Stress in the Workplace
Cuyahoga County Health Alliance
Presented by:
Swan Khanna-Salehi,
ease@work Clinical Manager
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Some Statistics
People report…
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44% of Americans feel more stressed than they did 5 years ago
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1 in 5 Americans report “Extreme Stress” – Shaking, Heart Palpitations, Depression
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56.3% of employees report stress has caused difficulty focusing on tasks
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Over 14% report missing days at work or being late due to stress
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21% report stress has caused them to make errors or miss deadlines
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Stress-related ailments costs the nation $300 billion every year in medical bills and
lost productivity
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75 -90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related illness/disease
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Stress is the basic cause of 60% of all human illness/disease
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40% of stressed people overeat or eat unhealthy foods
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44% of stressed people lose sleep every night
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Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death – heart disease, cancer, lung
ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide
Sources: http://www.compsych.com/press-room/press-releases-2010/353-nov-22-2010; http://pyschcentral.com/lib/2007/how-does-stress-affect-us/;
http://apa.org/news/press/releases/phwa-survey-summary.pdf; "http://www.mastersdegreeonline.org/master-your-stress/
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Why it matters
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Stress impacts…
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Overall Employee Health – Insurance Costs
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Performance Management
• Productivity Levels
• Absenteeism
• Presenteeism
• Morale
• Engagement
• Focus
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Risk Management – Safety – Workplace Violence
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Substance Use/Abuse
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Workplace issues highly
affected by stress…
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Health Care:
82% of employers report health care costs are significantly
or moderately affected by worker stress.
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Absenteeism:
70% of employers report significant or moderate affect by
worker stress.
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Workplace Safety:
77% of employers cited significant or moderate impact from
stress.
Source: “Stress in the Workplace,” Buck Consultants Survey, worldatwork.org.
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What you can do
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What can you do?
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Be sure middle management is trained for awareness of
performance issues; monitoring and regular interaction with
employees
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Encourage use of your Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
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Implement wellness programming that promotes overall
wellness and teaches practical stress management
techniques
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Review HR policies addressing flexibility, PTO, attendance,
FMLA
What other organizations are doing
to address workplace stress…
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78% say the most common resource used to address stress is their EAP.
EAPs help employees deal with personal problems that may negatively
affect work performance and overall well-being.
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46% offer work-life balance programs
45% offer leadership training on worker stress
45% offer on-site healthy lifestyle programs
43% offer a fitness center
38% offer physical activity programs
35% have stress awareness campaigns
30% offer financial management classes
29% offer personal health/lifestyle management coaching
Source: “Stress in the Workplace,” Buck Consultants Survey, worldatwork.org.
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A Natural Partnership
Stress management and wellness initiatives go hand-in-hand.
When planning wellness programs, be sure to include some
practical suggestions for stress management.
A recent study presented in Mental Health Works, Fourth
Quarter 2012, offered the following suggestions for
programming that can be implemented to teach employees
how to care for the self in terms of stress reduction methods:
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Stress Management Toolbox
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
An approach used to assist in changing negative thoughts, thus
changing the emotional state. A study showed that burnout
was related to irrational thinking and by disarming irrational
beliefs, you can foster professional growth and decrease
workplace stress.
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Stress Management Toolbox
Positive Psychology
A relatively new field of psychology that teaches learned
optimism. The idea is that a capacity for happiness and wellbeing can be cultivated through gratitude journaling.
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Stress Management Toolbox
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
An approach that promotes nonjudgmental awareness of
moment-to-moment sensations, experiences and reactions.
MBSR uses meditation techniques that promote relaxation and
stress reduction.
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Stress Management Toolbox
The Relaxation Response
Another highly effective tool closely related to MBSR that
reduces stress. The relaxation response is a state of deep rest
that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress –
decreases heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing and
muscle tension.
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4500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, Oh 44103
216.241.3273
800.521.3273
easeatwork.com