Workplace anxiety

Workplace anxiety is anxiety specific to the professional environment — fear of judgment from coworkers and supervisors, performance anxiety, difficulty in meetings or presentations, procrastination out of fear of failing, or anxiety about job security. It is extremely common and is among the leading causes of mental-health-related leave from work.

Workplace anxiety can be a manifestation of GAD (generalized worry that includes work), social anxiety (fear of judgment in a professional context), performance anxiety (fear of not meeting expectations), or burnout (exhaustion with an anxious component).

Organizational culture plays a significant role — environments with high demands, low control, little recognition, and poor communication are risk factors for anxiety. Both individual interventions (CBT, stress-management techniques) and organizational ones (job design, leadership) are needed.