Barb Cutillo: We all have stress, but bad managers create anxiety

Last year, a research study indicated that almost 80% of employees report anxiety in the workplace, with about half requesting help to manage it. A recent Forbes Magazine headline reads, “Anxiety Skyrockets to No. 1 Issue Among American Workers.”

The research—conducted by the American Psychological Association—indicates that 3 out of 5 workers report a “lack of interest, motivation and energy at work” due to work-related stress.

Another research study released just last month reported that 61% of respondents had constant financial anxiety, contributing to feelings of exhaustion and burnout.

With statistics and results like these, organizations must consider anxiety as a risk management problem and develop plans to address it. No shocker: It starts with improving management skills at every level.

Managers and leaders have many responsibilities: communicating the mission and vision, being good stewards of assets, meeting organizational goals, and attracting and retaining talented employees. To meet or exceed goals, managers must motivate the talented employees to accomplish the work on time and under budget.

Motivation is tricky enough in today’s complex work environment. Most workers yearn for more empathy and development, not pingpong tables and free beer on Fridays. Once you throw in a high dose of stress and anxiety, employee motivation is crushed, and you have exhaustion, turnover and “quiet quitting.”

Some stress in the workplace is healthy and necessary. It drives projects to successful completion, satisfies customers and closes significant transactions. Too much stress and anxiety over a prolonged period can have the opposite effect—paralyzing progress, angering customers and killing deals, leading many workers to burn out and ultimately disengage.

According to researchers from Harvard Business School, “From the outside, anxiety may look like irritability, negativity, or nitpicking.” Many of us bring this to work every day, or misinterpret it from others, not realizing or recognizing that anxiety is driving many of the dysfunctional behaviors.

Several factors are at play here. First, many workplaces don’t encourage honest conversations about anxiety or other mental health issues. Second, many employees are reluctant to bring up the topic at work. Finally, inexperienced or uninformed managers can increase the anxiety and ultimately decrease motivation—the exact opposite of what their job requires.

There are several ways to start talking about mental health, reduce the effects of anxiety in the workplace and avoid becoming the “bad manager” anxiety demon yourself.

The initial step is recognizing that anxiety is real and usually involves difficult emotions or stressors that are different for each person.

Give yourself and others compassion in the moment. When people care deeply about an issue, it might trigger strong sentiments in the workplace. Taking a deep breath, acknowledging what is happening and extending grace helps your nervous system stay regulated and you stay calm in the moment.

As a manager, staying calm keeps everyone’s anxiety level down, because studies show that anxiety can rub off on the people around you. “Staying calm” is not limited to what you say; behavioral studies indicate that managers spread anxiety through non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, tone of voice and body language. Good managers take action to manage their anxiety on a regular basis.

Build a support system. Experienced managers know when to share a bit of their own struggles with others, ask for help if they need it and advocate for their team. Start asking open-ended questions about anxiety levels with your employees during regular one-on-one meetings. Listen, and offer suggestions if appropriate. Educate yourself about what your organization offers in terms of support and come up with ways to relieve it if you are able.

The best managers will recognize that the negative behavior of others might be due to work, family or financial-related stress. They will offer support by listening and not judging, picking up extra tasks or providing other helpful assistance.

Practice self-care. This looks different for everyone, but the guidelines are to think about what makes you feel good and not exhausted—then do that. Self-care starts with knowing your own limits and creating opportunities to take care of yourself. Exceptional managers will recognize limits in themselves and others, then take time to do something that brings joy—even it if is a two-minute dance break during a day of back-to-back meetings. Motivation is much easier when you figure out what works for you and your team and then make time to do it regularly.

Once anxiety enters the arena, it becomes a fierce gladiator, laying waste to motivation, learning, critical thinking and accomplishment, all of which are essential ingredients of a functioning, high-performing workplace. Do your part to help your employees feel like they’ve left the arena wearing the celebratory laurel wreath, walking through the figurative Porta Triumphalis—the winner’s gate.•

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Cutillo is the director of experiential learning and lecturer of management at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Indianapolis.