We normalized stress but when it becomes the norm, performance breaks
Sep 22, 2025
Introduction
For too long, stress has been treated as just part of the job; especially in high-pressure, client-facing roles. But our latest research reveals something more serious.
Nearly half of respondents admit to burnout-prone behaviors like “pushing through, then collapsing later.” And the strongest correlation with stress? It wasn’t angry clients or complex accounts, it was misalignment with leadership.
Unfortunately, heavy industry is not immune to this trend. Stress is still treated as background noise - a reality you’re expected to tough out.
General managers, operations directors, and sales leaders know the drill: deadlines pile up, KPIs need boosting, conversations get sharper, and briefings run long.
So what? That’s the job. Can’t handle it? Move on.
Sound familiar?
At KB&G, we wanted to measure how communication affects stress and to see what frontline professionals do to cope. And most importantly, we wanted to draw lessons for leaders in heavy industry who deal with the same issues every day.
The survey: Who we spoke to and how
Between June and July 2025, we reached more than 400 professionals working in customer-facing roles. Most had between 3 and 10 years of experience. A good number had over 10 years under their belt.
The group represented a wide set of industries: construction, energy, healthcare, finance, and more. Eight out of ten came from large enterprise organizations. The rest worked in startups and scale-ups. That mix gave us a clear picture of stress across company sizes and maturity levels.
The survey was anonymous and included both quantitative questions and open comments. Distribution was broad: LinkedIn, direct outreach, and referrals. The result was a strong dataset, with numbers and stories that reveal how stress builds inside complex organizations.
Executive summary
Our 2025 Customer Success survey uncovered a stark truth: stress is no longer the side effect - it’s the system.
Stress is widespread.
78% of respondents report moderate to overwhelming stress levels. Just 2.5% say their stress is low. For many, pressure is constant.
Internal misalignment is the #1 driver.
The strongest correlation with stress wasn’t complex accounts or unhappy 3rd party service providers - it was misalignment with leadership (r = 0.32). When goals and priorities aren’t aligned from the top, stress and chaos cascades down.
Coping strategies split the crowd.
Some professionals set boundaries, delegate, and plan ahead. Others default to "push through, then collapse" - a burnout loop more common than most would admit.
Stress levels: The numbers tell the story
The first question about overall stress levels painted a clear picture:
Most professionals reported moderate to high stress, and nearly 1 in 5 described it as overwhelming.
Years of experience did not make people immune to high pressure. In fact, the longer someone had been in the role, the more likely they were to report higher stress. The correlation was not huge, but it was consistent. Seniority added pressure rather than easing it.
This tells us something important for operations leaders. Experience does not cancel out stress. The best shovel operator or foreman with decades of practice may still carry heavy mental load if the system around them is chaotic.
Internal vs. External misalignment
We asked respondents to identify communication challenges with both internal and external stakeholders.
Internally, the biggest friction points were with leadership and product teams. Many described the experience as working in “a parallel universe.” Sales teams were often seen not just as misaligned - but completely disconnected from day-to-day reality.
Externally, misalignment was less intense. The most friction came from third-party partners, followed by procurement and clients. Still, external misalignment was linked to less stress than internal breakdowns.
This may not surprise anyone who's worked in cross-functional environments, but it’s still a critical reminder:
When communication fails inside the walls, stress multiplies. Leaders have the opportunity and responsibility to fix this through clearer expectations, integrated systems, and better alignment across teams.
The causes of misalignment
Three drivers of misaligned communication stood out clearly:
Unclear expectations – cited by 72% of respondents.
Competing priorities – cited by 65%.
Misaligned tools and systems – cited by 45%.
Other causes included delays, lack of background information, and cultural mismatches.
Anyone who has worked in a plant, a mine, or a control room will recognize these. The biggest stress rarely comes from one loud customer. It comes from poor handoffs, unclear instructions, and too many tools that don’t talk to each other.
Coping strategies: How people manage stress
When the pressure climbs, the most common responses were:
Talking with a teammate or manager – 55%.
Saying “no” or “not now” – 53%.
Time blocking – 48%.
Pushing through, then collapsing later – 45%.
Delegating – 43%.
These are proactive strategies. They show people setting boundaries and managing their energy.
But almost half admitted to a burnout-prone behavior: pushing through in the moment, then collapsing later. Others leaned on end-of-day drinks, therapy, or exercise. Wellness apps and meditation were less common.
One insight stood out. Stress relief often came from movement or a social drink rather than formal wellness tools. People wanted practical, everyday methods they could use without extra effort.
The hardest-hitting stress factors
Responses also highlighted which factors hit hardes:
Zero breathing room between tasks – average stress score 3.5.
Message overload and unexpected escalations – 3.3.
Culture clashes and no control over deadlines – 3.2.
Misaligned information and too many tools – 3.1.
These are systemic issues. They show that firefighting and constant switching wear people down more than tough clients.
For heavy industry, the parallel is obvious. When crews jump from task to task with no time to reset, safety incidents rise. When tools and systems don’t align, productivity drops. Stress is not just personal. It is operational.
Correlation data: Where stress connects
The analysis showed the strongest link between stress and leadership misalignment (r=0.32). Operations and sales also displayed moderate connections (r=0.27 each). External factors were weaker, with third-party partners scoring r=0.20 and clients r=0.16.
Another pattern emerged: misalignment often clusters. If leadership and operations are out of sync, other teams usually feel the same drag. Stress spreads across the system.
For leaders in mines, plants, and yards, this matches lived experience. A weak link in one department drags others down. Stress is contagious when communication fails.
Implications for Heavy Industry Leaders
So what does this mean for GMs, mine managers, and operations directors? The lesson is simple. Your people are not breaking down because of customers. They are breaking down because of the way communication flows inside the organization.
Stress builds when:
Priorities are unclear.
Tools multiply without alignment.
Leaders and frontline teams talk past each other.
Tasks pile up without breathing room.
For safety and efficiency, this matters. High stress means higher turnover, lower focus, and more mistakes. In heavy industry, that can mean missed production targets or safety incidents.
The message: fight chaos, not your people.
Recommendations for leaders
Based on the survey, here are practical steps leaders can take:
Audit handoffs and workflows. Look at how information moves between teams. Remove unnecessary steps.
Create breathing room. Stop back-to-back scheduling. Build buffers between high-stakes tasks.
Train expectation-setting. Teach supervisors to set clear, realistic priorities.
Normalize boundaries. Encourage time blocking and the right to say no.
Simplify tools. Reduce overlap. Pick systems that integrate.
These are not fancy solutions. They are operational basics. But they make the difference between a team running in chaos and a team working in flow.
Closing thoughts
The survey gave us one clear conclusion. Stress in customer-facing roles does not mainly come from outside. It comes from inside.
For leaders in heavy industry, the parallel is direct. Stress on site is not just about weather, market swings, or customer demands. Stress builds inside when communication breaks down and systems don’t align.
By tackling these issues, leaders can cut stress, improve focus, and protect both performance and safety.