by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors
January 3, 2026
The findings introduced on this report are based mostly on a nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. residents age 18 and older who work or have labored in particular person up to now 12 months.
Do People really feel protected at work? Survey reveals rising considerations
Traditionally, office security was primarily related to bodily precautions, reminiscent of sporting protecting gear and stopping slips and falls. Nevertheless, evolving workforce demographics, shifting regulatory landscapes, and speedy technological developments are redefining what security means within the fashionable office. To achieve deeper perception into these transformations, EMCI Wi-fi, a Florida-based Motorola and two-way radio telecommunications supplier, performed a nationwide survey of 1,000 American staff to discover employee perceptions and real-world experiences associated to office security.
Key Findings
46% of People worry a coworker might flip violent on the job.
43% of People have taken time without work resulting from burnout or psychological well being stress, and 1 in 4 have even give up a job over these security considerations.
53% of People have witnessed a hostile verbal battle at work, and greater than 1 in 4 had been concerned.
Almost 1 in 4 People settle for harmful work assignments out of worry of being fired, prioritizing revenue over their very own security.
38% of People would really feel much less protected with weapons permitted at work, however 48% of Gen Z say armed coworkers would make them really feel safer.
Greater than 1 in 3 People say current ICE exercise has made their office really feel much less protected.
Security considerations trigger almost 1 in 3 People to lose focus at work a number of occasions per week, and 1 in 10 are so burned out they wish to give up each single day.
What Staff Worry Most in 2025
Prime Office Security Issues
In the case of security considerations, People as an entire are most apprehensive about well being outbreaks, such because the flu and COVID-19. Curiously, Gen Z breaks away from this sample. Their prime fears are bodily damage and psychological burnout. Ladies, particularly, rank burnout as an even bigger menace than males do.
That isn’t the one concern shaping at present’s office. When requested whether or not they feared a coworker would possibly commit an act of violence on the job, 46% of U.S. staff mentioned sure, with one in 5 experiencing this worry throughout the final yr.
Security Is Not Simply Bodily
Office security is now not restricted to ladders and hearth exits. Psychological and emotional well-being now play a serious function. Gen Z leads all generations in reporting emotional hurt or twin damage at work at 41%, whereas child boomers are the least more likely to report the identical at 17%.
The largest stressors driving staff towards burnout and resignation embrace excessive workloads, unrealistic expectations, and feeling emotionally drained. On the backside of the listing are challenges associated to navigating cultural, political, or ideological variations.
The toll of those stressors is critical. Gen Z is the most probably technology to contemplate quitting resulting from burnout a minimum of a number of occasions a month, with 63% reporting this sentiment in comparison with 47% of People general. Many report feeling this strain weekly and even each day.
For some staff, security considerations lead on to resignation. Almost one-quarter of U.S. staff have give up a job resulting from security considerations, a determine that rises to 38% for Gen Z. Eleven p.c of Gen Z staff report quitting throughout the previous 12 months, underscoring security as each a compliance and retention concern.
Gen Z Is Struggling to Focus, and Security Might Be to Blame
Security considerations are taking a measurable toll on focus and productiveness. 45% of Gen Z staff report being distracted by security considerations a minimum of a number of occasions per week, and plenty of say these distractions negatively have an effect on job efficiency.
Almost Half of U.S. Staff Are Calling Out Because of Job Stress and Burnout
When requested about calling out or taking sick days, 17% of People mentioned they’d carried out so out of worry of bodily hurt or feeling unsafe at work. An excellent bigger share, 43%, reported calling out resulting from stress, burnout, or psychological well being exhaustion. That quantity rises sharply amongst Gen Z staff: 58% say they’ve referred to as out resulting from stress or burnout.
“I Couldn’t Afford to Say No”: Strain and Danger-Taking at Work
Generally security takes a again seat to monetary survival or job safety.
Gen Z staff are considerably extra seemingly than different generations to tackle dangerous duties as a result of they worry being changed by AI. Twenty-one p.c of Gen Z report this concern, in comparison with simply 5% of child boomers.
Financial strain compounds the problem for lower-income staff. Twenty-seven p.c of People incomes below $50,000 have accepted harmful or high-stress tasks as a result of they may not afford to lose their jobs. That is almost triple the speed of staff incomes greater than $150,000 yearly.
Voicing Issues and Dealing with the Penalties
Talking up about security stays troublesome for a lot of staff. Almost one in 5 are uncomfortable elevating security considerations resulting from worry of retaliation or being ignored.
These considerations are usually not hypothetical. 53% of People have been concerned in or witnessed a hostile verbal altercation at work up to now yr. When security considerations are raised with out significant follow-through, belief erodes shortly.
Combined Emotions About AI within the Office
Opinions on AI within the office are evenly divided. Half of U.S. staff need better AI integration, whereas the opposite half stay hesitant resulting from considerations round job safety, ethics, and oversight.
Twenty p.c of staff strongly help elevated AI and sensible know-how use for office security, whereas an extra 30% help AI adoption solely in particular conditions, reminiscent of emergencies or alert programs.
DEI Downturns and Political Tensions
Most People haven’t seen main modifications in office range, fairness, and inclusion efforts. Nevertheless, youthful staff report a unique expertise. 13 p.c of millennials and 14% of Gen Z staff say DEI efforts have declined, contributing to emotions of insecurity.
Immigration enforcement and ICE exercise have added one other layer of hysteria. Thirty-seven p.c of People say such actions have affected their sense of office security. On the identical time, political expression at work is growing. Forty-eight p.c of staff report seeing extra political dialogue on the job, and 18% say it has made them really feel much less protected.
The Belief Hole: Would Coworkers Have Your Again in a Disaster?
Fifteen p.c of People say they don’t seem to be assured that coworkers or management would hold them protected throughout an emergency. This belief hole highlights the necessity for clearer communication, stronger coaching, and higher preparedness throughout organizations.
Would Firearms within the Office Make Staff Really feel Safer? Gen Z Is Extra Open to It
Whereas one-third of U.S. staff say permitting firearms within the office would make them really feel safer, 38% say it will make them really feel much less protected. Gen Z is essentially the most open to the thought, with 48% saying armed coworkers would enhance their sense of security, in comparison with simply 15% of child boomers. This divide displays generational variations in how safety and threat are perceived.
What Employers Have to Hear
Though 84% of staff say their employer has an emergency or evacuation plan, solely 55% report understanding it clearly. This hole presents each a threat and a chance.
Employers are inspired to maneuver past coverage paperwork and foster cultures rooted in empathy, transparency, and psychological and bodily security. Dependable communication instruments, together with two-way radios, can play a crucial function in enhancing preparedness and response throughout unsafe conditions.
Office security in 2025 is now not restricted to onerous hats and hazard indicators. It now encompasses belief, psychological well-being, and adaptableness in an more and more complicated work atmosphere. Employers who put money into communication, readability, and employee well-being usually tend to retain engaged, centered, and resilient groups.
Abstract
The findings on this report illustrate that office security has advanced right into a multifaceted concern involving bodily threat, emotional well-being, belief, and communication. As worker expectations proceed to shift, organizations face rising strain to deal with security past compliance.
Clear communication, preparedness, and dependable instruments play an more and more vital function in how protected staff really feel daily. This analysis was performed by EMCI Wi-fi, a Motorola and two-way radio telecommunications supplier based mostly in Florida.
Methodology
The findings introduced on this report are based mostly on a nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. residents age 18 and older who work or have labored in particular person up to now 12 months. The survey, performed in September 2025 through Pollfish, requested respondents a collection of questions on their experiences and perceptions of office security.
The information pool was designed to supply a complete view of office security in america. Outcomes had been aggregated and analyzed to establish broad traits associated to office security and generational perceptions.
This story was produced by EMCI Wi-fi and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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