A new survey released by business insurer, Sentry, found that while 47% of business leaders are optimistic their companies will thrive this year 67% said they’re feeling more stressed compared to last year.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. business owners, CEOs, CFOs, and CROs, conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Sentry, revealed that small businesses are the most confident about the year ahead.

Forty-eight percent of business leaders at companies with 10-249 employees believe their company will “thrive” this year compared to 33% of leaders at companies with more than 1,000 employees, according to the survey.

Forty-seven percent of executives cited economic uncertainty as their biggest worry alongside supply chain challenges (44%), rising healthcare costs (41%), labor shortages (38%), and inflation (36%).

Ninety percent said their business has been affected by severe weather in the past five years, with nearly two-thirds (63%) citing outages that left company, customer, or vendor systems temporarily unable to operate.

The survey also found that businesses are:

• • “Managing facilities and equipment: Nearly all (97%) have put off upgrades due to cost pressures or scarce resources — including updates to equipment (48%), cybersecurity systems (47%), or technology (46%).
  • “Asking more of workers: As businesses prepare to do more with less, 81% of executives admit employees are being assigned tasks above their role and training level.
  • “Taking extra precautions: As executives prepare to overcome growing outside threats, many are seeking to lower their risk. 74% of executives aren’t completely confident their company’s current insurance is adequate — with 42% of executives looking to expand their coverage. Meanwhile, 82% of executives plan to boost investments in worker safety during 2025.”

Sentry also found that 26% of respondents are “completely confident” that their company insurance coverages are adequate.

“Our research highlighted a recurring theme: managing risk is a big part of managing stress,” said David Dickinson, Customer Research Director at Sentry. “Executives are experiencing worsening external challenges and putting strategies in place to protect the future of their business. This year, many are increasing safety measures, reassessing their insurance, and making adjustments to navigate external pressures.

“What’s interesting is how outside forces — like economic uncertainty or litigation risks — are shaping internal decisions. Leaders are getting creative with their resources, prioritizing safety and training, and finding ways to protect revenue and grow their business despite evolving challenges.”

Eighty-two percent of respondents said they plan to invest more in worker safety this year. Those who plan to invest in worker safety said they plan to reduce lost work hours or curb workers’ compensation claims (61%) and increase operational output (48%).

As labor shortages remain a “dominant perceived threat,” Sentry says those who plan to spend are prioritizing staffing, particularly on worker retention (49%) and making employee recruitment easier (45%).

However, across a range of industries, Sentry found that respondents are requiring workers to do more with less:

• • 48% said employees are pressured to work longer hours and/or take fewer breaks
  • 81% said employees are assigned tasks outside their roles and/or training
  • 43% have increased output expectations for employees
  • 40% have shortened training cycles to get workers into roles quicker

Business leaders are very much aware of the challenges ahead in 2025,” Sentry wrote in its survey results report. “After all, many of these challenges are continuations of the top stressors of 2024. And while leaders can’t control external pressures, they can control how they respond to them, specifically, by making proactive internal decisions to mitigate risk. Many are doing just that, perhaps recognizing that with risk comes uncertainty, and with uncertainty comes stress.”

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