Common Workplace Anxieties Workers Face Today

Workplace anxiety and stress are becoming more common, yet only around a quarter of workplaces are thought to have proper plans to help employees dealing with ongoing stress. What situations at work are most likely to cause anxiety? Addressing these issues may lower the risk of long-term stress and burnout. We’ve outlined some common workplace concerns and practical ways to support people dealing with them.

When looking at anxiety at work, it is important to understand which parts of the workplace may be causing it. What worries one employee may not bother another, and people with a diagnosed anxiety disorder may need very different forms of support. Still, there are several situations at work that commonly leave people feeling tense or overwhelmed. We’ve highlighted some of these situations and what employees and those around them can do to make them easier to manage.

Interviews

Job interviews make many people nervous, and they are often designed to test candidates under pressure. But if anxiety stops someone from showing their actual skills and experience, the interview process may not give every candidate a fair chance. What can be done to make interviews less stressful for someone dealing with anxiety?

Create a Calmer Setting

This may not always be possible during a remote interview, but in-person interviews give employers a chance to make candidates feel more comfortable. Interviews often take place in meeting rooms or formal offices, but using a quieter and more relaxed space, such as a kitchen, dining area, or wellbeing room, may help. A familiar and informal setting can make an anxious candidate feel more at ease than a formal boardroom.

Be Approachable

Begin with a relaxed conversation about the candidate’s day, background, or even the weather before moving into formal questions. Going straight into an interview can make someone who is already nervous feel pressured, which may cause them to forget points they wanted to discuss. Spending a few minutes building a connection gives the candidate time to settle down before they need to focus on their answers.

Balancing Work with Personal Life

Work is not always the main reason people feel anxious during the working day. Concerns about family, relationships, finances, or other personal matters can also affect how someone feels at work. Many people have to manage their jobs alongside family responsibilities and personal commitments, making it difficult to maintain a healthy balance. When different parts of life feel difficult to control, anxiety can easily follow. So, what can help?

Use annual leave as a real opportunity to rest, and encourage others to do the same. Some employees avoid taking time off because they worry about returning to a full inbox, unfinished tasks, and approaching deadlines. Planning ahead and setting clear boundaries can make it easier to disconnect while away and reduce some of the pressure that comes with returning to work.

Having several priorities in different areas of life can also create stress. There may be work deadlines to meet, relationship responsibilities to manage, childcare duties to handle, or personal interests that you want to make time for. Writing down everything competing for your attention can make things feel more manageable. It can also help you see which tasks need attention first and which ones can be moved further down your list.

If your workload becomes too much, speak up before the pressure turns into long-term stress or burnout. Talking with a manager or colleague may help you divide tasks, adjust deadlines, or decide which responsibilities need your attention first. Breaking a large workload into smaller and more manageable tasks can make it easier to stay focused without feeling overwhelmed.

Workplace Relationships

Unlike our personal friendships, we usually cannot choose the people we work with. Because of this, dealing with certain colleagues can sometimes create stress and anxiety. Work can feel more difficult and less pleasant when relationships with co-workers are tense. 

Workplace bullying is also a serious issue in the U.S., with 32.3% of adult Americans reporting that they have experienced bullying at work. For some employees, this can lead to avoiding certain workplace situations or even leaving their jobs. If a difficult relationship at work is adding to your anxiety, there are several ways you can deal with it.

Have a direct conversation: Talk privately with a colleague if something they say or do upsets you, and explain how you feel about what happened. In many cases, speaking openly can be one of the fastest ways to clear up a disagreement or misunderstanding and prevent the issue from growing.

Look for common ground: Your relationship with a colleague may feel tense at work, but you may share an interest or hobby outside your job. Talking about subjects unrelated to work can sometimes help you connect on a different level and reduce some of the tension you feel around the person.

Maintain some professional space: If a particular colleague continues to make you feel uncomfortable or anxious, it is reasonable to keep your distance. You do not have to become friends with everyone at work. Focus on doing your job, remain polite and professional, and limit unnecessary interaction with that person.

Document behavior that may involve bullying or harassment: An individual incident may seem minor on its own, but keeping a record of repeated events can help show a pattern over time. This information can also be useful when speaking with HR or another appropriate person about whether the behavior is acceptable.

Money Concerns and Job Stability

Your salary, future pay increases, and the security of your position are not always within your control. During periods when living costs are rising, uncertainty about money or employment can add to feelings of anxiety. Managing these worries often involves taking care of your mental health while also finding practical ways to deal with financial concerns. Here are some useful steps.

Talk about what is worrying you. Discussing money or job security with a manager may feel uncomfortable, but you have a reasonable interest in understanding what could happen to your role or income. You may not receive an immediate solution, but raising your concerns gives your manager a better idea of what you are dealing with and may provide information that helps reduce uncertainty.

When you are concerned about something outside your control, such as the future of your job, self-help methods based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be useful. One approach is taking your thoughts to court, which can help you examine whether your worries are based on facts or assumptions.

It has been observed that financial problems and mental health can affect each other, while the combined stigma around money and mental health can leave people feeling alone. Our dedicated hub on the cost-of-living crisis provides information and guidance for dealing with financial worries.

Stress Caused by Commuting

For many people, travelling to and from work can be a source of anxiety, especially if you experience panic disorder, transport-related phobias, claustrophobia, or other concerns about travelling. More workplaces now offer flexible arrangements that allow employees to work from home on some days. But when travelling is unavoidable, or remote work is not available, there are ways to make the journey easier and find working arrangements that better support your mental health.

Talk to your employer about possible arrangements. If travelling to work every day is affecting your mental health, there may be room to change your schedule or working pattern. Many employers now use hybrid work models because they can make work more accessible and flexible. Your employer may not fully understand how flexible working could help you or the organization, so discuss your situation with your manager and ask what options may be available for your role.

Use practical methods that help you stay calm. There are simple things you can try when anxiety starts during your journey to work. Our guides, which include techniques that take either 5 or 10 minutes, offer practical self-help methods you can use to settle yourself and manage anxious feelings.