In April 2025, air traffic controllers at Philadelphia International Airport’s Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility experienced a significant communication outage. For 90 seconds, controllers responsible for one of the most congested and complex airspaces in the United States could not see aircraft on radar scopes or communicate with pilots.1 The Philadelphia TRACON, which also controls air space in New Jersey, lost all communication with flights at Newark Airport.
Although communications were restored and no catastrophic outcome occurred, the outage represented a total loss of situational awareness in an occupation where seconds matter. The incident was significant. A major communication failure at one of the nation’s busiest airports and in the most complex U.S. airspace was a major news story that extended into the summer months.
What drew greater attention was what followed. The air traffic controllers themselves later appeared in the news when they took 45-day trauma leave to recover from the extensive stress and psychological impact of the incident and another similar communication blackout that followed.2 The leave was not related to physical injury or equipment damage. It was taken because the incident caused acute psychological trauma tied directly to the work performed.
Trauma leave highlights how high stress work can create psychological injury
Air traffic control is a high-stress occupation. More than 30 percent of applicants for air traffic control jobs do not complete the training program, and many fail to become a controller at their first station. In busy, and thus more complex, airspace, stations like New York TRACON see training success rates below 65 percent.3
While air traffic control represents an extreme example, it’s not an isolated one. Across industries, employees are increasingly exposed to work-related events that can trigger significant stress and anxiety. Serious accidents, workplace violence, fatalities, near-miss incidents, system failures, and other high-impact events can all result in trauma responses that persist long after the event itself has passed.
Across all workplaces, a strong majority of employees report high levels of stress and anxiety. A study by the Anxiety & Depression Association of America found that 72 percent of employees self-report having daily stress and anxiety that interferes at least moderately with their lives.4 For employers and payors, this data underscored that workplace anxiety is not an isolated human resources concern but a widespread workforce risk.
Workplace anxiety by the numbers
Employee stress and workplace anxiety are more than experiences employees simply endure. It can affect their personal lives, work performance, safety outcomes, physical health, and workers’ compensation costs. Although there is no clinical diagnosis for workplace anxiety, its symptoms often overlap with generalized anxiety disorder, which usually involves a persistent feeling of anxiety or dread that interferes with a person’s daily life.5 Stress is clinically distinct from workplace anxiety, but the two often occur together, alongside burnout.
Exact figures around workplace anxiety and stress vary, often based on survey questions and how workplace anxiety can coincide with stress and other factors present outside of the workplace. During the latter half of the COVID-19 pandemic, reported workplace anxiety increased from 40 to 54 percent between the end of 2020 and the end of 2021.6 Employee stress similarly rose, from 48 to 63 percent over the same period.
These elevations have not fully subsided. Going into 2026, the Anxiety & Depression Association of America found that large shares of the nation’s employees dealt with at least persistent work-related stress, including:4
- 40 percent experience persistent stress or excessive anxiety in their daily lives
- 30 percent of those with daily stress have taken prescription medication to manage stress, nervousness, emotional problems, or lack of sleep
- 28 percent have had an anxiety or panic attack
Workplace stress studies conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that 83 percent of U.S. workers experience work-related stress, and 54 percent report that work stress affects their home life. OSHA also references a study that found five to eight percent of annual employer healthcare costs are associated with workplace stress and anxiety.7 When stress or anxiety is linked to a specific work event, these costs may extend into workers’ compensation claims and prolonged absences from work.
The health impacts of workplace anxiety
Workplace anxiety has long-term health impacts that extend far beyond the temporary headaches or irritability that can arise from tight deadlines or high-intensity work environments. Sustained anxiety activates chronic stress responses in the body, which can accumulate over time. Chronic, sustained anxiety can lead to a variety of long-term physical and mental health problems, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, depression, and clinical anxiety.8
Beyond these long-term health conditions, workplace anxiety frequently affects day-to-day functioning. Persistent stress often leads to sleep disturbances, such as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or achieving restorative rest. Sleep loss then may intensify the physical impacts of anxiety, increasing fatigue, irritability, and vulnerability to illness.9 Gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, stomach pain, or appetite changes are also common, reflecting how anxiety can interfere with normal digestive processes.
From an organizational perspective, these effects can translate into heightened operational risk. Employees experiencing anxiety may be more likely to make errors or have slower reaction times, particularly in roles that require sustained focus or rapid decision-making. Over time, widespread workplace anxiety can contribute to increased absenteeism and turnover, lower morale, and reduced overall performance.10 In certain environments, these factors can create compounding safety and productivity challenges. Together, these impacts highlight the importance of recognizing and addressing workplace anxiety early to protect employee well-being and organizational stability.
Trauma leave and psychological injury in the workers’ compensation environment
The air traffic controller cases reflect a broader shift occurring across the workforce. Trauma leave following work-related events is no longer limited to a narrow group of professions. Wherever employees are exposed to high impact incidents, psychological injury may warrant clinical evaluation, time away from work, and structured recovery planning.
When anxiety, stress reactions, or trauma are directly attributable to a workplace incident, they may fall within the scope of workers’ compensation. For employers and payors, this reality raises important considerations around early intervention, access to appropriate behavioral health care, and coordinated return to work strategies.
How Concentra can help
After a workplace incident, timely behavioral health support can influence both recovery and return-to-work outcomes. Concentra’s behavioral health telemedicine service aims to provide employees with access to trained professionals who can help address the psychological impact of work-related incidents, workplace anxiety, injuries, and trauma. Concentra® psychologists are affiliated with PSYPACT, a regulatory group dedicated to increasing access to mental health care, and bring expertise in delivering mental health assessments and treatment via virtual platforms. Services may include:11
- Validity testing for behavioral health referrals
- Treatment for patients with diagnosed mental health conditions related to a work injury
- Counseling for employees experiencing nonphysical trauma following workplace events
Concentra psychologists can also collaborate with referring or treating clinicians to ensure a consistent plan of care throughout the workers’ compensation process and support return-to-work (RTW) planning. This collaboration helps align behavioral health treatment with functional recovery goals and employer expectations. And, in many cases, virtual behavioral health can help remove barriers to care and improve outcomes.
Because Concentra’s behavioral health services team of psychologists operates within a managed in-house network, appointment availability is structured to reduce wait times that often occur following a behavioral health referral and authorization in the workers’ compensation system.12 Earlier access to care for individuals experiencing psychological trauma may support improved outcomes for patients, their families, and their employers.
Concentra Telemed® is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week in 47 states and the District of Columbia. As awareness of psychological injury and trauma leave continues to grow, access to timely, work-focused behavioral health care is becoming an integral part of workforce risk and claims management.
Get started with Concentra
As the nation’s largest occupational health provider, Concentra is well-versed in the behavioral health challenges your workforce faces and is here to make a difference. Concentra Telemed is available 24/7; we’re ready to help your employees day and night. To see how we can help you with your behavioral health needs, contact a Concentra representative today.
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NOTES
1. “Newark Airport systems outage was ‘most dangerous situation,’ air traffic controller says,” by Amanda Musa, Pete Muntean, Rene Marsh, and TuAnh Dam. CNN. May 7, 2025.
2. “Newark Airport chaos made worse by air traffic controllers who took 45-day ‘trauma leave’ after failures: FAA,” by David Propper. New York Post. May 5, 2025.
3. “‘College hazing’ or training? Amid shortage, air traffic recruits wash out,” by Ian Duncan. The Washington Post. July 28, 2025.
4. “Highlights: Workplace Stress & Anxiety Disorders Survey,” Anxiety & Depression Association of America. n.d.
5. “Generalized Anxiety Disorder: What You Need to Know,” National Institute of Mental Health. 2025.
6. “2022 State of Workforce Mental Health,” Lyra Health. 2021.
7. Goh J, Pfeffer J, Zenios SA. The Relationship Between Workplace Stressors and Mortality and Health Costs in the United States. Management Science. 2016: 62(2): 303-630.
8. “Job Stress Health Effects,” UMass Lowell. n.d.
9. “Work-related Stress,” Department of Health, State Government of Victoria, Australia. 2024.
10. “How Mental Health Shapes Absenteeism and Presenteeism in the Workplace,” Learn to Live. n.d.
11. “Behavioral Health Telemedicine,” Concentra. n.d.
12. “Concentra Adds Behavioral Health to Telemedicine Service for Workers’ Compensation,” Concentra. August 14, 2024.