Imagine this: the productivity of
one of your valued employees at the
farm begins to plummet. He is clearly
distracted, and this goes on for months.
Then, you start noticing similar issues
with his co-workers.
As the head of the company, you know
this situation is unworkable. You want
to help, both for the long-term health
of your company, and because you care
about your employees. So you start
digging, trying to diagnose the problem.
For many business leaders, the root
cause is a stunner.
"It's stress about their financial lives,"
says financial advisor John Zitzmann of
the Zitzmann Group at Morgan Stanley
in Providence, R.I. "It's surprisingly
common — and a serious drain on
productivity."
FINANCIAL STRESS A
MAJOR CONCERN
The data agree. One survey found that
85 percent of Americans feel anxious
about their financial lives. Seventy-eight
percent of employees with high financial
stress say it impacts them at work. And
that drain on productivity? Every month,
employees squander 13 working hours
worrying about money.
Not surprisingly, concern about money
affects lower-wage earners, with one
of the highest stress levels (68 percent)
reported among those earning less than
$60,000 annually. Still, more than half of
high-income earners (above $100,000)
22 POTATO GROWER | MARCH 2021