Anxiety at Work:  8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle  Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done, by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, Harper Business 2021

When Madalyn Parker, a software developer working for a Michigan tech company emailed her team, she let them know that she would be out of the office for a few days, an unusual notification that might just have been an excuse for time off or the flu.  But it wasn't.  Turns out Ms. Parker lives with chronic anxiety, some depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and she just needed time away, a break to collect and re-settle herself.  But the reaction she got to her team email shocked her, particularly the response from her CEO.  And in fact for so many of us working high-stress, high exposure jobs, her predicament would be familiar.  

CEO Ben Congleton shared his remarkably encouraging reaction, "You are an example to us all... and help cut through the stigma so we can all bring our whole selves to work."

Wow.  Imagine having that kind of a CEO, or such an enlightened environment.  Derek Lundsten, president and CEO of LifeGuides went even further - "It's time to build a bridge between the old model where employees left their problems at the door and a new world where we set time and space aside for those conversations to take place."

But learning how to handle these very challenging conditions has not been easy for teams or execs.  The authors offer eight strategic areas to help begin a conscious conversion from anxiety-ridden operations to work environments that allow and encourage personnel to move forward, be successful, all the while maintaining their mental health.  According to the authors, "The rising tide of worry, stress, and anxiety have been incredibly expensive for organizations,  In America, workplace anxiety  is estimated to cost some $40B a year in lost productivity, errors and healthcare costs, while stress is estimated to cost more than $300B!  In July 2020, six months into the pandemic, 60% of American workers said they were worried about their job security.  What may have pre-pandemic been a silent career killer, now, in the midst of terrorizing mask mandates and supplier problems has become a common and visible challenge.

Recommended solutions preceded by well-illustrated case examples are covered at the end of each chapter.  They include: 

* Lead through uncertainty

* help with overload

* help chart career development to develop a path forward

* help team members manage perfectionism

* help team members find their voice

* become an ally and help marginalized team members feel valued and accepted

* transform exclusion into connection by helping team members build social bonds

* turn doubts into assurance by understanding how gratitude can help team members build confidence. 

The way to develop what's best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.  Charles Schwab 

This is a brave and timely book - brave because it speaks the unspoken, the challenge of everyday anxiety that we are all facing; timely because although the authors started out in 2020 to deliver consulting advice on culture and employee engagement, as they tell the story, at a Scottsdale manufacturing company event, they were driven to re-form their presentations as news of the new Corona virus started spreading.  Suddenly, all heads were focused on cellphones, and the presenters found they had to stop and address what they saw happening with this new and growing threat.  In effect, this new book is a side effect of the pandemic, and for that we are thankful.  We hope to hear more from these authors as the virus and its fallout continues.   

Patricia E. Moody

FORTUNE magazine  "Pioneering Woman in Mfg" 

IndustryWeek IdeaXchange Xpert

A Mill Girl at Blue Heron Journal, on-line resource for business thought-leaders and decision-makers,  patriciaemoody@gmail.com