{"id":62569,"date":"2022-08-10T07:38:34","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T12:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=62569"},"modified":"2024-04-06T06:22:06","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T06:22:06","slug":"stress-got-you-down-on-the-job","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/stress-got-you-down-on-the-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress Got You Down on the Job?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Very important memo to self, staff! \u2014 What can\u00a0WE<\/u>\u00a0do to make this a better place to work?\"\"<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

That question is one today\u2019s public- and private-sector employers who genuinely care about their workers are prone to ponder often.<\/p>\n

Among the attributes people tend to list for ideal jobs and working environment are a fair wage, good benefits, workplace flexibility \u2013 parental leave and respect for the importance of parental duties. Others cited are fairness, good advancement opportunity and trust and respect between management and employees.<\/p>\n

One that has become a top priority in recent years is a\u00a0stress-free work environment<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A Monster Take on Job Stress<\/h2>\n

Survey after survey recently has found job stress is a major concern. Results from a spring 2014 poll by mega job-search website Monster reveals the depth of workers concerns.<\/p>\n

Monster found that 42% of U.S. respondents had left jobs because of excessive stress in the workplace. Moreover, the authors stated, \u201cWorkplace stress has also caused an additional 35% to consider changing jobs.\u201d Equally significant, only 3% of the more than 6,700 people surveyed said they did not experience stress at their jobs.<\/p>\n

Nearly two-thirds of those polled in the Monster survey said they thought job stress had caused them to become ill at some point and 45% said they lost time on the job because of it.<\/p>\n

HeartMath Study Shows Intervention Can Help<\/h3>\n

The HeartMath Institute study,\u00a0Impact of a Workplace Stress Reduction Program on Blood Pressure and Emotional Health in Hypertensive Employees<\/em>,\u00a0showed even a short intervention program could reduce job stress. The study examined the effects of HeartMath\u2019s Inner Quality Management\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0program on blood pressure and emotional health in hypertensive employees at a global information technology company.<\/p>\n

The results included clinically significant lower blood pressure and improved emotional health. The researchers concluded such interventions could produce a healthier, more productive workforce while reducing company losses from cognitive decline, illness and premature death.<\/p>\n

(Click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0for a PDF version of the\u00a0study.)<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s Stressing You?<\/h2>\n

The article\u00a0Your Stress is My Stress<\/em>, published in April this year, discussed the ripple effect one individual\u2019s stress could have.<\/p>\n

\u201cStress is contagious,\u201d according to the article, which synthesizes the findings of two prestigious German research bodies, the Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and Clemens Kirschbaum at the Technische Universit\u00e4t Dresden.<\/p>\n

\u201cObserving another person in a stressful situation can be enough to make our own bodies release the stress hormone cortisol. \u2026 Empathic stress arose primarily when the observer and stressed individual were partners in a\u00a0couple relationship<\/em>\u00a0and the stressful situation could be directly observed through a one-way mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the person-person effect of stress, \u201cEven the observation of stressed strangers via video transmission was enough to put some people on red alert. In our stress-ridden society, empathic stress is a phenomenon that should not be ignored by the health-care system,\u201d the article\u2019s authors observed. Learn\u00a0more about how each individual impacts the social environment,\u00a0click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Causing Stress in the Workplace?<\/h3>\n

Here are some key contributors to workplace stress identified by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration:<\/p>\n