Concerned about preserving the planet, Thomas wanted to change things at the office. Employed in the marketing department of an agri-food group, he campaigned for more recycling, less use of plastic sales media… Alas, it is not easy to change a family business that has been in existence for more than half a century. “There was no listening. My proposals were systematically rejected, says the former employee. Over time, the situation worsened. I was no longer the friendly ecologist but the pet peeve. J I was the victim of harassment and even threats,” he says. After months of suffering at work, Thomas manages to negotiate a conventional break and leaves his post, disgusted.
An isolated case ? Not so sure. In companies or large institutions, many employees wonder when they see their values diverge sharply from those of their employer. And if some manage to turn their backs, others lose sleep, motivation or even end up in depression. Pierre-Eric Sutter, occupational psychologist, has seen the phenomenon rise in recent years. “My patient zero dates back to 2016, he says. It was at this time that I began my research on eco-anxiety.” Since then, water has flowed under the bridges and this malaise, which emerges in reaction to the degradation of the planet and the inaction of a large part of society, has been widely documented. But the magnitude of the phenomenon remains poorly known, and probably underestimated.
In 2022, Pierre-Eric Sutter supervised research on a sample of 3,500 people. “Let’s be clear: this was not a survey but a diagnosis made using scientific tools to classify the different types of symptoms and their severity. effect of a bomb: 5% of the people in the sample presented serious signs requiring psychological support If this proportion applied to the entire French population, we would have 2.5 million eco- anxious. A real public health problem!”
“Do not underestimate the importance of this malaise”
Contrary to popular belief, it is not an affection reserved for the youngest. “We had as many 50-year-olds as 30-year-olds, or less. Another interesting point, the phenomenon affects almost as many men as women. Finally, the proportion of eco-anxious people appears to be higher among the most qualified”, specifies Pierre -Eric Sutter.
Sylvie Chamberlin, founder of CHS Conseil, a coaching company for managers and their teams, confirms: in large companies that are making progress in terms of transition and recruiting engineers sensitive to environmental issues, the proportion of eco-anxious people is relatively stronger. Sign that a form of “contamination” can be set up.
On an individual level, however, eco-anxiety often begins the same way. “People take in a stream of bad news, then they go and check it out and overlay layers of negative information on it. After a while, an imbalance is created. You’re caught up in rumination, with a hard drive of data alarming that goes on a loop in your head”, explains Pierre-Eric Sutter. Melanie has been there. “I was on the lookout for the slightest ecocide gesture. For example, the presence of plastic in the canteen, or a colleague’s purchases on Shein… I no longer heard the positive. My hypersensitivity made any relationship complicated, including at work. Being taken for the service ecologist only exasperated me more”, testifies this quadra living in Ain.
“We must not underestimate the importance of this malaise, warns Pierre-Eric Sutter. If it persists and intensifies, it can lead the people concerned to reactive depression or anxiety disorders. For example, One of my patients ended up in a psychiatric hospital because he had taken too long to consult. Suicidal, he no longer saw a possible future. Fortunately, this is an exceptional case.” And a warning for companies that need to be more attentive.
Maintaining good mental health, an obligation for the employer
“We forget it too often, but they have an obligation to ensure the mental health of employees”, insists Jean-François Naton, CGT adviser and rapporteur for the opinion of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) on health at work and climate change. “Eco-anxious people are at the forefront of ecological consciousness. There is no doubt about the healthy nature of their reaction to the risks that weigh on our future. It would be logical to rely on them to get things done”, continues- he. However, this is not always what we see on the ground.
On the occasion of a recent survey on the effects of the work climate, the EESC collected numerous testimonies. “Few large companies have played the game, but we can clearly see that eco-anxious people are too often considered as fragile people, incapable of adapting. This denigration is unfortunately reminiscent of the waves of past suicides in several French companies” , says Jean-François Naton.
Companies are still making progress on climate issues. Employers voted for the opinion of the CESE and its 17 recommendations, including the one asking to include listening to employees among the general principles of prevention in the Labor Code. The Business Climate Convention, created in 2021, also aims to promote the emergence of concrete solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, some companies, such as Mustela or La Camif, do not hesitate to produce differently or avoid certain commercial operations on the Internet, even if it costs them part of their turnover.
Despite these efforts, a large number of actors remain frozen. “For many companies that do not wish to fundamentally change their activity, it is tempting to remain in the superficial and to be satisfied with it”, observes Philippe Zaouati, founder and managing director of Mirova, a specialized asset management company. in sustainable investing.
Many are content, for example, to raise awareness among their employees through the Climate Fresco. But this tool, with obvious educational virtues, does not always have the expected effects. “The game is still in its first version, and the “frescoers” are not always well trained. Result: they often increase eco-anxiety among the participants!”, confides an employee experienced in these sessions. Some facilitators recognize their mistakes, like this NFB employee who, when he started out, felt like he was pulling the pin of a grenade, then leaving the participants without psychological support. “Sessions sometimes take place abroad. Employees fly to participate and then eat meat with meals. There is not always logic”, testifies Sylvie Chamberlin.
“By neglecting eco-anxiety and refusing to rework their values, companies risk ultimately disengaging employees and encountering growing recruitment problems, warns the coach, who worked for HEC and L’Oréal. We recently had the case of a woman, CSR manager of a large fashion group. Her employer asked her to take the plane permanently. She left her job.” Former store manager in mass distribution, Marie says she no longer wants to work in this branch: “We create far too much waste there.” For her future, the 29-year-old Parisian has found the solution: create her own company, a platform intended to guide people who no longer want to fly to travel and discreetly engage in civil disobedience. Since following this path, her eco-anxiety has greatly diminished.