Driving Results Through Culture

What is your stress level? What are your employees’ stress levels? The pandemic has placed tremendous burdens on every human—and every company – on the planet. Closed businesses and lost jobs have taken a significant toll on the economy and human wellbeing. Stress is at an all-time high. A 2020 Harris Poll found that US adults’ average stress level was 5.4 (on a 10-point scale). This rating is significantly higher than the 2019 average stress level of 4.9. Parents with children under the age of 18 rated their stress level at 6.7. That’s unfortunate, but not surprising. Effective leaders know that one of the most important things they can do to support team members is to remove employee frustrations. During pre-pandemic times, lousy systems, poor communication, disrespect, and poor follow-through typically generated employee frustrations. During the pandemic, employee frustrations have grown. Working remotely doesn’t solve the above issues—it amplifies them. Leaders can do three things to help address employee