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New Study Reveals Unexpected Solution to Combat Career Burnout and Job Stress

A new study reveals that hope significantly reduces stress and burnout in employees. According to the report, resilience and cognitive traits like positivity and self-efficacy drive hope, which enhances engagement, productivity, and well-being. Employees with high hope levels are less likely to experience anxiety, depression, and burnout, and show reduced turnover intent.

This article was written by Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. and published in Forbes.

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.

Read the full article here: New Study Discovers Surprising Remedy That Protects Workers Against Career Burnout, Job Stress