Office life is tense these days in light of reorganizations, layoffs and now expanding in-office mandates.

And with the rollout of artificial intelligence at workplaces threatening to displace white-collar jobs, workers are riddled with fear about their futures.

This cocktail of factors is contributing to higher levels of stress and anxiety among U.S. workers today than at any time in recent history, a new survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found.

For many, one more workplace change feels like “a barrage,” said Adam Duininck, CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council. “All these things are converging all at once, which creates at times stress for both people but also for businesses.”

Fear of job loss in March was at an all-time high, the Conference Board found. The research organization also found that workers were more anxious than in 2022 about finding a job within three months if they lost their previous one.

AI is also resulting in companies putting higher expectations on their employees, creating another layer of stress, another recent worker survey found. Almost 70% expect those AI advances to result in more layoffs, mental health provider Modern Health found.

And on top of that, three-quarters of respondents said the high-stress political environment outside work is seeping into the office, contributing to burnout.

In the Twin Cities, workers specifically pointed to the Operation Metro Surge immigration crackdown, saying that filling in for people afraid to go to work or putting in volunteer hours after work took their toll.

More than half in the Modern Health survey said they have cried or had a panic attack at work in the past month. More than half also reported using substances within the past year, some at work.

Employers say adding more in-office days will improve engagement, with mentoring of younger workers and more collaboration.

In recent weeks, General Mills, Best Buy and the Minnesota Star Tribune joined Medtronic, Ameriprise and Center Point Energy in requiring employees to be in the office four days a week instead of three. It’s happening nationally with companies like Home Depot, Microsoft and Instagram recently doing the same.

Some workers who answered a Star Tribune online survey said they welcome the end of a hybrid workplace, saying it will help them better connect with teammates on projects and be more aware of company goals.

But others noted the workplace rule change hits just as grocery, gas and commuting costs are surging, along with higher health care and home insurance costs.

Some General Mills employees added that the change is causing co-workers with children to stress out. They have to find child care for an extra day when choices, they say, are fewer and wait lists are long. The cost for child care also continues to rise.

Responses from workers at several companies said they worry back-to-office mandates might mean bosses will start watching their activity closer, track ID badge activity individually or become less flexible about work-from-home days when a child is sick or the employee has an appointment near their home.

And they worry about how the new policies will apply if they handle responsibilities like international business calls they need to field at 5 a.m. in an environment where there is less trust and flexibility.

Haley Shearer, who works in St. Paul, finds it demoralizing. Her department offers no flexibility, she said. It even refused to allow her to work remotely from the auto repair shop, after her car broke down on the way to work. The rules are not equal across departments, she said.

“There’s no logic to it,” she said. “It’s like there’s an unwillingness to recognize the worker, their home life or anything like work-life balance.”

Two of her department co-workers have quit because of it, Shearer said. Those departures come as it’s harder to find a job.

Amazon, PayPal, Nike, Walt Disney, Federal Express, Walmart and others recently announced mass layoffs. On May 20, tech giant Meta terminated 8,000 employees, under a cost-cutting restructuring it dubbed the “AI transformation.”

“We’re seeing a lot less movement in the labor market, which is creating a little bit more of an employer’s market than we were in,“ said Justin Terch, who owns a human resources firm with offices in St. Louis Park and Duluth. “I don’t think there’s going to be a time where remote work isn’t a thing. I think what we’re seeing is a moderation of the swing of that pendulum that went a little too far for some organizations.”

Even so, the switch to more days in the office “is definitely going to be challenging for employees. It’s life disruption,” said Terch, who recently helped one Twin Cities marketing client end its remote work policy after six years.

The change resulted in the loss of one worker who lived far from the office, said Terch, who directs the Minnesota State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The national SHRM office recently alerted human resource managers about a survey performed by HR consultant InToo that found 60% of Americans now experience “layoff anxiety.”

“So that is where the stress is coming into play” when employers change other policies such as in-office days, said Jennifer Chang, a SHRM knowledge advisor.

Terch said he knows of more companies rethinking hybrid work and other employee benefits, along with ways to boost sales or cut costs as they continue to feel effects of inflation.

Duininck, at the Downtown Council, said the overall trend is moving toward more companies increasing in-office days. His office of 25 workers also is considering possibly adding another in-office day.

“What’s driving that, generally, is the sentiment that the business performance and culture is going to improve if people are in the office, working together and building camaraderie and teamwork in person,” he said.

But he said there need to be incentives to calm anxious workers. Some employers cover parking or transit costs or provide free lunch on Wednesdays.

“To get employees excited to be in the office, they have to see some upside to this like professional development opportunities,” Duininck said. “It’s not just like, ‘Come in because you have to.’”

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