Feeling stressed out at work? You’re not the only one. As Rose Leadem reports on Entrepreneur.com, a recent survey of more than 1,000 full-time employees in the United States found that more than half of participants said they feel more stressed today than they did 1 year ago. Notably, 60% report being stressed all or most of the time at work.
What’s at the root of this epidemic? A lot of things, it turns out. The top stress factor at work is the fear of losing jobs to technology—43% of respondents worry that artificial intelligence and new technology will replace them. Away from work, the top stressor (50%) is the current political climate. In fact, for most of the respondents, politics is now more stressful than personal finance and family responsibilities.
Not surprisingly, the high levels of stress affect employers’ bottom line. According to Leadem, workplace stress accounts for as much as $190 billion in healthcare costs.