President Trump Says Iran War ‘Close’ to Ending
Employees face higher gas prices, mental health challenges
As employee stress soars over the effects of the Iran war, President Donald Trump updated the nation on the conflict April 1, saying he intends to conclude U.S. operations against Iran in the near future, although he didn’t offer a specific timeline.
“We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” President Trump said in his roughly 20-minute address to the nation. He added that the past several weeks of attacks have been a success and that the U.S. would hit Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks.
Although the speech from President Trump appeared to be a mixed bag for the market — the stock market slid further and oil prices increased immediately after his remarks — the president’s update that the war may end soon may taper the rising stress employees are experiencing about the effects of the conflict.
Roughly half of U.S. workers indicated that the U.S. role in the conflict with Iran has had at least a moderate impact on their mental health — 47% of U.S. workers reported that the U.S. role in the conflict with Iran had a very significant, significant, or moderate impact on their mental health, according to a new pulse survey from SHRM. Meanwhile, 37% said the U.S. role in the conflict had a very significant, significant, or moderate impact on productivity, with 46% reporting no impact at all.
Situations like the Iran war “significantly affect employee mental health,” said Dr. Jennifer Birdsall, chief clinical officer at ComPsych, a Chicago-based mental health service provider. “This is true for employees in impacted areas, as well as their global colleagues watching from afar and family members separated by distance and fear.”
HR professionals are also stressed about the conflict, with the SHRM pulse survey finding that 37% of HR pros reported that the U.S. role in the conflict with Iran had a very significant, significant, or moderate impact on employee mental health within their organizations, according to the SHRM pulse survey. And 21% said the U.S. role in the conflict had a very significant, significant or moderate impact on employee productivity, with 54% reporting no impact at all.
“Constant news exposure, uncertainty about escalation, and political polarization can create a sustained sense of instability that affects concentration, sleep, and emotional bandwidth,” Dr. Suzan Song, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C., and author of Why We Suffer and How We Heal: Using Narrative, Ritual, and Purpose to Flourish Through Life's Challenges (Harmony, 2026) recently told SHRM. “In the workplace, these pressures often appear less as overt distress and more as distraction, fatigue, or reduced focus.”
Employees Looking for Employer Help
Industry experts say that the increased stress and concern due to the Iran conflict is putting pressure on employers to help. One of the biggest opportunities for support as the Iran conflict continues is letting employees know what kind of mental health help is available. Most employers have mental health benefits, such as an employee assistance program (EAP), in place — SHRM data finds that 81% of employers offer an EAP — so now is a great time to communicate with employees about those benefits.
In recent weeks, soaring gas prices, lifted by the war, have also been a big burden for employees. The price of regular gas has surpassed $4 per gallon, creating a financial burden for employees, particularly for workers who regularly make the trek to and from the office. As a result, some employers are touting commuter and transportation benefits, while also offering leniency around in-office policies and temporarily allowing more telecommuting.
President Trump said rising gas prices were due to Iranian attacks and said the war is "a true investment” for Americans and for future generations. Once it is over, he said, “the United States will be safer, stronger, more prosperous and greater than it has ever been before.”
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