|
Why are workers stressed? |
|
The economy |
51% |
|
Demands of the job |
44% |
|
Distrust in corporate America |
40% |
|
Fear of layoff |
40% |
Source: Cigna Behavioral Health survey of 750
employees and 200 employers
nationwide.
|
What is the impact of
job stress on a business? |
|
Take sick day |
88% |
|
Thought about quitting the job |
34% |
|
Quit the job |
14% |
Source: Northwestern Life Insurance Company (1992)
survey of American workers
·
One million workers are absent on any
given day largely
due to stress disorders (Rosch & Pelletier, 1984).
·
Stress on the job costs businesses over $150B per year
(Donatelle and Hawkins, 1989)
|
Where do the non-stressed
workers work? |
For companies
that:
|
Offer flexible work schedules |
65% |
|
Offer work/life balance programs |
52% |
|
Promote volunteerism |
50% |
|
Provide physical health programs |
49% |
Source: Cigna
|
What can management
do to reduce stress? |
|
Assess the level of stress in your organization. Quantify these performance measures: «
Productivity «
Accident claims «
Staff turnover rates «
Level of absenteeism «
Reasons for leaving company |
|
Implement a stress management program? «
Promote individual coping skills to
deal with stressful situations «
Assessments «
Practice in various stress
management techniques «
Sponsor skill development to increase
performance & personal effectiveness |
|
Improve your company’s culture to ensure: « Employees: þ
Have control in their jobs þ
Are competent (trained) to perform their
jobs þ
Understand the organization’s goals and
how their jobs fit into achieving these goals þ
Find their jobs meaningful « Management and employees communicate « Support is available to resolve problems |
|
Stress management
workshops from Bradley Lambert? |
|
Skills that insulate against stress:
|
|
Stress Management Workshops « Ethics « Coaching |
|
What is stress? |
||
|
« Stress refers to the ways our bodies react to
a threat -- commonly called the fight or flight response. The brain signals certain glands to secrete
into the bloodstream hormones that prime the lungs, heart, nervous system and
muscles to take quick action, run away or fight. « Prolonged stress can damage brain cells, eventually
causing memory loss... impair the immune system... and contribute to
depression, ulcers, colitis and other diseases. « Stress is the way we react physically,
mentally, and emotionally to the various conditions, changes, and demands of
life. |
|
|
What are the signs of
stress? |
||
|
«
Illness «
Driving fast «
Sleeplessness «
Grinding
teeth «
Drinking alcohol «
Criticizing yourself «
Constantly on edge «
Employee performance «
Avoiding social contact «
Chewing your fingernails «
Smoking or chewing tobacco «
Becoming aggressive or violent «
Yelling at your spouse, children, or
friends «
Taking a recreational drug to calm
yourself «
Eating too much or too little, or
drinking a lot of coffee |
|
|
What are 10 things
you as an employee can do to reduce stress? |
||
|
« Have a strong commitment to self, work, family, and other
values. « See change as a challenge rather than a threat. Change is
inevitable. « Participate in activities that promote creativity and your own
uniqueness. Schedule a regular time
for whatever relaxation method works best for you -- slow, deep breathing...
physical exercise... yoga... meditation. « Manage your time and commitments and learn to say no – don’t take
on more than you can handle? Practice
delegating. « Make stress management part of your daily routine -- don’t save
it for the weekends. Attend stress
management workshops. Utilize
techniques such as problem solving and brainstorming to identify all aspects
of a stressful event, including behavior, thoughts, and feelings. « Listen. When people feel
they are being heard, their stress levels fall and cooperation is more
forthcoming. « Have a sense of control over your life. « Have a strong network of support and close relationships.
Believing you are alone in the world makes the effects of everyday stress
much worse. « Identify stressful sources in your life. Create a journal to help you recognize how
stress affects you, understand how to avoid harmful stress, and know how you
can deal with it when it occurs. « Work with a personal coach (sometimes called an executive coach)
who specializes in helping people identify and address problems (personally
or at work) that are holding them back at work. |
|