Downsizing workplace stress

Unrealistic expectations leave workers angry and ill and cost American businesses billions. A little encouragement and support can go a long way to curb stress and its exorbitant costs.

Everyone has felt work-related stress at one time or another. It comes and goes, depending on deadlines, vacation schedules or the mood of the boss that day. Continuous pressure - from too heavy a workload, fear of job loss, conflicting demands of work and family, to name a few - is a different matter. Too much of it and morale sinks absenteeism soars, and those afflicted become irritable or even indifferent toward their jobs. And that's just the beginning.

Stress accounted for 12 percent of all unscheduled absences in 1997, according to Human Resources Management, twice as much as in 1995. More startling are the results of a new study by the American Society of Chartered Life Underwriters & Chartered Financial Consultants, in which nearly half of the 1,300 workers surveyed said stress caused them to act unethically - and in some cases, illegally - on the job. Cutting corners on quality and covering up mistakes were the two most prevalent actions employees attributed to undue pressure. Abusing sick days, falsifying reports and lying to superiors were high on the list as wall.

Stress also exacts a heavy toll on physical health and adds to per capita disability claims, according to the American Management Association. Stress-related conditions-gastrointestinal problems, mental disorders, substance abuse and hypertension - are the most common illnesses among disabled workers. Tally up the increased insurance costs and direct medical expenses, and stress costs businesses $200 billion annually, the United Nations International Labor Organization estimates. And the situation seems to be getting worse.

Nearly six in 10 workers feel more pressure today than they did five years ago, and four in 10 have higher stress levels than they did last year, according to the American Society respondents. Nevertheless, the majority remain optimistic. More than half the respondents do not expect to feel more pressure on the job five years from now, and about a third say ongoing work-related stress is avoidable. But the problem will not take care of itself.

Most workers say they feel pressure from multiple sources - long hours, poor communication at work and personal financial worries are chief among them. Managers can help workers cope with the factors contributing to stress at work.

Determining how is a matter of trial and error, according to John Kressaty, director of S.C. Johnson's customer service center in Racine, Wis. Kressaty has experimented with everything from lunchtime aerobics to pizza parties to biweekly massages. But even the most innovative program won't help unless it is supported by an overall commitment to change the corporate environment, he and others say.

Difficulty balancing work and family demands is the most frequently cited cause of stress, as well as the toughest to rectify. Men and women, in roughly equal numbers, say they sometimes neglect their families because of workplace pressure.

Over the last 10 years, Kris Powell, director of community health and wellness at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md., has seen an increase in the imbalance. "In this era of downsizing, the workloads that many people are responsible for are virtually anti-family, and there's not much they can do about it," she says.

Powell offers a workshop in which individuals develop time-management skills and get input in managing workplace stress - leaving their laptop at home when they go on vacation, for example. According to Powell, though, the real changes need to come from higher up on the corporate ladder. If companies stop rewarding behavior that is inconsistent with personal needs, workers may be able to regain some balance, she maintains. "It's really a case of supervisor, heal thyself," says Powell, adding that managers need to become role models as well as facilitators.

COPYRIGHT 1997 A Thomson Healthcare Company
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group