By Douglas LaBier • August 31, 2019
As we approach Labor Day this weekend, it’s a good time to reflect on some new findings about the negative impact work and career have upon a broad spectrum of workers. The new studies add to a picture that’s been accumulating for some time: You’re likely to experience increasing dissatisfaction, stress and damage — both psychologically and physically — in today’s workplace culture and management. And that’s across all organizations in all sorts of jobs, careers, and workplaces.
Many of the findings shed light on why that is, and what may help; but often do so indirectly, by virtue of what’s missing from them. That is, some are based on extensive surveys, but they tend to ignore two underlying sources for so many people: Psychologically unhealthy management and leadership; and our cultural definition of success.
Both are visible in the following studies — including what is needed in both for positive change.
One example is a new survey from CareerCast. It found that a vast majority of Americans feel very stressed at work; that 78% rated their job stress at seven or higher on a 10-point scale. And that was a jump from the 2017 CareerCast stress survey, which found that 69% scored their job stress seven or higher.
The most common stress factor cited was meeting deadlines (38% of respondents). Keep in mind that the average American between 25 and 54 spends 40.3 hours per week at work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s approximately one-quarter of the entire week; a third of waking time for those who sleep an average of seven hours per night. When you include travel time to and from work, that increases it further.
The survey, described fully here, pointed out that when work occupies so much of life, if work is stressful, then life will be stressful. Why is that? Consider that our culture promotes and normalizes workaholism, and the pursuit position, power, and money above all in life. Many workers feel pride over how little vacation they take; and how many hours they work, whether on the clock or off. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that mandates no required vacation time.
Put all that together: It generates for many debilitating stress and often an undercurrent of depression; a desire for relief through some form of escapist, short-term pleasure. Of course, people’s career values and pursuits are also shaped in large part, by what their management culture promotes and rewards.
Many organizations house abusive, narcissistic managers, who create debilitating conflicts for employees. Moreover, corporations have been driven to pursue short-term profit. That, in turn, creates a culture of pressure to meet those objectives; regardless of the impact on actual performance, the mental health of the workers — or even the company’s goal of continued success.
Ironically, a new study shows exactly that: Profit-driven managers actually undercut bottom line measures. One reason is that they lose the respect of their employees, who then counter by withholding performance. According to Matthew Quade, the lead researcher of the Baylor University study, “Supervisors who focus only on profits to the exclusion of caring about other important outcomes, such as employee well-being or environmental or ethical concerns, turn out to be detrimental to employees.”
Moreover, “This results in relationships that are marked by distrust, dissatisfaction, and lack of affection for the supervisor. And ultimately, that leads to employees who are less likely to complete tasks at a high level and less likely to go above and beyond the call of duty.”
The research found that even if employees maintain a bottom line mentality themselves, they would prefer for their managers to focus on creating healthier relationships with their employees — in addition to the bottom line. The researchers pointed out that “supervisors may pursue bottom-line outcomes at the exclusion of ethical practices, personal development or building social connections in the workplace. However, in doing so they may have to suffer the consequence of reduced employee respect, loyalty, and even liking.”
The study was based on data from 866 people, including both supervisors and employees, from a range of industries and companies. It is described here in detail and published in the journal Human Relations.
Even more revealing about the link between a positive management culture and business success is a study described in The Economist’s Bartleby column that examined measures of corporate success. It was based on a large-scale, international Gallup poll. A major finding was that employee happiness and business success are linked. The Economist article pointed out that in the positive, healthy workplace — in which business success is more likely to thrive — “workers will be well informed about a company’s plans and consulted about the roles they will play. Staff will feel able to raise problems with managers without fearing for their jobs. Bullying and sexual harassment will not be permitted. Employees may work hard, but they will be allowed sufficient time to recuperate, and enjoy time with their families. In short, staff will be treated as people, not as mere accounting units.”
Does that sound like your workplace? Your own career environment?
Enjoy Labor Day!
Credit: Pexels
This article was also published in Psychology Today
