Pessimism among Americans is rising—and the workplace is partly to blame

It’s hard to find much hope these days. 

MeQuilibrium, a workplace resilience and employee engagement platform used by companies like Marriott International, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan, surveyed over 4,400 of its members. It found that political tensions, money, and the workplace are the top drivers of employee pessimism.

Three-fourths of respondents say thinking about the state of the country made them feel worse, followed by their financial situation (45.8%) and work situation (38.7%).

“Each of these three areas has experienced significant volatility and uncertainty that impact employees on a daily basis, in both their personal and work lives,” says Brad Smith, chief science officer at meQuilibrium. Political clashes and polarization, stagnant wage growth amid historically high inflation and rising interest rates, and threats of layoffs are seeping into the workplace and affecting how secure employees feel. “What each of these have in common is that they are essentially out of an individual’s control,” Smith adds.

While geopolitical turmoil and, in some cases, financial situations are out of an employer’s hands, positively impacting workplace sentiment isn’t. Just 27.1% of employees who feel strongly supported by their manager say thinking about work makes them feel worse, compared to 55.5% of employees who do not feel supported by their manager. 

“In a still-volatile, post-pandemic world, managers have to check in with their team on more than just progress toward a goal,” says Smith. Managers must be equipped with soft skills like empathy and create and maintain a psychologically safe space.

Resilient employees, identified as those who exhibit a high degree of realistic optimism and self-confidence, strong problem-solving skills, and high emotional intelligence, were also more likely to report positive perspectives. Only 27.9% of highly resilient employees report a negative outlook on their financial situation, compared to 64.3% of least resilient employees, and 24.4% were pessimistic about their work situation, compared to 55.9% of less resilient workers.

Employers can build resilience in their workforce by offering personalized training that builds on individuals’ strengths, providing growth opportunities, and teaching employees cognitive reframing, a psychological tool where one looks at an upsetting situation, experience, person, or relationship in a different way.

“Rather than resist or complain about change, a resilient employee skilled at reframing might look at the rapid pace of change at work and say, ‘Expecting things to stay the same forever is unrealistic. Change takes time. I’m going to break these huge goals into small steps and celebrate my successes along the way,’” says Smith.

Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion

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