In the office, anxiety decreases but frustration increases

Work-related stress is not a new phenomenon, but in recent years it has taken on different contours. Whereas before it was mainly related to workload and tight schedules, today it manifests itself through new pitfalls: insecurity, isolation, performance pressure and lack of recognition.

Italy wakes up less stressed, but still far from professional serenity. The latest 'People at Work 2025' report published by ADP Research, photographs a chiaroscuro scenario: chronic stress is falling significantly, but Italian workers are still struggling to define themselves as fulfilled. This figure is emblematic of the new face of post-pandemic work. According to research, the percentage of Italians suffering from daily stress has halved, from 17 per cent in 2023 to 9 per cent in 2024. However, this good news is partially overshadowed by other alarming data: only 26% of workers consider themselves truly satisfied with their professional lives, and 19% continue to feel overwhelmed. It is not enough to reduce stress to create well-being, the real goal is a working environment that fosters growth, autonomy and a sense of belonging.

With the pandemic, many organisations have introduced hybrid or remote working, a solution that has reduced some stress factors (such as commuting), but introduced others, such as a sense of invisibility and the perception of being constantly judged by one's superiors. Thirty-two per cent of workers globally stated that they feel watched or judged at work, with serious repercussions on motivation and productivity. In Italy, the figure is slightly lower (28%), but still worrying.

In this panorama, women, young people and precarious workers, i.e. the most vulnerable groups, are once again suffering the most. In Italy, women report higher levels of stress than men (11% versus 7%), but they are also more likely to feel fulfilled (29% versus 23%). This apparently paradoxical figure could reflect greater resilience or the ability to attribute meaning to one's work, despite the difficulties. It would seem, in short, that precisely because women achieve their goals with greater effort than men, they then feel more fulfilled.

Young people, on the other hand, remain the most fragile group: between the ages of 18 and 26, only 6% consider themselves fulfilled, while the figure rises to 29% among the over-40s. This is a wake-up call for the future of work: young people demand flexibility, fairness and involvement, but too often they do not receive any, and this impacts on their 'engagement'.