support from their bosses, and fewer resources with which to do their jobs effectively.
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Nearly 40% of workers surveyed said they're more burnt out now than they were a year ago, and millennials were experiencing the highest levels of burnout.
That matches up with another study by Deloitte in May which found that 39% of millennials across 44 countries are stressed at work, either all or most of the time.
Almost half of Gen Zers feel the same way.
For companies looking to help employees relieve stress, Robert Half recommends communicating early and often, actively listening to worker concerns, and respecting workload and time off needs.
