Stress In The Workplace

STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE

by Bill Grieb

We spend a major portion of our adult lives at work. Work can be both rewarding and stressful.

Occupational stress is frequently associated with poor mental health, such as depression, breakdown, and psychosocial disability-as well as with cardiac disease, absenteeism, low productivity, alcoholism, drug abuse, family violence, and divorce.

Stress results from the individual worker's reaction to a variety of factors. High-stress jobs are often characterized as having high psychological demand and low decision latitude. The personality of the individual and his family and social situation positively or negatively affect the impact of these factors. Studies show that workers are rarely taught about worksite cumulative trauma disorders and problems, and often are given inadequate safety training.

There's little evidence that workers' health improves if ergonomic controls alone are implemented. Psychosocial, organizational, and self-care interventions must be incorporated to ensure optimum results.

Job Stressors

• Demanding work load
• Lack of control of work
• Career growth and security
• Interpersonal relations
• Physical conditions such as noise, cold, etc.

Techniques to reduce stress include programs to enhance coping skills, rearrangement of workloads, and accommodation of family needs.

Stress probably costs Americans billions of dollars every year. The personal and societal costs are impossible to quantify. These costs are reflected in diverse areas: Workers Compensation costs, injury statistics, occurrence of stress-related disease, and societal violence are just a few.

Stress-related Workers Compensation claims have increased more than 30% in the past decade-about double the average of all injury claims. Three categories of stress claims on the Workers Comp system are:

• Physical/mental-a physical injury that results in a mental disorder, such as post accident depression or mental effects of chronic pain
• Mental/physical-a mental stimulus resulting in a physical injury, such as ulcers and cardiac conditions that result from job stress
• Mental/mental-mental stress that leads to mental injury. States vary but some states compensate workers even if the source of stress is not unusual or in excess of everyday stress. For example, when one California restaurant closed, 115 of 119 employees filed Workers Comp stress claims.

Symptoms of stress

• Skin rashes and allergies
• Physical and emotional fatigue
• Depression
• Use of alcohol and drugs
• Increased smoking
• Increased blood pressure
• Headaches
• Poor appetite
• Loss of sexual drive
• Apathy
• Irritability
• Relationship problems
• Anxiety and crying spells
• Cardiac problems
• Withdrawal
• Increased number of colds
• Sleep disturbance
• Increased absenteeism and tardiness

Adverse reactions include

• Job dissatisfaction
• High blood pressure
• Behavior and sleep characteristics
• Substance use and abuse
• Hypertension
• Heart disease
• Alcoholism and dependency
• Mental illness

A severe form of stress is burnout. Burnout results from overtaxing the physical and mental capabilities of an individual over an extended time.

Burnout can be indicated by feelings of:

• Hopelessness
• Helplessness
• Guilt
• Inadequacy
• Failure
• Incompetence
• Cynicism
• Disillusionment
• Suspicion
• Resignation and indifference

Correlating to burnout are:

• Overextension
• Overlap between private life and work
• Conflicting demands
• Lack of autonomy
• Administrative hassles

It should be noted that burnout rarely corresponds to the amount of money earned.

Organizational interventions include:

• Providing a safe environment
• Improving communication
• Including employees in decision making
• Assessing and modifying the job
• Developing peer support groups, quality circles, etc.

Coping strategies include:

• Avoidance and escape
• Hobbies and recreation
• Reading and music
• Emotional discharge: drinking heavily, smoking, abusing drugs, overeating
• Social support and supportive relationships
• Relaxation
• Assertiveness training
• Off-the-wall behavior
• Self control
• Exercise
• Lifestyle management
• Humor
• Employee assistance programs

Giving employees the authority to make their own decisions and perform their own tasks is crucial to maintaining their well-being. Freedoms characteristic of a good job include: self-paced work, participation in decision making (planning, problem solving, and working methods), influence on production quantity and quality, control over hours and rest breaks, and ability to move around physically.

An analysis of workers' complaints suggests that workers often feel caught between the Workers Comp insurer, the worker's attorney, the health care provider, the workplace, and the overall WC system.

Workers are often made to feel wrong if they file a stress claim. Light-duty work sometimes generates resentment from coworkers. Insurance companies sometimes question the need for medication-repeatedly. And if the worker's income is reduced (from not working), the ress at home increases.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) offer a variety of resources to help employees deal with problems that affect their productivity and usefulness. EAPs can maintain materials, provide referrals, and educate employees and supervisors. They can provide programs on stress management, communication, coping, and balancing work and home. They may also facilitate support groups, workshops, and so on.

There are about 10,000 EAPs in the United States. Because at any given time, three or four in every 20 employees may be dealing with personal problems that can affect work performance, this number is increasing. These employees commonly experience performance declines of 10% to 20%, and their tardiness, absence, and "sickness" are three times the normal rate. Employees with personal problems have four times more accidents and are five times more likely to file Workers Comp claims.

Effective programs emphasize access and confidentiality. They maintain employee awareness of the program with articles in company newsletters, on posters, and through other approaches.

The first step in developing an Employee Assistance Program is to identify problem areas and specific employee needs. The program should help supervisors and managers use the system in a cost-effective manner. After the needs and problems have been identified, the next step is to locate the available counseling, treatment, and other resources. The program must develop mechanisms to provide specific forms of help, such as substance abuse recovery programs. Finally, effective EAPs continuously pursue methods of self-evaluation and improvement.

Hospitals and clinics are competing to provide cost-effective services to employers. You may be able to arrange an economical program that will augment your workplace safety program and provide workers with benefits that reduce your costs and increase worker job satisfaction. Services that many local hospitals and clinics are offering to employers include:

• Treatment of work-related injuries
• First aid and CPR training
• Hearing testing
• Blood pressure screening
• Drug screening
• Rehabilitation
• Pre-placement screening
• Injury-prevention programs
• Case management
• Wellness program management
• Stress-reduction programs
• Physical examinations