Do You Have One of the Most Stressful Jobs?

You may think that managing marketing, business operations, or technology gives you daily headaches. But there are other more stressful jobs.

This new “Top 10” report is one that MULO (multi-location) retailers would probably not want to hear about.

According to new data from the U.S. Department of Labor, front-line retail management ranks high as one of the most stressful gigs these days.

Film and video editors and phone operators also ranked on the list. So, roughly a third of these high-stress/low-paying positions are among those that support our industry.

Things could be worse. You could be a urologist.

Although AI and automation have the potential to relieve some of the mundane tasks that relate to MULO marketing, learning new skills and fears of job loss.

Peak periods like the holiday season can be an extra stressor for both retail and restaurant businesses and making sure that stressed employees don’t project their struggles onto consumers (who have their own stress levels) should be a top priority.

A negative interaction with a brand can have ripple effects throughout social media these days (including video proof), so keeping morale high is more important than ever before.

Savvy MULO businesses are:

• Investing in wellness programs for their employees
• Looking to hire people who have a track record handling customer service issues and high-pressure situations
• Ensuring that new technologies that relieve workloads are properly deployed, so that the technologies themselves don’t add to anxiety
• Utilizing the best possible scheduling technologies to ensure that shifts are designed around employees’ preferences whenever possible
• Creating opportunities for advancement and relocation, based on an individual’s goals
• Building a culture of reward and celebration

A whopping 92 percent of workers say that they want to work for organizations that value their emotional and psychological well-being.

The reality is that marketing, retail, restaurant, franchise, and other MULO service jobs will never be free of stress.

But getting them off the “Top Ten” list for 2024 most stressful jobs should be among all our goals this year.