Is Stress Taking a Toll in Your Business?

The nature of today’s workplace is rapidly changing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that Americans are working more hours, taking less vacation time and retiring later. Perhaps now more than ever before, stress poses a serious threat to the health of workers and, in turn, to the health of businesses.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, job stress is the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job conditions that may lead to stress include management style, interpersonal relationships, work roles, career concerns and environment conditions.

Stress from work does not only take its toll on the employee. NIOSH studies show that stressful working conditions are associated with increased absenteeism, tardiness and job dissatisfaction among employees, all of which can have a negative effect on the bottom line of any size business.

Organizational Change + Stress Management = Healthy Workplace
Here are some tips you can share with your managers to help prevent job stress:

• Ensure that the workload is in line with workers' capabilities and resources
• Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation and opportunities for workers to use their skills
• Clearly define workers' roles and responsibilities
• Give workers' opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs
• Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects
• Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers
• Establish work schedules compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job

The Small Business Wellness Initiative offers stress management training that addresses stressors and teaches effective coping strategies. For more information, contact us at (817) 332-6329, ext. 258.

To learn more about stress in the workplace, visit Stress at Work.  Download the Stress at Work booklet.

Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)