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Jobs stress is estimated to cost American industry $150 billion per year in diminished productivity, health insurance, direct medical expenses, absenteeism and compensation claims. These job stress costs are more than 15 times that of all strikes combined. Stressed out workers:
Smoke more
Have more problems with alcohol and drugs
Have more family problems
Are less motivated at work
Have more problems with co-workers
Experience more physical illnesses
Simply reducing the most highly strained jobs will, in turn, reduce the high cost of job stress and will result in a healthier, more productive workforce.
There are a number of strategies for combating job stress. It is important to understand that job stress is the result of multiple causes and therefore has to be addressed through multiple solutions. Simply tackling the stress issues of individual workers will not solve the wider ranging problems of occupational stress. Organizational change is vital to bring about a lasting reduction in the high cost of job stress.
A well-designed job stress reduction program works on three levels. These are:
1. Individual
2. Small groups
3. Organizational and/or structural
Individual intervention strategies are designed to help the individual employee cope effectively with job-related stress. Examples of these strategies include:
ï Diet
ï Exercise
ï Assertiveness training
ï Relaxation training
ï Cognitive techniques
Small-group intervention strategies are designed to help employees develop more social support both at work and at home. Examples of these strategies include:
ï Team building
ï Family counselling
ï Supervisory training
ï Training on issues such as racism and sexism
Structural or organisational intervention strategies are directed towards improving working conditions, thereby alleviating job-related stress. Examples of these strategies include:
ï Increasing skills
ï Enabling workers to make more decisions
ï Modifying shifts
ï Reducing or eliminating physical hazards
ï Adapting training and technology
ï Improving career prospects
Many of these strategies are both simple and inexpensive to implement. When compared with the high cost of job stress, they are certainly a sound investment. With stress levels set to soar in this uncertain economy, it is vital that employers and employees work together to tackle this debilitating problem. In order to do this effectively, it is essential to ensure that clear communication exists between workers and management. Only then can an organization work as a unit towards eliminating or at least reducing stress in the workplace.
For the self-employed and small and medium-sized enterprises, it is particularly important to spot the signs of stress before they exceed acceptable levels. This is because individuals and smaller companies may not have access to some of the resources available to larger organizations. They are also particularly vulnerable to the detrimental effects of stress within the workplace and to the economic impact of these effects. The cost of job stress is especially high for these people and enterprises and they should therefore tackle the root causes and symptoms as soon as they arise.
There is no need for any worker to suffer from job-related stress when information and resources are widely available to both employers and employees. No country, never mind company, can afford the high cost of job stress in a cutthroat global economy and at a time of enormous change in international trade and manufacturing. It is up to us as individuals and as organizations to manage stress in the workplace so that we can guarantee a brighter economic future for our children.
