Workplace stress is on the rise and it's costing corporate America a fortune. Some estimate that 80% of health care costs are stress related, and these expenses go right to the bottom line.
According to CNN-Money.com, Americans spent more than $17 billion for anti-depressants and anti- anxiety drugs in 2002, up 10% from the year before and nearly 30% over a two year period.
The Institute for Management Excellence reports that American industry spends more than $26 billion each year for medical bills and disability payments with another $10 billion for executive's lost workdays, hospitalization, and early death.
In addition to these staggering figures, stress takes its toll through the added costs of quality control, legal challenges, lost opportunities, poor performance, bad attitudes, and training.
We cannot do much about the skyrocketing costs of medical care and prescription drugs, but we can take immediate action to control the top ten causes of stress as identified by The Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health.
The countdown is:
10. "Workload" ? Employees report that they are often stressed when they have too little or too much to do. Managers need to divide responsibilities and help employees prioritize work that must be done. Make sure you understand the impact before shifting responsibilities. Take into account the cost of stress before you increase anyone's workload or hire more people.
9. "Random interruptions" - Telephones, pagers, walk-in visits, and spontaneous demands from supervisors all contribute to increased stress. Time management, delegation of responsibilities, and clarification of expectations can reduce these stressors. 8. "Pervasive uncertainty" ? Stress levels increase rapidly when people are confronted by new requirements and procedures. Keeping people informed controls stress and increases productivity. Put details in a memo so they can review the facts following your explanations.
7. "Mistrust and unfairness" - These situations keep everyone on edge, create bad attitudes, and lower productivity. It is important to keep an open line of communication to avoid misunderstanding and know what people are thinking about your decisions. Managers must consistently build trust and give equal treatment - just do the right thing.
6. "Unclear policies and no sense of direction" - Lack of focus causes uncertainty and undermines confidence in management. You need more than a well-written policy manual. Enforcement of policies and clear communications are essential.
To make sure everyone gets the message, you can repeat your explanation in a variety of ways ? repetition and feedback are important. Reinforce policies through memos, articles, bulletin board postings, personal meetings, and small group discussions.
5. "Career and job ambiguity" - If people are uncertain about their jobs and careers, there is a feeling of helplessness and of being out of control. In addition to the trusted job descriptions and annual personnel reviews, people need to understand a broad range of issues that affect the company.
News of mergers, consolidations, plant closings, and restructuring contribute to a feeling of helplessness. Management must keep people informed about situations that will affect their jobs, or the rumor mill will add to an already stressful situation.
4. "No feedback - good or bad" ? People want to know whether they are meeting expectations. Consistent, written and verbal, personalized feedback is required. Some people need more attention than others, but everyone's performance is enhanced if leaders frequently affirm individual efforts.
3. "No appreciation" - Failure to show appreciation generates stress that endangers productivity throughout the company. There are many ways to demonstrate appreciation, but the most effective is a sincere comment about how much the person means to you and the company.
2. "Lack of communications" - Poor communication leads to decreased performance and increased stress. Management memos and announcements work well for distributing information, but two-way conversation improves communication and solicits ideas and suggestions while reducing stress and complaints.
1. "Lack of control" ? Workplace stress is at its greatest when employees have no say regarding things that affect them. You can decrease sensitivity to all the other stressors and give a sense of being in control by involving employees in operating and administrative decisions and acting on their input. Frontline employees know what they are talking about. Listening to what they have to say reduces stress and increases productivity.
Effective managers understand that stress control is a leadership responsibility and give it just as much attention as any other management function. For those who want to explore stress control further, a free 3-session e-course is available by email request at stresscontrol@sendfree.com
Grasping the concepts and reducing stress one step at a time can have an amazing impact on your bottom line --and on the lives of those who do the heavy work.
Dale Collie - professional speaker, former US Army Ranger, CEO, and a Fast Company top 50 innovative leader. Author of "Winning Under Fire." (McGraw-Hill) collie@couragebuilders.com
Did you know that more than half of our adult... Read More
If you have never tried combining your breathing exercises with... Read More
Ask a hundred different people how to deal with stress... Read More
How much attention is paid to one of the biggest... Read More
Stress ReliefStress is a big business in Western society. We... Read More
After a stressful day as a computer programmer, Jim pulled... Read More
In order to understand stress better, it is a good... Read More
The number one most popular issue that users of a... Read More
Is your stress level higher than it should be? Are... Read More
Are You Too Stressed?Is your stomach all tied up in... Read More
My work often deals with proactive, preventive means to Overcome... Read More
Most people find it easy to identify the sources of... Read More
Voice: Bill!Bill: I thought I heard a voice.Voice: Bill! This... Read More
With how busy we keep ourselves on a day to... Read More
Are you feeling stressed out? Too many things to do,... Read More
"We do not stop playing because we grow old. We... Read More
Don't wait to have a life-threatening disease to learn what... Read More
It was a self-exploration that made me understand myself. It... Read More
Here's an amazing quote from Time magazine:"At birth a baby's... Read More
In the body, the stress response is mediated by the... Read More
Do you have stress in your life?......I know you answered... Read More
"Let your mind be quiet, realizing the beauty of the... Read More
Q. I've been told that I need to learn from... Read More
Have you ever considered sewing a handbag as an act... Read More
Most of us lead busy lives, trying to successfully juggle... Read More
Get at least 15 minutes of sunshine daily.Daily Exercise -... Read More
Something the successful business person needs is - lots of... Read More
Have you been feeling so stressful and almost losing your... Read More
Living in our world today can be very stressful. While... Read More
Breathing is the vital force of life. It is considered... Read More
Seventy-five percent of all our problems ? both emotional and... Read More
The pace of life seems to quicken every year. More... Read More
If you suffer from insomnia of any kind, the chances... Read More
Of all the sources of stress in our lives, faulty... Read More
I learned a valuable lesson recently. A short while ago,... Read More
Breathing is the vital force of life. It is considered... Read More
There are times in every person's life when things do... Read More
Lake Hopatcong, NJ (PRWEB) November 30, 2004 -- Here are... Read More
Question 1"How do I get more time to play?"Answer: Schedule... Read More
Did you know that more than half of our adult... Read More
Everyone needs successful stress management techniques. Easy to learn and... Read More
A grandfather, whose grandson came to him angry at a... Read More
We so often take the feelings of happiness and saddness... Read More
These days, when people have become so conscious about what... Read More
If you have never tried combining your breathing exercises with... Read More
Managing stress is not easy if you don't have the... Read More
"Smash!" It was a sunny autumn Saturday. My cousins and... Read More
Too much driving, too much shopping, too much rushing around,... Read More
Traffic jams. Toddler tantrums. Deadlines at work. Money troubles. Too... Read More
Is your in-tray or inbox full? I don't normally check... Read More
Let's face it. If you are stressed, agitated and flitting... Read More
Often, in today's fast paced world, we forget to take... Read More
When a great Zen Master returned to his country after... Read More
One of the ways I have avoided a lot of... Read More
When Army leaders fail to control battlefield stress, they lose... Read More
I recently received this e-mail message about stress management (author... Read More
Have you ever said the words, "This job/my life is... Read More
Everywhere I go, I hear the same unpleasant sentence repeated... Read More
Recently the well known American news anchor Peter Jennings died... Read More
Stress management is a hot topic; stress-related illness and suffering... Read More
I love a good story and I know I'm not... Read More
"One day I'm a mother, One day I'm a lover,... Read More
Shit happens. I know this to be a fact, because... Read More
Preparing for sleep the night before is the place to... Read More
When September rolls around, does it generally hit you like... Read More
"Watch your language."We all heard this admonition as kids and... Read More
Stress Management |