In Georgia, work is stressful ... if you can find it

It’s probably no surprise that most of the states among the top 10 most stressful to work are in the South. Apparently, this region of the country is particularly challenging for workers, but researchers were surprised by Georgia’s rapid rise to the top of the list.

Last year, Georgia didn’t even crack the top 10 (it came in at 18).

Stress can mean different things to different people, and the study included four measures of stress on which each state was evaluated: income, sleep, employment and commuting.

In Georgia, most workplace stress is related to income and commuting. That last one should be a no-brainer.

Georgia is universally recognized as having some of the longest commute times in the country (an average of 28-29 minutes), and we already know our transit system offers limited solutions for residents without access to a car.

It was more distressing to learn that Georgia is also one of two states in which average weekly earnings and income growth rates have decreased. So while the price of food, transportation, and housing is going up, our paychecks are going down.

I didn’t want to believe that Georgia residents are losing ground, but I have noticed plenty of real-world evidence that serves as confirmation.

My feed on a neighborhood chat app was once filled with notices for lost dogs and cats, requests for plumbers or lawn care professionals, and maybe the occasional plea for financial assistance from a neighbor who had fallen on hard times. But in the past six months, the posts have shifted to include an increasing number of people seeking jobs, housing and food.

If we need proof that Georgia workers are suffering, we don’t need data points; we only need to look around our neighborhoods.

Younger women must choose between building their careers and caregiving. Mid-career women have limited options for advancement, and late-career women are being forced out of jobs before retirement age.

Most of the people who were seeking assistance on the neighborhood app I referenced are women. Some with children, some without. Some are single, some are married. Some white, some Black. Some young, some old. All are looking for a way to survive in a stressful work environment.

I wanted more insight into what is happening in metro Atlanta, so I reached out to Susan Bonds McCullough, president & executive director of Dress for Success Atlanta.

When McCullough arrived in 2018, she began expanding the organization beyond its image as a clothing closet and promoting it as the vehicle to workforce development that it was always intended to be.

For the past 12 to 18 months, she has seen more women struggling with workplace stressors, and not just clients of Dress for Success. One of her regular volunteers was recently forced to take early retirement, and another was laid off.

The workplace shake-up has hit across the board, McCullough said, but the women who are clients of Dress for Success don’t have access to resources for training or the ability to ease into retirement.

If we still need another indicator that something is out of sync in the working world, McCullough noted that an upcoming certification program with Salesforce, the customer relationship management platform, had 70 applicants for 20 available slots.

McCullough is seeking partnerships with other companies in the areas of artificial intelligence and payroll that will also offer specific skill certifications to women who otherwise would be struggling to find or hold on to service jobs.

So many of the women who seek services with Dress for Success are dealing with workplace stressors along with food insecurity, lack of transportation, lack of child care, and more, McCullough said.

Addressing these factors is life-changing — and not just for women.