Amid rising geopolitical tensions and a murky economic outlook, anxiety is showing up at work as a false signal of performance. The numbers come first: 50% of the American workforce says worry about the state of the world is hurting focus, while 57% says that same anxiety motivates harder work.
That is the trap. Short-term output can rise even as loyalty erodes. Among American employees, 34% say anxiety at work undermines loyalty to their employer, and 53% say they would seriously consider leaving if they found a comparable job with similar pay.
The cost of that churn is not abstract. The average cost of turnover is now $45,236 per position, according to a 2026 Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey, up nearly $10,000 year over year. That figure does not just cover replacement. It also includes negative Glassdoor reviews, chatter on Blind, and the opportunity cost of a former employee steering talent elsewhere.
The article frames this as a warning to management: fear can produce a burst of effort, but it is a weak foundation for durable performance. Burson says workplace reputation is the most underused lever of corporate reputation, and claims companies that capitalize on it can squeeze 11.8% more value out of the $7 trillion reputation economy.
The broader picture is that anxiety is not only about the office. Burson’s research says 36% of employees are extremely worried about not earning enough money to keep up with the rising cost of living. Worries about layoffs, healthcare or retirement cuts, and career stagnation rank above concerns about artificial intelligence overall.
Even so, anxiety about AI being used to evaluate performance outranked concern about jobs being replaced or significantly changed by AI, at 28% and 24% respectively. On the job itself, 35% of American workers say anxiety makes it harder to focus or be productive, and 38% say it makes them less willing to go above and beyond.
The generational split is sharp. Gen Z employees feel the effect most, at 62%, compared with 50% of Millennials and 45% of Gen X employees.
That is why the cleanest management lesson is also the most old-fashioned: fear is not free enterprise, and it is not efficiency. It can goose the numbers for a quarter, but it also taxes the taxpayer through a weaker labor market and taxes capital through turnover, mistrust, and lower margins over time.
The market has already voted on this kind of culture. It rewards clear rules, stable leadership, and productivity that does not depend on anxiety holding the workforce together.