Where 'Recession Fatigue' is hitting hardest

“Recession fatigue,” “the effects of overwork in lean times,” call it whatever you want to, but it’s real —  and it seems to be hitting U.S. workers harder than anywhere else.

When asked how today’s economic climate has affected employees, 48% of U.S. corporate finance and accounting departments said it has increased stress, compared to 39% globally.

These survey findings come from the third annual Robert Half Global Financial Employment Monitor.

What’s interesting, however, is how managers have reacted to staffers’ stress. Check out the graph below to see the difference between U.S. and global managers’ reactions.

All managers seem to be taking a proactive approach to helping employees. Here are a few tips to ensure morale doesn’t take too great a hit — especially when you’re managing leaner teams that have to do more work with fewer resources:

1. Acknowledge what’s going on. There’s been no shortage of bad news for companies of all stripes. Acting like everything’s fine will likely drive some distance between you and your staff, and affect their trust.
2. Get together often. It’s important for company leaders — CEO, CFO, etc. — to regularly provide employees with updates and reassurances about their departments, as well as the company’s overall health.