The Importance Of Proactively Managing Workplace Stress

Stress is on the rise in America. Over the last thirty years the amount of time Americans have spent at work has steadily risen. According to the International Labor Organization (1997), workers in the United States now "put in the longest hours on the job in industrialized nations…the equivalent of almost two working weeks more than their [next closest] counterparts in Japan" (p. 1).

The recent recession, which resulted in corporate downsizing and layoffs, has forced companies to do more with fewer employees – often by increasing the workloads and thus stress for the remaining employees. Although a certain amount of job stress is to be expected, stress in the workplace can be costly because it affects not just individual well-being but also organizational performance.

What triggers stress?

There are many different factors that can trigger job stress and the triggers and how people react to them can be different for every individual. Common external factors include, "work schedule, pace of work, job security, route to and from work, workplace noise, and the number and nature of customers" (Dessler, 2010, p. 309). Another study found 33% of stress was caused by factors outside the organization while 67% of stress was caused by internal, company factors. The internal factors included heavy or difficult work load, working long hours, leadership (or lack thereof), and work environment (Bhatti, N., Shar, A., Shaikh, F., & Nazar, M., 2010, p. 3).

Understanding the many causes and triggers of job stress makes it easier for managers to take proactive steps to reduce stress before detrimental consequences occur:

• Practice primary prevention: This includes "making sure job designs, workplace design and workflows are correct" (Millar, 2005, p. 6), that employees are not being burdened with too much work or unrealistic deadlines, and that company environmental conditions are not contributing to workplace stress.
• Implement on-going intervention techniques: This includes employee surveys to determine levels and sources of stress, individual employee assessments by managers, and intervention where needed (Millar, 2005, p. 6).
• Provide management training: This includes training on causes and consequences of stress, how to recognize warning signs of excessive stress, what managers can do to help alleviate job related stress, and how leadership style can affect employee levels of stress.
• Establish employee assistance programs (EAP): "The EAP is a one-stop shop for the employee who has a problem or issue and does not know where or how to seek help. They can call their EAP program to receive a limited number of free sessions with a professional counselor or adviser, depending on their current problem" (Richards, 2010, p. 1).
• Improve communications with employees: This includes clearly defining employees' roles and responsibilities and establishing clear job expectations, giving employees the opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their jobs, and sharing "information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs and futures" (Segal, J., Smith, M., Robinson, L., & Segal, R., 2011, p. 1).
• Create a "stress-proof" company culture: "NIOSH research has identified organizational characteristics associated with both healthy, low-stress work and high levels of productivity. Examples of these characteristics include the following: Recognition of employees for good work performance; opportunities for career development; an organizational culture that values the individual worker; management actions that are consistent with organizational values" (n.d., p. 12).

While a certain amount of job stress is to be expected, the effects of workplace stress can cause decreased productivity and increased absenteeism, accidents, employee turnover, and even increased healthcare costs. Learning to identify the factors that cause job stress and implementing programs that can monitor and decrease stress levels will result in a happier and healthier workplace.

Thanks to Lisa Quast / Forbes.com LLC™
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2011/09/26/the-importance-of-proactively-managing-workplace-stress/

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