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Anxiety at Work
Eight Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience,
Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done
Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton • ANXIETY AT WORK: 8 Strategies to Help
Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done by Adrian
Gostick and Chester Elton with Anthony Gostick. Copyright © 2021 by Adrian
Gostick, Chester Elton, and Anthony Gostick. Published by arrangement
with Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. • 256 pages

Life Advice / Well-Being / Stress

Science / Medicine / Mental Health

Take-Aways
• Uncertainty triggers anxiety.
• Overloading workers leads to elevated stress levels and burnout.
• Support younger workers by coaching them as they learn and grow their careers.
• Unhealthy perfectionism harms teams.
• Help conflict-averse workers by creating a culture of psychological safety.
• Be a supportive ally to team members from marginalized groups.
• Create an inclusive work culture; social exclusion causes psychological harm.
• Express gratitude to improve workers’ moods and motivate them.

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 Recommendation
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, companies can no longer expect employees to remain silent about their
mental health concerns. Leaders now must take well-being-related issues as seriously as their bottom lines,
say work culture experts Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. The authors share the results of interviews they
conducted with thousands of workers over the course of two decades along with leading research into issues
of work and well-being. The authors’ insights will inspire and empower leaders to help their teams cope with
anxiety and thrive amidst uncertainty.

Summary

Uncertainty triggers anxiety.

Nearly 20% of workers have anxiety disorder diagnoses and regularly high anxiety levels – which were
rising already before the pandemic – and these concerns will continue to go up in today’s atmosphere of
uncertainty. Mental health problems are overrepresented among younger generations, with more than 50%
of millennials and 75% of Gen Z workers citing mental health concerns as the impetus to quit their jobs.
Leaders should make workplaces healthier by adapting their leadership styles to support employees’ mental
health needs. Leaders need to empower team members to navigate a complex, volatile and rapidly changing
world while leveraging their collective intelligence to find solutions to challenges.

“In work teams, many people who might seem to be doing fine are, in reality, in danger
of going under.”

These six leadership actions help you reduce the anxiety-triggering effects of uncertainty:

1 . Don’t pretend you have all the answers – Create a culture of learning, in which teams discuss and
process the latest developments and news together.
2 . Don’t micromanage during challenging times – Maintain a curious and open attitude during
crises rather than trying to control your employees.
3 . Clarify your expectations – Many workers feel anxious because they don’t fully understand what
constitutes a good performance. Set short-term goals regularly with each team member, and ensure new
employees receive the orientation and onboarding they need.
4 . Focus team members on what they can control – Many factors that could affect the future of
your employees at your company are out of their control, such as an economic downturn, for example.
Encourage workers to focus only on things they have the power to change.
5 . Maintain a “bias for action” – Create a culture in which team members don’t fear taking action
or making mistakes – which you should reframe as valuable learning opportunities.
6 . Give constructive feedback – Identify concrete ways workers can improve their performances, and
give meaningful praise when employees earn it.

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 Overloading workers leads to elevated stress levels and burnout.

More than 90% of workers experience mental and physical exhaustion from their work, but managers
often fail to see endemic burnout levels as a broad systemic issue. Some leaders incorrectly believe
creating stress and pressure motivates employees, but demanding more work in less time triggers anger,
frustration and distrust, while taxing employees’ mental and physical health. Overloading employees is
both inefficient and expensive: Burnout accounts for $190 billion of US health care spending each year.
Employees who experience burnout symptoms are more likely to be absent due to illness and to quit their
jobs.

“Many of our employees are feeling overloaded with crushing amounts of work to
accomplish, and it’s leading to unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety.”

Managers can support workers who experience overload by helping them break their work down into small,
manageable blocks and encouraging them to focus on one chunk of work at a time. Managers should help
employees prioritize which tasks they should work on immediately and which they can delay by marking
each with clear criteria: “critical, important, moderate, and low.” Have honest one-on-one conversations
with employees about the feasibility of completing projects to determine whether they need support. Engage
in collaborative goal-setting, ensuring goals are realistic and clear. Help team members focus and avoid
distractions by discouraging constant task-switching. Make sure you don’t overload the same people with
work by carefully balancing workloads.Encourage workers to take time to rest and recover.

Support younger workers by coaching them as they learn and grow their careers.

Younger generations constantly compare their careers and lifestyles to those of their peers through
social media, which often fuels anxiety. They also experience stress because young workers face limited
opportunities. Young workers often worry they are failing to reach societal milestones, such as buying
a home or getting married, at the same age that previous generations reached these goals. For example,
thanks to steep student debt loads, many workers in their twenties must delay homeownership until their
thirties.

“Instead of midlife crises, we are now seeing what we call the ‘quarter-life crisis,’ where
those in their twenties are facing serious unrest about the quality and direction of their
lives.”

Help younger workers define clear pathways toward career growth, which 90% of younger generations value
highly. Coach them in assessing their skills and better understanding their motivations, while helping them
take advantage of upskilling, real-time learning and career growth opportunities. Consider building peer-to-
peer learning systems and creating a safe space in which individuals can share their challenges and support
others. Nurture a culture that supports employees on their individualized growth trajectories.

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 Unhealthy perfectionism harms teams.

Researchers Paul Hewitt and Gordon Flett describe three forms of perfectionism: “Self-oriented
perfectionism,” in which you hold yourself to unrealistic standards; “Socially prescribed perfectionism,” in
which people feel they must be perfect to meet others’ expectations; and “Other-oriented perfectionism,”
which entails impossibly high expectations of others. Perfectionists view their self-worth as contingent upon
meeting overly high performance standards, and they frequently experience anxiety, burnout and stress. You
can spot perfectionists in the workplace because they tend to excessively seek guidance, be overly risk-averse
and overthink their decisions. They also tend to be defensive when others criticize them and then ruminate
on their mistakes.

“A key difference between unhealthy perfectionism and healthy striving is being able to
define realistic expectations and knowing when to say ‘that’s good enough.”

Support the perfectionists on your team by clarifying what results you consider “good enough,” so they don’t
waste energy trying to execute everything perfectly. Identify the issue with sensitivity, letting perfectionists
know you admire their investment in achieving such high standards, but that their behavior hinders their
progress.

Successful innovators strive to create a minimum viable product: something that’s good enough to test, then
improve later. Help your team understand the value of this approach when an over-fixation on details blocks
momentum. Check in with team members about the status of their work regularly. Reassure perfectionists
that their work is up to standard and offer support to those who need it. Pairing perfectionists on projects
with team members who don’t share that problem helps perfectionists learn that obsessing over details isn’t
always helpful.

Help conflict-averse workers by creating a culture of psychologically safety.

Many workers fear conflict and stifle their honest opinions to avoid it. Younger workers in particular often
feel uncomfortable with face-to-face conflict, and may prefer having difficult conversations by text. Conflict-
averse workers often try to change the conversational topic or flee the room when they feel uncomfortable,
and often appear tense or reserved in meetings.

Help these people by carefully giving them critical feedback. Clearly address any issues creating conflict,
focusing on factual information. Let them know if their actions failed to support one of your core values.
Brainstorm a solution together, so they see a path forward.

“Conflict in the workplace can be a significant cause of anxiety for many workers,
especially for younger people, and yet debate is inevitable and necessary in the
workplace.”

Make meetings psychologically safe environments by establishing ground rules for debate. Such rules ensure
everyone has a chance to share and require people to support their opinions with factual information,
while de-escalating conflicts that might arise. Create a culture in which people always assume others have

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 a positive intent. People who make mistakes still want to do what’s best for your team. Share your own
vulnerabilities, so employees know you’re not infallible.When employees experience peer-to-peer conflict,
encourage them to search for areas of compromise and stay solution-oriented; then, make sure they follow
up with one another to resolve any issues. Coach workers to become accustomed to uncomfortable
interactions.

Be a supportive ally to team members from marginalized groups.

People belonging to particular identity groups – such as LGBTQ+, people of color and religious minorities
– frequently experience social exclusion and marginalization. Many people from marginalized groups will
mask their diverse identities, which triggers anxiety, so leaders must create cultures in which people feel safe
expressing their authentic identities.

Leaders often fail to appreciate the negative impact of microaggressions – small biases that people reveal
in subtle ways that create discomfort and can leave the recipient feeling insulted – and the psychological
harm that experiencing these interactions creates. Never pretend you’re blind to differences – that shows
an empathy deficit for the lived experiences of people from underrepresented groups who regularly suffer
feelings of alienation. Work to recognize your own biases to become more fair and objective.

“Implicit bias is something that we shouldn’t be afraid to recognize in ourselves, and we

should actually seek it out, so we can unlearn expectations.”

Leaders seeking to be better allies to people from marginalized identity groups should do the following:

1 . Listen – If a team member feels like sharing their identity-related experience, honor it; listen and
amplify it, so you and others better understand that person’s unique perspective.
2 . Sponsor – Allies should use any privilege they have to sponsor those from marginalized groups and
help them achieve recognition for their skills, knowledge and expertise.
3 . Stand up – Show your support by taking aligned actions, such as attending events that support
marginalized groups.
4 . Advocate – Ensure colleagues from underrepresented groups receive a proper welcome by advocating
on their behalf.

Create an inclusive work culture; social exclusion causes psychological harm.

More than 70% of workers report feeling socially ostracized in the workplace, which can cause lasting
psychological harm. Leaders can detect whether employees feel left out by paying attention to the
individuals who seem to have less rapport and interaction with their fellow team members, and by asking
people to reflect on their interactions with their peers during one-on-ones.

“We’ve probably all been left out at some point in our lives; it evokes unpleasant
memories from school playground days.”

Prevent social exclusion by prompting workers to engage in team-building activities to form

camaraderie. Encourage team members to meet up outside of work, at events such as conferences, or assign

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 work for people to perform in small groups to build connections. Consider guiding teams in discovering
shared core values; this helps foster alignment even when differences exist. Validate employees, so they
know you recognize the value they bring to the group. Include remote workers by recreating moments of
“water cooler talk” using digital platforms.

Express gratitude to raise workers’ moods and motivate them.

To proactively reduce anxiety levels and motivate team members to perform better and enjoy greater
engagement, show gratitude through regular positive reinforcement. Receiving gratitude prompts your
neurotransmitters to release the hormones serotonin and dopamine, which trigger positive feelings.
Receiving gratitude helps employees handle stress and recover from setbacks with resilience.

“Managers need employees who are motivated to achieve. And one of the simplest and
most effective ways to motivate people to achieve is by regularly expressing gratitude.”

Show gratitude effectively by: Making sure you’re specific, sincere and clear about what you’re thanking
someone for, and that you thank the individual in a timely manner after their accomplishment; ensuring
your display of gratitude is commensurate with team members’ accomplishments; and overcoming concerns
you might have about overpraising high achievers. Today’s workplaces are transforming: Employees expect
leaders to prioritize employee needs.

About the Authors

Co-founders of The Culture Works, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton wrote the New York Times
bestseller The Carrot Principle and the best-selling books Leading with Gratitude and All In.

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This document is restricted to the personal use of Mohamed Hamdy Riad (MRiad@ibm.com)
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