We know that stress is the silent killer and amounts for large amounts of absenteeism at work but are we getting less able to deal with stress?
I ask this question following the publication of a report from the American Psychological Association entitled “Stress In America 2021: Pandemic Impedes Basic Decision Making Ability.” This report found that 32% of Americans said that sometimes they are so stressed about the pandemic that they struggle to make even basic decisions such as what to wear or what to eat. This is scary enough but the age breakdown is even more telling.
48% of millennials were found to be particularly likely to struggle compared with only 3% of older adults and only 14% of baby boomers (age 57 – 75). In other words the older the person, the less likely they were to be affected.
This raises more questions than answers but leaves us with one very important one: are we less able to deal with stress?
Leaders need to carefully consider the situation here. Does this mean that younger people are less able to cope? Does it mean that younger people have always been unable to cope or is this a new phenomena? Can American statistics be transposed to other countries? Is this just pandemic related?
The answers to these questions are very important when considering who to put into positions of responsibility. To be effective in the allocation of tasks to employees and also when considering what help and support they require we need to understand their ability to deal with stress.
How does your organisation stack up here and what are you going to do about it?
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