However, there are ways that managers and workers can make their working environment a more pleasant, professional place.

Mary Mitchell, the president of The Mitchell Organization, a training and consulting practice that focuses on workplace etiquette and professional behavior, said worries about the economy — and natural disasters — often lead to fear. And that leads to stress.

But there's a simple remedy to combat some of that stress: breathe.

Just one or two deep breaths "can re-focus you, recenter you, kind of reset your dials," Mitchell said,"and then you move forward."

And even in today's fast-paced work life, "everybody can afford one or two deep breaths," she added.