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Poles on the labor market. More than half are thinking about changing industries
BANI world concept (Brittle – fragile, Anxious – restless,
Non-linear (non-linear, Incomprehensible) is based on four assumptions: fragility, anxiety, lack of understanding and linearity in the modern world. The Polish labor market has been subject to numerous turbulences and changes for several seasons. It was similar in the first half of 2024, where dynamic economic changes led to numerous team reductions, restructuring and a decrease in the number of full-time positions in many industries. In addition, the reorganization of work and the requirement to return to offices in many companies have had a negative impact on the well-being of employees.
More than half of employees (52%) feel emotionally overloaded – according to the study "Pressure of change, emotions and mental health in the work environment", carried out as part of the nationwide "Closer to Yourself" campaign of the Artemis Group, supported by the job portal rocketjobs.pl. The partner was the Social Insurance Institution.
Both leaders and employees indicate a negative impact on mental health (51% and 52%, respectively). The most common psychological difficulties they mention are: burnout (48%), mental exhaustion (47%) and mood disorders (25%).
Why are changes in the workplace so stressful? And what sins do companies commit when implementing them?
The biggest problem for respondents is time pressure and work pace – this factor is 38%. of them is indicated as the most disturbing to good mental condition. On average, every third employee also complains about too many tasks and the resulting excessive stress.
In addition, 45 percent respondents complain about the fact that changes in their workplace are introduced without any preparation, and 42% complain about the very quick pace of their introduction.
What types of changes are most stressful for employees?
Particularly stressful for employees are job cuts and layoffs (31 percent of responses), increased requirements regarding work efficiency (27 percent) and changes in job positions or team structures (24 percent). The next items also include changes in employment conditions and the remuneration system, personnel changes in the company's management board that affect the way the organization is managed, and the introduction of new projects and initiatives that require additional resources and workload.
– The period of introducing fundamental changes in the organization is a difficult moment in the life of the company and a big challenge for Leaders. It involves not only stress on the part of employees, but also concerns of employers themselves. Sometimes this results in the fact that communication around changes is nervous, ill-considered, and the process of their implementation is chaotic, which intensifies negative emotions in the organization. To prevent this, transparent communication is very important from the very beginning. It is worth including an explanation of the reasons for the changes and the benefits they will bring to employees and the entire organization. Moreover, in order to deal with difficult emotions, it is good to create a space for an open conversation, during which employees can share their fears and doubts – says Paulina Świątkiewicz, HR Business Partner in the group of job portals justjoin.it and rocketjobs.pl.
The emotions that employees face in their first reaction to information about change include stress, fear and anxiety. It is therefore not surprising that as many as 38 percent of them do not like changes in the professional environment. Only 21 percent employees declare that they "rather like" changes, mainly pointing to the fact that they allow them to gain new experiences.
How do employees and leaders cope with implementing changes?
Almost half of this group claim that they have sufficient skills to cope with stress in the face of change. However, Leaders rate their skills much better than Employees. 81 percent of them believe that they have appropriate competences to manage change. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that only 43 percent employees admit that they can count on support from their superiors in the process of adapting to changes.
– In the change management process, the most important element should be people, inclusive and transparent communication and the use of empathy as a tool to understand the needs and emotions of the team. This awareness of relationships, emotions and the ability to address difficult topics with employees build positive attitudes in the company's organizational culture. Without open communication and taking into account the human factor, i.e. an empathetic approach, it is much more difficult to guide employees through change for the sake of their emotional well-being. "Closer to Yourself" in the name of the campaign encourages you to be closer to yourself, be aware of your own emotions, needs and reactions, as well as be closer in relationships with others, to understand and listen to each other better. – comments Agata Swornowska-Kurto, president of the ArteMis Group, the originator and organizer of the "Closer to Yourself" study.
The study "Pressure of change and emotions and mental health in the work environment" was carried out as part of the nationwide educational and information campaign "Closer to Yourself", focusing on the topic of mental health in the work environment, the originator and organizer of which is the Artemis Group. The partner of the nationwide study is the Social Insurance Institution.
