The Stress Pandemic: How One Stressed Colleague Can Impact the Whole Team
David Alcázar
Operations & Logistics @ Bayer Crop Science | Project Management | Change Management | Executive Coach |
About a year ago, I experienced a set of symptoms that were entirely new to me. Honestly, I thought it was just turning 30 and the first signs of aging showing up. However, I visited a gastroenterologist, and after some tests and conversations, I was diagnosed with “Mixed IBS” (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). The primary cause? Stress. I was shocked because I hadn’t realized how much stress I was carrying. The interesting part came afterward: when I shared my experience with colleagues, many mentioned having similar symptoms or started experiencing them shortly after. This made me wonder: can stress be contagious? Could one stressed-out colleague affect the whole office?
After COVID-19, I believe we are more sensitive to the idea of pandemics, so it's time to address another one that's been silently spreading in the workplace for the past 15 years: stress.
In this article, I'll discuss the importance of tackling this epidemic, delving into the concept of a "stress epidemic" and exploring ways to manage it effectively to avoid a looming pandemic.
Let’s start at the beginning: What is stress?
Stress is a prolonged physical, mental, or emotional state triggered by perceiving a threatening situation. People experience different symptoms, but in general, stress triggers the release of cortisol, often called "the stress hormone." This can lead to body aches, headaches, muscle tension, sweating, palpitations, arrhythmias, and gastrointestinal problems, among other issues.
Stress in 2024
“Stress is an exceedingly common experience that affects people across various life situations. Studies consistently show that a significant portion of the population experiences stress regularly, as it’s an unavoidable aspect of modern life, whether related to work, relationships, financial concerns or health issues,” Explains Ryan Sultan, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist and professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University.
According to the APA (American Psychological Association), in the U.S., around 35% of adults who report being stressed feel overwhelmed in their daily lives. In the same study, 21% of stressed adults reported memory loss, 20% found it difficult to concentrate, and 17% had a reduced ability to make decisions.
Globally, Gallup studies, gathering data from 122 countries, found that 41% of adults experience stress. Young men, in particular, are most susceptible, with 51% of men between 18 and 34 reporting stress-related symptoms. Stress is becoming increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, and it's time to take action.
Is stress contagious?
While we’re not grazing in a field, we do share offices with other human beings who are sensitive to these micro-interactions and unconscious communication.
We’ve all seen wildlife documentaries featuring herds of animals like gazelles or meerkats calmly grazing, only for one to raise its head at the slightest noise. What happens next? Exactly—the rest of the herd immediately perks up and becomes alert.
Mammals, in particular, have developed these collective responses to ensure survival. When one member of the group perceives a threat, it emits subtle signals that others pick up on. In humans, this phenomenon is linked to mirror neurons—neurons that fire when we observe someone from our species, promoting imitation of their movements or expressions. These neurons, discovered at the University of Parma, are key to non-verbal communication, empathy, and social learning.
While we’re not grazing in a field, we do share offices with other human beings who are sensitive to these micro-interactions and unconscious communication. As you might conclude, stress signals can be sent unnoticed to the rest of your “herd,” spreading this sense of awareness or danger in our environment. This is what I would like to call the "Contagion Stage."
How does this "contagion" manifest in the workplace?
Just as the meerkat signals danger to its group, in the office, we also pick up on subtle signs of stress. We’ve all seen that colleague who takes a deep sigh or presses their forehead in frustration. These micro-expressions are stress signals that our bodies unconsciously detect, triggering our mirror neurons, which communicate this alert to our limbic brain. A simple sigh, a tense phone call, or a worried expression can silently convey that something is wrong, putting the rest of the team on high alert.
What should I do about the stressed colleague?
First, it’s important to recognize the warning signs. Stress is a natural response to a perceived threat. If you’re a leader or a colleague noticing signs of stress, the best course of action is to pause and understand what the person is seeing or feeling. Actively listen and trust what they say; their stress is real, and it needs to be heard.
During the conversation, use this formula for your questions:
For example: “I’ve noticed you’ve been staying late, which worries me. Is everything okay?”
Boost their self-esteem with supportive messages:
You can either elevate the colleague to meet the challenge or reduce the perceived danger until it feels manageable.
If the colleague opens up to you, take the opportunity to help them feel in control and capable of handling the situation. For example:
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In summary, you can either elevate the colleague to meet the challenge or reduce the perceived danger until it feels manageable.
What Do I Do With the Rest of the "Herd"?
“The best way to take care of others is by taking care of yourself.”
This is key—not only is it essential to address the person who feels threatened, but also the entire team. The non-verbal signals and interactions of a stressed colleague could have already spread and been absorbed by the rest, potentially triggering stress in others.
Listen to the Team:
To prevent the spread of stress, it's crucial to work simultaneously with both the stressed individual and the rest of the team. The team needs to be aware of the situation and it's always helpful to share the warning signs that have already been triggered. You can do this by asking the team for their thoughts on the issue or the warning sign. For example, "How do you feel about the upcoming presentation?" or "I see we’re not going to meet our savings target for the year, how do you feel about that?" This can give you a good perspective on whether others are also picking up on these signals of stress, allowing you to address the issue before it spirals out of control.
Foster a Sense of Team Cohesion:
Just as mirror neurons and group vigilance can cause stress to spread, they can also work in your favor. If you foster a collaborative team, this communication and feeling of stress can be continuously diffused. One radical approach you might consider is being completely open with the problem, allowing the entire team to collaborate on the solution. To do this, it’s always helpful to have a team member who actively promotes a sense of belonging, human connection, and emotional awareness in all situations. This person not only helps maintain a culture of empathy but also serves as a thermometer for the emotional climate of the team. They’ll be your right hand in detecting emotional issues within the team. If you don’t have someone like this in each of your teams, it’s time to start developing them.
Clarify the Rules of Engagement:
In a previous article, I discussed how dopamine can completely change the game—for better or worse. In that piece, I emphasized the importance of clarifying the rules of engagement: What are the expectations? What are the priorities? And how should decisions be made? This not only gives the team clarity and helps reduce the stress of decision-making, but it also clearly communicates the type of team you’re leading and the collective’s working style.
Taking Care of Yourself to Take Care of Others:
My psychologist once shared a great phrase with me: “The best way to take care of others is by taking care of yourself.” Within these rules of engagement, it’s important to push and foster a culture of self-care. Building a culture with self-care as a pillar helps strengthen the team's resilience to stress, keeping everyone aware of their mental, physical, and emotional states. This awareness enables team members to self-regulate as needed. If you have emotionally intelligent team members and offer them the necessary flexibility, you won’t need to manage their stress—they will become emotionally self-sufficient.
Conclusions
Despite being an evolved species with reasoning and self-awareness, we remain subject to primal responses to our environment and stimuli. Stress is a natural, biological reaction to perceived danger. Our stress responses can trigger similar stress in others within our social group because, on a primitive level, we communicate that there is “something” potentially threatening us or the group. Addressing these warning signs in a collaborative and human-centered way is the best way to manage stress effectively. However, in the long run, the ideal solution is to appeal to our social, evolutionary instincts and build teams that can manage these situations autonomously. To achieve this, it’s important to have or develop team members with a strong sense of empathy and emotional focus in conflict resolution. These individuals will be your “Champions” in times of stress.
Last challenge: Can you spot the 'Champion' drawn by Meta in the picture below?
Thanks for reading and as always dear reader,
Think Deeply! 🦉
David Alcázar - Executive Coach | Project Manager
Other Sources of interest: