What Brain Science Reveals About Uncertainty And 6 Strategies To Cope At Work

As the post-pandemic work world starts to regain its footing, a myriad of uncertainties loom around societal and economic issues and what lies ahead for the future of work. A new study from Personal Capital found that among 2,000 Americans, rising inflation fears (85%) and recession worries (74%) are on the upswing. Unemployment, the hiring crisis, shrinking financial resources and a questionable job future are causing overwhelming uncertainty and work stress in epidemic proportions. In the study, 66% reported worry and 54% said uncertainty has undermined their performance and well-being in the workplace.

The Psychology Of Uncertainty

Work-life’s inevitable uncertainties instantly arouse our fight-or-flight reaction. Will I get hired for the position? Will I get a good enough raise? Will my colleagues like my presentation? Can I find a job that I really like? Your survival brain is constantly updating your world, making judgments about what's safe and what isn't. It will do almost anything for the sake of certainty because you’re hardwired to overestimate threats and underestimate your ability to handle them.

The human brain prefers to know an outcome one way or another to take the edge off. If it doesn't know what’s around the corner, it can’t keep us out of harm’s way. Its disdain for uncertainty causes it to make up all sorts of untested stories hundreds of times a day because uncertainty equals danger. A coworker doesn't respond to a text. Your boss wears a frown and uses a certain tone of voice. You're not a finalist for the position. You assume the worst, over-personalize the threat and jump to conclusions.

Scientists report that living with job uncertainty takes a greater toll on health than actually losing your job, making you more vulnerable to diseases and worsening existing chronic ailments such as heart disease, diabetes or depression. Studies show that employees living with job uncertainty have worse overall health and more depression than employees who actually lose their jobs. Research also shows that uncertainty is more stressful than anticipating inevitable pain. British researchers discovered that study participants who knew for sure they would receive a painful electric shock felt calmer and less agitated than those who were told they only had a 50% chance of getting the electric shock.

How Can Employers Create Psychological Safety?

Psychological safety is the feeling of being one’s whole self at work, taking risks and being vulnerable without fear of negative consequences. But when people are burned out, stressed and lonely, it’s difficult to bring their full selves to work. While fear can drive short-term results, it does so at the cost of high employee burnout and turnover. It also undermines long-term business performance. Although winning organizations aren’t fear-free, they know how to transform fear of uncertainty into opportunities for learning and growth. It’s important that business leaders consider the psychological safety of their employees and how their mental health impacts the bottom line.

Gallup found that moving the needle on psychological safety can lead to reduction in turnover (27%) and in safety incidents (40%) and increases in productivity (12%). Psychological safety is highest for employees who have frequent check-ins with their employers. It heightens engagement, increases motivation and boosts performance.

6 Strategies For Employees Facing Job Uncertainty

Mismanaged fear is responsible for most of the dysfunction in organizations. Your best defense against job uncertainty is to manage your work stress, make yourself indispensable at work and apply these six strategies:

1. Sharpen your “uncertainty tolerance.” Your mindset during uncertain times is the most powerful thing you can control in a situation that is beyond your control. Uncertainty is scary, but fear, panic and worry are not preparation. They add insult to injury—another layer of stress that can compromise the immune system and paradoxically make you even more vulnerable. Changing your perspective and reminding yourself that many gifts await you in the unknown, that it contains many positive outcomes as well as negative ones, is a game changer. This re-frame amps up your uncertainty tolerance, takes the edge off the waiting period and brings balance to your brain’s ability to anticipate positive and negative outcomes more evenly.
2. Practice self-care. If your company doesn’t provide times for you to disconnect, create them for yourself. Practice self-care with microbreaks and workflow meditations throughout the workday. Keep yourself fit by getting the sleep, exercise and balanced diet your body needs. Avoid junk food, excessive alcohol and nicotine. These unhealthy behaviors seem to reduce anxiety in the short term, but they actually raise stress levels over the long haul.
3. Focus on what you can control. Find things you can manage and small escapes that make you happy while you’re in an unsure waiting period. Immerse yourself into little things you look forward to that bring you joy: gardening, reading a good novel, having friends over for a potluck dinner or watching a comedy on TV.
4. Curb rumination. Worry isn’t preparation. Another empowering act that takes your mind off worry is to do something for someone else in need. It can make you feel better when you take action away from yourself. Research shows that doing for others—especially when you’re feeling discouraged—creates better emotional health, more inner peace and a greater sense of self-worth. Take time to visit a sick friend, volunteer for a needy charity or show a random act of kindness such as letting someone in front of you in line.
5. Accept job uncertainty. If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, you will amplify your fear and end up at war with yourself, resisting and arguing with your situation, instead of living it. Accepting versus resisting uncertainty is a tall order, but it’s counterintuitive. The author, Eckhart Tolle said, “If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it is perfectly acceptable, it turns into increased aliveness, alertness, and creativity.” When you think about it, many aspects of your job are beyond your control: a coworker’s attitude, a grumpy boss, threat of budget cuts, impending layoffs and concern about not finding employment. Job uncertainty is a certainty, and you can always count on it. Studies show that your ability to accept job uncertainty reduces stress and brings peace of mind. It allows you to manage what you can and let the rest go.
6. Look for the opportunity in the difficulty. While a made-up mind that avoids uncertainty can fool you into thinking you’re safe, the cocoon it constructs for you prevents you from growing and reaching your career dreams. When the mind is made up before a new experience, you become unteachable and can no longer learn and grow. Yale neuroscientists found that uncertainty can be healthy for your brain because you learn more in situations that are unsure. In a predictable setting, your brain doesn’t need to do as much. It becomes a couch potato of sorts. But when situations change, it works harder. Entering an unfamiliar environment enhances the tendency for your brain to absorb additional information. These findings seem to echo the importance of sticking your neck outside your comfort zone in order to cultivate a growth mindset, build resilience and succeed and prosper.