When Work Starts to Feel Like the Country’s Biggest Problem

A new global Gallup study asked people one open question: What is the most important problem your country is facing currently?

Surprisingly, “work” showed up near the top. Not just unemployment or lack of opportunities, but work itself.

That answer is relevant inside a lot of companies right now. On the executive side, the story sounds like: "We’re hiring. We’re investing. We’re growing."

But on the employee side, it sounds different: "My job isn’t sustainable. The work doesn't feel meaningful. I’m stuck in constant change and overload."

The reality is, you can grow headcount without growing the number of sustainable jobs.

When employees deal with shifting goals, managers who demand results without providing support, and unsustainable workloads with no reprieve, you build a culture where "work" is just a grind without fulfillment or certainty.

That’s when work stops being a career and starts feeling like one more part of what’s broken. We know the baseline of stress is high right now for many people. People bring their stress from the wider world into the office and when their daily job mirrors the volatility and uncertainty they see, they hit their limit and burn out.

You can’t control interest rates, the news cycle, or national policy. But you can change the reality of what it feels like to work inside your organization.

This is where the leadership translation layer matters most. It’s about replacing shifting goalposts with clear expectations. It's about moving from leaders who just hand out tasks to leaders who provide actual coaching and support. It’s honoring the fact that people have lives and commitments outside their job, all while navigating a lot of situations they can’t control.

This isn't about lowering the bar. It’s about creating enough certainty and support at work that it becomes the one place in their life that isn't a source of chaos. When you do that, "work" stops being part of the problem and becomes one place of certainty in the middle of everything else.

This environment doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a design choice. As a senior leader, you’re the architect of the reality your team lives in for 40+ hours a week. You can't solve the problems they face in the country, but you’re the only person who can solve the problems they face inside your walls.

If someone in your company answered that Gallup question today, would they name “work” as their country’s biggest problem? If they would, it’s worth asking how much of that is a result of the environment you’ve created?