German employees: Dissatisfaction, stress and growing anger

According to a survey by pollsters Gallup, the mood among employees in Germany has increasingly deteriorated: Only 45 percent felt satisfied and were confident about the future – 8 percentage points less than in the previous year. At the same time, the number of respondents who described themselves as stressed was above the European average (37%) at 41%. However, the number of stressed people has fallen by one percentage point compared to the previous year.

In a European comparison, Gallup puts the satisfaction level of German employees in 20th place out of 38. Satisfaction levels have also fallen in other European countries, but a similarly negative trend as in Germany has only been observed in Ireland. Employees in Finland (83 percent), Denmark (77 percent) and Iceland (76 percent) were the most satisfied. According to the Gallup report "State of the Global Workplace 2024", over 128,000 employees in 145 countries (38 in Europe) were surveyed on topics such as the labor market, emotional employee loyalty and stress.

"On the one hand, the labor shortage in many industries is putting a strain on those employees who have to compensate for it. In addition, the current economic, political and social discussions often give the impression that Germany can no longer get out of crisis mode," commented Gallup opinion researcher Marco Nink on the results. In his opinion, this is not just "complaining at a high level", but a further risk factor in an already struggling labor market.

Stress turns into anger

Gallup cites the impact on employees' mental health and the associated increase in absenteeism as a possible risk. Results from another survey also revealed a persistently high risk of burnout. More than a third of respondents in Germany (37%) say that they have felt burnt out in the past 30 days due to work stress. Only 36% say that their work allows them to spend enough time with family and friends. In 2021, this was still 42 percent. And only 28% agreed with the statement that it was easy for them to switch off from work in their free time.

What's more, the stress levels are also causing anger. A quarter of respondents who complained about stress were also angry. Gallup sees various factors interacting here: managers do not see the high levels of stress or do nothing about them; problems such as time pressure, lack of information, constant interruptions and excessive demands remain unresolved. All of this causes stress to turn into anger.

Good management culture as an antidote

Gallup recommends that companies promote a better management culture and emotional attachment to the company as an antidote. "If a manager fulfills emotional needs at work, for example by listening to team members and involving them, showing appreciation for work done or encouraging them in their development, this creates a high level of emotional attachment," says Nink. Employees with a high level of commitment are significantly more satisfied and confident than those without.

According to Gallup, emotional attachment to companies in Germany is rather low – at 15 percent, it is only just above the European average (13 percent). However, there are also companies in Germany where over 60 percent of employees are emotionally attached to the company. These companies also actively strive for good leadership quality, which brings them advantages such as significantly lower absenteeism and lower employee turnover.

(axk)