Stressed out and miserable at work? You have lots of company

Employees have never been more stressed, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2022 Report, which was conducted in 2021 and released today.

Among workers surveyed, 60% report feeling “emotionally detached” while at work, and 19% consistently feel “miserable.” These numbers are higher than those reported in 2020, which had previously set records for the percentage of employees who reported feeling stressed on a daily basis. 

The Gallup report notes that these findings are concerning given that, on average, people spend a staggering 81,396 hours of their lives working. The only activity we spend more time doing is sleeping. 

The survey also found that:

The United States and Canada region is home to the “most engaged” employees: 33% of respondents in the U.S. and Canada report feeling engaged during work, while 60% say that they are “thriving” when asked to evaluate their overall life quality. These percentages are notably higher than the global averages: 21% of employees say they are engaged during work, while only 33% report “thriving in their overall well-being.”
Despite high engagement, the U.S. and Canada are also home to the world’s most stressed-out workers: Half of those surveyed from the region reported consistent feelings of stress the previous day. 
Workers report the highest quality of life in Australia and New Zealand: 63% of those surveyed feel that they are “thriving.”
South Asia and Europe both saw stark declines in the overall well-being of employees: Only 11% of workers in South Asia and 47% of workers in Europe say that their overall life quality could be categorized as “thriving.” These numbers are 5% lower for both than they were in 2020. 
71% of respondents in the U.S. and Canada feel that now is a great time to find a job: Only 44% of those surveyed in 2020 would have agreed. 
The majority of employees don’t trust businesses: Globally, 74% of survey respondents feel corruption is rampant in the sector. 
Overall, the U.S. and Canada region might be the best place to work: The report found that “despite employees in the United States and Canada region being some of the most worried and stressed workers in the world, the region also has the most engaged employees.”