Insights
We tend to think of stress as something personal.
Someone is overwhelmed. Someone is struggling. Someone needs support.
And of course, that’s often true. But there’s another side to workplace stress that we talk about far less – the way it can spread.
Research has highlighted something called “second-hand stress.”
In simple terms, it’s the stress people absorb from the colleagues around them.
You might not be the person under the most pressure in the room, but if you work closely with someone who is, it’s surprisingly easy to start carrying some of that tension yourself.
Humans are wired to read each other constantly.
We notice tone of voice.
We notice body language.
We notice pace, urgency, frustration, impatience.
When someone in a team is visibly stressed for long periods of time, it rarely stays contained. It starts to influence the atmosphere around them.
People begin second-guessing decisions.
Communication becomes shorter.
Patience wears thinner.
Small issues start to feel bigger than they are.
Before long, the whole team feels heavier. And often nobody can quite explain why.
Many leaders are good at spotting when an individual is struggling. They’ll check in, offer support, maybe adjust workload.
But they don’t always notice the ripple effect that person’s stress is having on everyone else.
The exhausted manager whose pressure spills into every meeting.
The high performer who is constantly firefighting and pulling others into the chaos.
The senior leader whose anxiety quietly sets the tone for the whole team.
None of these people are intentionally spreading stress. But it happens anyway.
There’s another uncomfortable truth here. Stress spreads fastest from the top.
If a leader is constantly overwhelmed, reactive or visibly anxious, teams absorb it almost instantly.
Even if the leader never says a word about being stressed.
The emotional tone of a leader travels faster than their instructions.
One of the challenges for people is that when you’re inside the pressure of the day-to-day, it’s hard to see the effect you’re having on the wider system around you.
You’re focused on decisions, delivery, targets and deadlines.
You’re moving quickly.
You’re solving problems.
Very few people pause long enough to ask:
What is my pace, my tone, my pressure doing to the people around me? What impact am I hoping to have?
Sometimes it takes a conversation outside the immediate demands of the job to notice these patterns – the kind of space where people can step back, reflect, and look at the wider impact of how they’re operating.
If stress can spread through a team, there’s an interesting question for any leader to sit with:
What kind of energy am I spreading right now?
Tension.
Fear.
Frustration.
Or…
Calm.
Clarity.
Perspective.
A focused conversation to explore your needs and where change would have the most impact.
Focused on real decisions, real situations, and real outcomes
For leaders making decisions that shape direction, pace, and priorities.
For leaders who want to think more clearly and lead with confidence.
For teams who need clearer direction, stronger trust, and more effective ways of working together.
A focused conversation to explore your needs and where change would have the most impact.
Understanding team strengths and individual differences to help drive performance.
Gemma brings a direct, thoughtful style shaped by years of guiding teams and supporting leaders through change.
Clients value her straight talking and her ability to cut through complexity and help people make clear decisions.
A discovery call is a practical way to talk through what's happening now and what would make the biggest diference.
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