Anxiety has quickly climbed the list of mental health issues for workers. In fact, in April of 2024, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) ran an article stating that anxiety has become the number one mental health issue in the workplace. Before 2017, anxiety did not rank in the top five. Anxiety can have a huge impact on both employees and businesses. This article will explain what anxiety is and how anxiety affects work performance.
What is Anxiety?
MedlinePlus.gov defines anxiety as a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It usually comes with physical symptoms (dizziness, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and more) and thoughts or beliefs that can be difficult to manage. While occasional anxiety is a part of life for everyone, an anxiety disorder occurs when anxiety doesn’t go away and perhaps gets worse over time. SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration) includes several disorders under the umbrella of anxiety: generalized anxiety, panic disorder, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety.
This infographic from the National Institute of Mental Health helps explain the difference between stress and anxiety. Simply put, stress is generally short-term and due to external factors, while anxiety is constant and more commonly a result of internal factors and one’s reaction to things.
Causes of Anxiety that Affects Work Performance
While every job is different, some common workplace triggers for anxiety include performance evaluations, tight deadlines, job insecurity, and unrealistic workloads. Work-life balance has also been an important topic in recent years. Some studies have shown that as many as 2 in 5 adults work more than 50 hours per week, and a Harvard Business Review study from 2021 found that nearly 90% of employees believed their work-life balance was getting worse. Colleagues and supervisors also play an important role either positively or negatively, as toxic work environments and leaders are correlated to anxiety. When employees do not feel psychologically or emotionally safe, the businesses and organizations they support suffer.
Understanding How Anxiety Affects Work Performance
As an employee, it is important to understand how anxiety might be affecting your work performance. Research shows a connection between anxiety and other medical conditions such as heart disease, chronic pain, and ulcers. The triggers for workplace anxiety mentioned in the previous section can create physical, emotional, and behavioral reactions and responses such as headaches and physical fatigue, loss of sleep, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and even procrastination or overworking. These factors can increase one’s risk for depression. It is hard for anyone experiencing these factors to perform at their best at work. Anxiety also affects work performance long-term as it can lead to missing out on career growth opportunities, underperformance that results in job loss, or concerns about financial well-being.
Employers also need to understand how anxiety affects work performance, their employees, and the impact anxiety can have on their bottom line. High levels of anxiety can lead to both physical and mental illness, causing employees to miss work (absenteeism) or burnout. The World Health Organization has estimated the cost of absenteeism to be around $1 trillion per year globally. Presenteeism, which occurs when an employee goes to work despite a medical illness that will prevent them from fully functioning, is another problem that could lead to lower quality of work and decreased productivity. Increased healthcare costs, high turnover rates, and strained team dynamics and morale are just a few of the other ways anxiety affects businesses.
Support for Anxiety in the Workplace
Anxiety is the number one mental health issue affecting work performance in the country. If you are experiencing anxiety in the workplace, you are not alone. There are treatment options and support available. Prioritizing your mental health and overall well-being can have terrific long-term benefits for you and your loved ones.
Contact Parkdale Center Today For Anxiety Help and Treatment
Parkdale Center supports working professionals with mental health disorders, both locally and across the country. Our patients are often well-educated, motivated, and driven to succeed professionally, so we are familiar with the common challenges of today’s work environments. We offer Intensive Outpatient Treatment Programs (IOPs) to residents of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio, and we offer a Virtual IOP via telehealth for clients in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Utah. Please get in touch with us today to discuss what plan might be right for you.