Job Stress and the ‘Wasted Leisure Time Syndrome’
By Rona Lopresti, Ph.D.
Slow Down that Treadmill!
Do any of these sound like you?

It’s dark when you go to work in the morning and when you come back at night.

You’re already exhausted, irritable and overwhelmed and it’s only Monday
morning.

You look forward to Saturday because you can get more work done when the
office is quiet.

Reading Dilbert is the only time you smile.
TGIF
You’re going to like this: A prescription for job stress relief that makes sense and that’s
fun to follow. Studies have shown that vacations, leisure physical activities, positive
relationships, and laughter are all good for your psychological and physical health! And,
in addition to improving your health, they might even improve the health of your
company.
So why do we feel so stressed ?
Do you know that Americans now have longer workweeks and less vacation time than
workers in any other industrialized country? According to a study conducted by the
International Labor Organization, Japanese workers spent almost two weeks less in work
per year than their American counterparts. And American workers, at almost 2000
hours per year, work much more than the French (1656 hours), Germans (1560 hours ),
the English (1731 hours) or the Norwegians (1399 hours). In contrast to other
industrialized countries, our workweek has been on the increase—up almost 100 hours
since 1980 and beginning to close in on the hours worked in developing countries like
Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. (To read a detailed report, go to
http://www.hoffmanpr.com/body_childlabor99.htm.)
And here’s the surprise. Although Americans have the greatest productivity per worker,
our productivity lead over Japan and European countries is shrinking, even as our
workweek has increased, suggesting that we may have reached a point of diminishing
returns with burnout starting to overtake productivity.
More hours at work also means that balancing work and family demands becomes
increasingly difficult, creating additional conflict and stress. The concept of “wasted
leisure time syndrome” (Bertil Gardell, 1973) refers to a particular kind of work spillover
in which exhausted and drained workers can do little more with leisure time than
engage in undemanding, unfulfilling and empty activities.
Improvements that Lower Job Stress
You may not be surprised to learn that a recent long-term study found that those who
tended to skip vacations were more likely to have cardiac problems and to die at a
younger age than their co-workers who took vacations. But many people do not realize
that work stress is also unhealthy for their company’s bottom line. Stress at work has
been associated with a variety of physical and psychological problems, work injuries,
absenteeism, tardiness, and disability claims that are estimated to cost employers 200
billion dollars each year.
In addition to long working hours and work/family balance issues, other situations that
lead to job stress include a sense of lack of control over events at work especially when
combined with a high-demand job. In addition, negative relationships with bosses, coworkers or subordinates are a frequent cause of intense stress for workers. It’s
perhaps not too surprising then that some CEO’s are beginning to think more like
psychologists and are instituting organizational changes that focus on the human
aspects of the work environment as a way of lowering job stress such as

giving employees more control and decision-making in their jobs

helping managers to maintain more positive relationships with employees

cultivating a climate of trust between employees and management

flex time and telecommuting to help improve work/life balance

providing stress management resources and programs

educating employees and management to recognize signs of burnout in
themselves and others, and

providing improved access to counseling and mental health services
Attention to these people-factors at work can help produce an environment that reduces
turnover, absenteeism, stress-linked physical disorders, medical costs, and work
injuries.
Win-Win Workplace Innovations:
To their credit, employers have increasingly recognized that work stress can impair
performance and add to medical and other costs--and that conversely creating a
positive work environment can improve company performance. Here are just a few
examples:

Fred Smith, founder and CEO of FedEx, has repeatedly stated that to be
successful in the long term, service companies must create a positive working
environment for employees. At Sears, for example, increases in employee
satisfaction translated into increases in customer satisfaction (Harvard Business
Review, January 1998).

In his research on the 100 best places to work in America, Robert Levering has
found that places rated as best in terms of creating positive environments for
workers were also more profitable.

A study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that when a
Fortune 100 company instituted a Wellness Program, employees with high blood
pressure returned to normal levels as a result of participating. They also had
fewer physical problems, including sleeplessness, were less anxious and were
happier.

At Southwest Airlines, ranked best in customer service, with the lowest employee
turnover rate and considered the most successful U.S. airline; a sense of humor
is actually a job requirement. Management’s lighthearted approach seems to
lead to happy employees and satisfied customers. Southwest’s company culture
values creativity, individual growth and employee empowerment.

At Replacements Ltd., a customer-service intensive company, employees are
allowed to bring their dogs to work with them. Having your pet with you at
work reduces stress, says Replacements’ owner, Bob Page. And there is research
showing he’s right!

The Air Force cut suicide rates in half by initiating a suicide prevention program
that simply encouraged troubled personnel to talk to a therapist. Suicide, the
second largest cause of death in the Air Force after accidental injuries, has
declined steadily since the program was initiated in 1995.
Changes in the human side of your work environment, especially improvements in
interpersonal relationships, can result in a greater sense of control, trust, and respect
and can help reduce work stress. And don’t forget to take that vacation time, have fun
on the weekend, and refuel for the demands of the upcoming workweek. You’ll work
better and feel better as a result.