How to Keep Employees Focused When Current Events Create Stress

The news is full of stressful topics lately: the rise of AI, economic disruptions, violent acts, and more. Perhaps you’ve thought about how those events might negatively impact your industry, supply chain, or customers, making competing more challenging than ever. But amid those headlines is another hidden danger: the toll of all this stress on your workforce. This isn’t a foregone conclusion, however. Both organizations and individual leaders have tremendous power to make it easier for workers to stay focused on their jobs — and even find a little bit of relief from the chaos of the world outside of work.

Stress Hits the Bottom Line

Workplaces can have both positive and negative effects on workers’ mental health. A workplace could shield workers from the stress of current events by giving them something productive to focus on and a chance to feel they’re making a difference. However, a workplace could also exacerbate the effects of this stress if it creates uncertainty that amplifies workers’ fears or fails to ensure discussions on current events are civil and productive.

When a workplace’s mental health impact is negative, it comes with a huge price tag. When workers’ mental health is harmed at work, they report a 37% increase in absenteeism, an 18% reduction in productivity, and a 60% increase in work errors, according to the SHRM report The State of Global Workplace Culture in 2024. 

Higher worker turnover is also a risk. More than half of workers (51%) whose jobs negatively impacted their mental health said they were actively seeking a new job, according to the SHRM report What Global Workers Want and the Global Worker Experience. That figure dropped to just 19% for workers whose jobs had a positive impact on their mental health.

Organizations cannot assuage all their workers’ concerns or take total responsibility for employees’ mental health. But workers worry about many things that are intimately connected to their work life, including job security and civility. If organizations are unprepared to help workers navigate the stress of current events, they risk the stress of modern life becoming a burden on their bottom line.

Instead, organizations should support employees by adopting strategies that foster focus, civility, and a sense of purpose at work. By creating a respectful culture that takes workers’ needs seriously, employers can keep current events from becoming a distraction that erodes productivity at a critical moment.

What Are Workers Worried About?

The relationship between current events and mental health is highly personal, especially in today’s polarized environment. Events that devastate one employee may delight another, depending on their viewpoints. Still, certain stressors consistently rise to the surface across industries:

• Politics: Only about 2 in 5 U.S. workers (41%) said they felt hopeful about the future of the U.S. following recent political events, according to SHRM’s May 2025 Current Events Pulse survey.

• Natural Disasters: More than half of U.S. workers (52%) are slightly or moderately concerned about future disruptions to their ability to work caused by weather-related disasters, according to SHRM’s October 2024 Current Events Pulse survey.

• Societal Conflict: The average U.S. worker witnessed or experienced 8.3 acts of incivility per week in their everyday life, according to the SHRM Q2 2025 Civility Index. Half of U.S. workers (50%) expected violence in society to increase over the next six months, according to SHRM’s December 2024 Current Events Pulse survey.

• The Economy: Almost half of U.S. workers (49%) said the current state of the economy negatively affected their mental health, according to SHRM’s December 2024 Current Events Pulse survey. In May 2025, just 40% of U.S. workers said they felt confident about the U.S. economy, according to SHRM’s May 2025 Current Events Pulse survey.

• AI: More than one-third of U.S. workers (35%) said they are very or extremely concerned that AI will displace their current job in the next five years, according to SHRM’s October 2024 Current Events Pulse survey.

Not every worker is worried about all of these things. But any one of them could be enough to distract a worker and erode their productivity. 

How Can Organizations Reduce Current Events Distractions?

Trying to help employees deal with current events may feel daunting, especially if the organization is reeling from a recent news story or if you feel personally overwhelmed by current trends. But it’s important to remember how much influence you have on this situation. 

“Businesses have tremendous power to define their culture. No matter what is happening in the world, there are still levers a business can use to ensure its workplace stays productive and civil,” said SHRM CHRO Jim Link, SHRM-SCP.

Think about the amount of time your workers spend on the job. It likely surpasses their time with friends, family, or any other group. The persistence of that environment means that a person’s job can tremendously impact their mental health, and that impact is often positive. Globally, 43% of workers say their job has positively impacted their mental health, while just 20% said the effect was negative, according to What Global Workers Want and the Global Worker Experience. With dedication, organizations can make a significant difference in how workers deal with the stresses of modern life.

Assess the Situation

Every workplace will face different levels of concern over different current events. The next time you do an employee survey, consider starting a benchmark to measure worker concerns over some of the topics discussed above. If you understand what your employees are anxious about, it can be easier to find ways to help them stay focused on their work.

Don’t Rush to Comment

Don’t assume your organization should weigh in on an issue just because your employees are passionate about it. Current events are rarely one-sided, and you must create an inclusive environment for everyone at the organization.  

Additionally, workers may not want their employer to weigh in, even when those workers have strong feelings about an issue. Almost half of U.S workers (45%) said it was very or extremely important for their organization to remain neutral on political topics, according to SHRM’s May 2025 Current Events Pulse survey. Just 11% said neutrality was unimportant to them. 

Maintaining neutrality helps organizations avoid unnecessary polarization within their workforce while fostering a more balanced and inclusive environment. Employees value workplaces that focus on creating professional, respectful spaces where political debates do not disrupt productivity or culture.

Ensure Clear Communication

If your workers are concerned about their jobs, you must consider that when communicating company news. Employees may be looking for signs that their jobs are in jeopardy, and any time they spend worrying about the changes ahead is time they aren’t spending on work. If you must deliver difficult news, make the announcements as straightforward as possible to get ahead of any rumors and to help ease change fatigue. Almost three-quarters of HR executives said they are increasing or improving communication to address change fatigue, according to a 2023 SHRM presentation. 

Flexible Work Eases External Pressures

Current events aren’t the only source of stress in your workers’ lives. Whether employees are navigating caregiving, health concerns, or just the unpredictability of daily life, flexibility and support aren’t luxuries. They are necessities for mental well-being and long-term retention.

Nearly half of U.S. employees (48%) said paid or unpaid time off is the most valuable accommodation for their mental health, followed by flexible schedules (44%) and work breaks (32%), according to 2023 SHRM research on mental health in the workplace. 

Flexibility matters even more for specific demographics of your workforce. Forty-eight percent of working caregivers say flexible work arrangements — such as remote or hybrid options — would have made them consider staying at their job, highlighting the mental health benefits of flexibility, according to the SHRM report Care and Careers: Navigating Caregiving and Work Responsibilities. Among deskless workers who plan to stay with their current employer for the next six months, 46% cite work/life balance and 43% cite satisfaction with current scheduling arrangements as top motivators, according to the SHRM and Fidelity Investments report From Turnover to Tenure: Insights for Retaining Deskless Workers. 

Make Mental Health Resources Visible

Providing employees with mental health resources demonstrates organizational commitment to their well-being. Mental health resources can include access to mental health professionals, educational tools, and community support. It’s not enough to offer benefits, however. Organizations need to normalize taking advantage of these tools, including seeking professional support where needed.

“Ensuring employees fully understand the mental health resources available to them is critical to seeing a return on that investment,” Link said. “Mental health benefits can strengthen organizational resilience, enhance productivity, and foster a thriving culture, but only if your workers can take advantage of them.”

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are especially effective. For example, Hilton found that 85% of team members who used its new and improved EAP provider reported improved mental health. These programs empower employees to address personal challenges with professional support, resulting in more focused and resilient teams. 

In times of stress, clarity matters. Make sure employees not only know what mental health resources are available, but also feel encouraged and empowered to use them. When organizations help workers connect with this support, it can help people stay focused on work. More than 2 in 5 HR professionals (42%) say their organization’s mental health programs or resources improve worker performance, and 39% said they increased productivity, according to a 2025 SHRM mental health survey.  

One of the greatest resources any organization can have during a period of disruption is solid leadership. While there’s a great deal that organizations can do to support workers during difficult times, that pales in comparison with what a human connection with a trusted leader can accomplish. 

How Can Leaders Reduce Current Events Distractions?

There’s a lot that an organization can do through policies and benefits to help its workers stay focused in a chaotic world. But sometimes, workers need the personal touch of an experienced leader who can help them feel heard when they are frustrated and reassure them when they’re anxious.  

Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First

Leaders must model healthy behaviors and manage their stress effectively during difficult times, just as passengers on an airplane need to put on their own oxygen masks during an emergency before helping others. If you burn out, you’ll be less capable of addressing employee needs. Practicing self-care, setting healthy boundaries, and maintaining personal resilience allows leaders to guide their teams more effectively. 

Be Willing to Listen

Empathy is always a critical skill for leaders, but it’s even more important during times of conflict, when some workers may be concerned that their voice isn’t being heard. Just by listening, you can let people know they’re not alone. 

“The most impactful thing leaders can do is acknowledge the emotional weight current events carry and create space for honest, respectful and civil conversations. When employees feel seen and supported — not silenced — they’re more likely to stay engaged and resilient,” said Marjorie Morrison, SHRM’s executive in residence for mental health. “You don’t need all the answers, but showing empathy and reinforcing that it’s OK to not be OK goes a long way.”

Model Civility 

Workplace disagreements over politics or other sources of incivility can drain productivity and dampen collaboration. Leaders should set the tone and model the behaviors they want to see in their workers. When you show others how to disagree respectfully, you also set that expectation for those around you. Building this skill throughout the organization can help prevent differences of opinion from becoming distractions.

Be Flexible, No Matter What Happens 

The pace of change isn’t likely to slow down any time soon. The tighter one clings to the status quo, the more painful change can be. Instead of trying to ride out the storm and hope for an eventual return to normal, organizations should encourage workers to become more resilient and agile in the face of disruption.   

If workers can shift their mindsets to accept more uncertainty and disruption, stressful current events will be less disruptive when they do occur. By setting the right tone and expectations using the steps above, organizations can help workers better cope with the stresses of modern life, even when they’re not at work.