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Subscribe to RSSIt’s not your imagination: Your boss is likely more anxiety-ridden than a year ago.
A survey of more than 1,000 managers by staffing firm OfficeTeam found that 30 percent of managers are more stressed today than a year ago. Only 11 percent said their stress level at work is lower than it was last year.
Don’t expect things to get much better, either. The survey, released this week, also found that 28 percent of managers expect their anxiety levels to increase further in the coming year. Only 8 percent are expecting their stress levels to decrease.
The survey included senior managers at companies with more than 20 employees.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that work is stressing us, and our bosses, out. Although the National Bureau of Economic Research said this week that the recession officially ended more than a year ago, many of us don’t feel like we’re in recovery. The unemployment rate is still at 9.6 percent, and those people who are lucky enough to have a job are working pretty hard to hold onto it.
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Yes, let's keep all the little slaves working harder so we [the CEOs and Seniors] can collect our outrageous salaries and perks while the little slaves continue to lose ground! And by the way, aren't we doing a great job keeping the Feds at bay by not hiring anyone! Gee, with people earning salaries, wouldn't products sell? But we'll just keep up our little game until everyone caves to our way. That's how we earn our money--not by, heaven forbid, making anything worth having. Hope the Government doesn't catch on-but I doubt the stupid ** will!
Obviously you've never wondered how you were going to keep sales adequate to make payrole and a MASSIVE healthcare and workers comp bill that is 35% higher than 2 years ago.. You've never had 1/3 of your accounts receivable "questionable" for the last 24 months and watching many of your 20+ year valued customers slowly "die-off".
You think mid to large business managers can simply go into their office one day and say "ok, let's have a good sales day, and have all of our AR come in to "current"? You people (and you know who you are) need to grasp reality ... perhaps spend a month in the shoes of upper and mid level management in this current economic environment. You probably don't realize just how many millions of jobs are still good, only out of the kindness and desperate attempts of business higher-ups of small businesses nationwide who do not want to let go of any more employees than is ABSOLUTELY necessary in order to simply survive ... until something gets better.
Big corporate business showing massive profits lately? Perhaps, but you can "take comfort" in the fact government will come after those profits soon (if that makes you happy). It is small business (less than 50 employees) who employ 70% of Americans and I can assure you, they are not seeing massive profits, these days.
I might also suggest that if you are fortunate enough to have an employer sponsored (and perhaps employer matched) 401k, and you feel that big-business profits are a real problem, you should cash in your 401k, take the penalty, and put the money under your mattress.
Please don't be lulled into the idea that a mild turn-over in congress in 2011 is going to change things right away. It will take a long time to slow the machine, get it stopped, get it turned around, and get it going back in the right direction, all the while having to fight off Obama idealogy trying to insert itself wherever it can.
Ha - Ha Your business is failing - you are so funny because you willbe the first guy in line for unemployment checks, food stamps and welfare. My busines in Telecom and I have never had a better year over 250K - NICE! Anyway, I know who you are STexan - I will be sure to drop by and order dome fries from you when hit rock bottom - HAHA - Karma is a real BeYotch and you will get a B-SLAP all in due time my friend, all in due time..... Peace, Big Tex
Is everyone a dickhead in Texas or are you the lone ranger Big Tex? In Telecom?? hahaha what a joke you are... You voted for Obama too didn't ya... @!$%#in meathead...
Well, that's why they get paid the big bucks. Deal with it.
I just hate it when that happens.
Everyone knows (except the corporate world that is) that double digit year-over-year profit growth is not sustainable. Guess it's getting stressful finding new ways to screw your employees to maintain that.
The thing that gets me is that more and more employers are usong the economy as an excuse to treat their employees unfair. Even though a lot of companies are making it quit well in this economy (Mine for one) it seams like we employees are treated like S*** while the higher archy are getting the raises and working less.
Idiots that keep voting in anti business clowns to tax, regulate and smother business have zero right to whine when jobs are scarce,stress and unemployment high,and confidence a thing of distant memory.
Oh,wait, the head clowns can hire more government parasites to live off your dwindling tax dollars. That will fix unemployment!
When you work for a company it's your job to make the company profitable thats what you get paid to do. If you don't like what you do or what you get paid to do go somewhere else and get a job. I think we as AMERICANS we need to take a step back and look what we as AMERICANS have done to the GREAT COUNTRY. We have let the government think for us and tell us that our employers are screwing us. In fact our elected officials are doing the screwing.
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I do feel somewhat bad for some of our managers. They do work hard, and they get dumped on more than most other people. They have to deal with giving the bad news. Weather it be lay-offs, pay cut's furloughs, benefit cuts, etc... All the while the executives sit in their high rise corner office, whining about how they can't afford to book a private jet out to the Bahamas for their umpteenth vacation for the year.
It's sad that much of our existence revolves around long hours, lower pay and benefits, and deteriorating working conditions.
My job is to be between a rock and a hard place. Help my employees do the best they can with a smile while they try to take advantage of and bad mouth me and the company when ever possible. Turn a profit while getting less investment from the owner to make it possible. I'm a doctor trying to revive a company on life support until they pull the plug. In spit of this, I love my job and the alternative is no job which isn't an option. I'll take it!
everyone at the workplace is stressed out. I try to keep my stress at a minimum by working out and mediation . Also, it is best to only try to be grateful to have any job today. I do not always feel grateful so I need to start looking for something else.
Mediation????? Do you mean medication. Cause all the mediation in the world isn't going to change the fact that we are over worked and under paid!!!!
I hate it when I read comments like this (waaaa...CEO's make all kinds of money). Do you realize that someone who works at the executive level puts their very freedom on the line when they take the job? If something goes wrong, terribly wrong, they get to go to prison. You just get fired. You have the same opportunities as everyone else.
pammyp33, your hubby must be a CEO. What CEO's make is obscene compared to the people who actually produce something. If CEO's were honest and had the good of the company in mind rather than the good of their stock options and buyout agreements, they wouldn't have to be worried about going to jail.
Umm...for the record, we have a thing called a court system. If they didn't have a part in whatever went, "terribly wrong," they're not going to jail. The problem is that so many of the CEOs in the scenario you're referring to have been part of the gig. And even if they did have a part in it, they're probably STILL not going to jail.
The truth is that yes, they do get fired like the rest of us, but the biggest difference is they get one hell of a severence package. ;)
They go to prison if they do something illegal. They get fired if they do something wrong.
as a manager in a small company,i will admit to being a little more stressed out this year.business is down compared to 08 and 09,and i'm being told to keep expenses down as much as possible.nobody has had a raise in 2 yrs,in fact my salary has decreased in that time.not complaining,in fact i feel fortunate to still have a job.
the economy stinks right now. if we can pay the bills and keep from laying off then my goals for this year will be met.just have to ride this out until things get better,which probably won't be for another year at least.
no matter who is in office it will take a long time for the economy as a whole to pick back up.our elected officials need to start working together instead of playing the blame game.both sides of the isle are responsible for this mess,and it started 30+ years ago.
Preach it cr robbi, you make more sense then the article.
I am a head of my department at work and with this new corporate untold policy of do more with less is tolling.
If the manager's are more stress it as important to be honest with the employee so they can ajust and everyone one from top to bottom can find solutions,hiowever I have never seen the top take pay cuts or any other top solution imposed-maybe they never heard the saying walk in a person shoe for a mile and see how the other half lives! As for the saying everyone has the same opertunity if you believe that you can buy a spare bridge I have!
BicMac- you must have eaten too many big mac's because your spelling is horrible and if you have a spare bridge then you have more then the whole world!!!!!
I wish I had said that!! Thanks, Henry Eckstein. And to you Pammyp33 you are so naive.
We've been in this situation for a long time, approximately a decade. But as long as we weren't feeling the pain the shenanigans could go on and on. Well the chickens have come home to roost and I would suggest people study the policies this administration in trying to put into effect because it is the only was at least 30% of the population will get to enjoy the American Dream.
Because we all want to be rich and not have to work, or we just want someone else to pick up behind us, we have allowed our usefulness in this society to fade away. They're always talking about who we need to pick the oranges. Don't you see the machines???? Wake up people get this administration to invest in the American people. Improving our infrastructure, creating manufacturing jobs that's all anyone with just a high school diploma can hope for otherwise Henry is right YOUR OBSOLETE
I'm stressed out because our smaller company (22 f/t employees) is growing and has been growing every year. My stress is related to desperately trying to keep ahead of my employees--improving myself, so I can train and retain employees better. Admittedly, I am working out of a hole because I've discovered that both recent employees I hired lied on their resumes and have virtually no computer skills other than web surfing. Additionally, this is my fault! I'm new to managing, I'm new to training and coaching for a sustained period of time, and I have never dealt with most of these issues before. I'm lost, so I'm stressing out trying to improve because it isn't fair to blame the people working for me for my shortcomings.
screw em that's why they get paid the B I G bucks.
Perhaps the stress levels would drop if: Our president stops lecturing us on how to run buisnesses in America; stops demeaning us, stops disparaging us, stops screwing us over without vaseline. Everything that comes out of that man's mouth is anti-business anti-profit and anti-growth. Stress? um..yes..and getting worse as he continues to strangulate American companies and pushes our manufacturing plants offshore.
To put another way: He loves state-employee unions, teachers unions and elites...hates American businesses, large companies and the word profit.
Resbot Nermo's reply may have captured the essence of today's voter sentiment. While I was greatly amused by the reply, it soon may be prologue to political reality.
You are right about the need for Decisive Leadership, but a true leader that does not lead solely to gain more power and influence. I can't buy the complete and utter hopelessness and despair though. We became a great nation through hard work, honesty, and a sense of loyalty to something larger than ourselves. The United States is not finished and will again find its soul.
As far as the takeover of technology, that again is a moral problem that puts convenience and self-fulfillment above the needs to be human and have compassion. The same way we will come to our senses and regain our footing, some people will say NO to certain technological devices as they grow more and more intrusive.