New Study Discovers Surprising Remedy That Protects Workers Against Career Burnout, Job Stress

According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Report, 49% of U.S. and Canadian workers are stressed out. But employees who find their work meaningful have fewer negative daily stressful feelings. A new survey of 5,989 adults, released last week, reports similar results. The study uncovers a natural-born remedy at the heart of employees with fewer stressful feelings.

According to the report, “Hope can foster a sense of purpose and meaning in one’s work, leading to a deeper connection with organizational goals and values. Employees who find hope in their personal growth, creativity and the impact of their work are more likely to feel engaged and invested in their roles. This, in turn, can contribute to a positive work culture and improved employee retention.”

According to chief science officer at meQuilibrium, Brad Smith, this study identifies resilience as the key driver of hope. “The data show that it is not just resilience writ large, but specific cognitive characteristics—positivity, self-efficacy and problem solving—that underlie a strong sense of hope,” he announces. “Organizations that focus on cultivating these characteristics can achieve remarkable gains in employee well-being.”

The Remarkable Power Of Hope

The meQ survey encourages employers not to underestimate the remarkable power of hope—the combination of optimism and self-efficacy—as a powerful emotion that can protect employees from pessimism and negativity and against burnout and job stress in the workplace. Their data shows that hope is a powerful positive force that can greatly enhance employee well-being. Employees with the highest levels of hope are:

• 74% less likely to suffer from burnout
• 74% less likely to suffer from anxiety
• 75% less likely to suffer from depression
• 33% less likely to endorse quiet quitting than the least hopeful employees

You have to admit that those are pretty impressive results. Other findings also reveal that hope cuts employees with turnover intent in half (49% less) among the most hopeful employees. Plus, employees with a strong sense of belonging face substantially reduced risks of burnout (-10.1%), anxiety (-19.9%) and depression (-19.9%). The study also found that managers play a pivotal role in employee well-being. More than 84.1% of employees with strong manager support feel respected and valued by teammates, compared to only 53% with weak manager support.

In addition to serving as a key driver of hope, resilience emerged as a remedy for burnout, stress, quiet quitting and turnover. The key drivers of positivity, self-efficacy, and problem-solving boost hope-driven, goal-directed behavior by 50-85%. Compared to the least resilient respondents, the most resilient employees showed 70+% reductions in the risk of anxiety, depression and burnout.

“This study, along with our previous scientific research, continue to demonstrate the vital roles of resilience and strong managers in fostering a thriving workforce,” Smith states. “Now that we have identified hope and belonging as powerful forces in significantly enhancing employee well-being, engagement, productivity and retention, it’s crucial that we empower employees with a sense of hope and belonging which will enable them to better cope with stress, overcome obstacles and find meaning in their work.”

According to the study, hope can greatly influence an individual’s work life and overall well-being. In the professional realm, the study shows that hope can provide employees with the motivation and resilience to persevere through challenges and setbacks. When employees have a sense of hope, the study says they are more likely to approach their work with a positive mindset, which can enhance productivity, creativity and overall job satisfaction.

During organizational change and time of uncertainty, the study concludes that hope can play a crucial role. When faced with challenges or adversity, a hopeful mindset can help employees adapt and embrace new opportunities for growth and development. By cultivating hope, the study proposes that organizations can foster a resilient workforce that is better equipped to navigate through difficult times and emerge stronger.

The Major Sources Of Hope

The MeQ survey finds that workers discover hope from a variety of sources.

1. Family stands out as the most significant source of hope, with 81.2% of employees drawing hope from family relationships.
2. Financial stability (74.1%) and personal growth (74.0%) are also major contributors to employees’ sense of hope, closely followed by friends (72.2%).
3. A substantial portion of employees (66.4%) derive hope from the fruits of their hard work.
4. Faith plays a notable role, with 56.9% of employees finding hope in their religious or spiritual beliefs.
5. Self-improvement (55.2%) and creativity (48.9%) are also important sources of hope for many employees.
6. Political and social change (20.5%) appears to be the least significant source of hope among the employees, suggesting that their hope is primarily derived from personal, interpersonal and financial factors rather than broader societal or political changes.

A Final Wrap-Up

The MeQ findings are reminders of the Stoics, who taught that even if we can’t control external events such as workplace pressures, we can choose how we respond to them. The results also are reminiscent of the inspiring account of psychiatrist Viktor Frankl during his confinement in Auschwitz and other camps during World War II.

In his classic book, Man’s Search For Meaning, Frankl described being locked down in a death camp, where he said he chose to be free: “When we can no longer change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves . . . Everything can be taken from a human but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to chose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Employees can apply such a hopeful mindset to deal with job stress and prevent burnout. Ultimately, hope has been shown to be an invaluable asset in the daily grind, the MeQ study concludes. It not only enhances individual well-being and performance but also contributes to a positive and productive organizational culture.