Years ago a book by author John T. Malloy called "Dress for Success" was on the New York Times best seller list for many weeks after it was published in 1975. The book is about the effect of clothing on a person's success in business and personal life—how to power dress to be successful. However, the drive in business to be the best can certainly cause many individuals to suffer stress, even if you are dressed well.
According to Chuck Hayes, director of sales and broker development at American Behavioral, 75 percent of all primary care physician visits are for stress related problems, "When effectively promoted within a company culture, employee assistance programs, or EAPs, are the first line of defense for stress in the workplace," he says.
Health care reform has promoted EAPs along with wellness programs and on-site medical clinics. While employers are now required to report the cost of benefits on an employee's W-2, the cost of coverage under an EAP, wellness program, or medical clinic doesn't have to be reported. The only exception is if the employer does not charge a premium for the cost of this coverage to COBRA beneficiaries. These benefits are also excluded from the health care excise tax, or Cadillac tax.
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Implementing or retaining these programs won't penalize an employer, but instead serve as capacity builders. One thing known for certain with health care reform is that access to care will be affected. Employers are being encouraged to establish capacity builders such as an EAP. By building capacity, employers can hasten the return to work of incapacitated employees and ultimately see lower health care costs, according to American Behavioral.
Additionally, workplace violence is an unfortunate part of our lives today. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, violence contributed to 17 percent of all occupational fatalities. It's estimated that 1.7 million people are victimized each year on the job with simple assault being the most common case. When the workplace experiences a traumatic event, it's common and normal for employees to exhibit a wide range of emotional and physical reactions. Sometimes the incident produces such a strong emotional response that an individual's ability to cope may be temporarily overwhelmed. Such responses can impact job performance, productivity and absenteeism.
According to the World Health Organization, mental illness results in more disability in developed countries than any other group of illnesses, including cancer and heart disease. Other published studies report that about 25 percent of all U.S. adults have a mental illness and that nearly 50 percent of U.S. adults will develop at least one mental illness during their lifetime. Mental health challenges were once taboo subjects in the workplace, but as Americans now spend roughly an average 9 hours per day at work, silence is an increasingly costly strategy.
There's an optimistic future for organizations that take an active role in improving the mental well-being of their workforce. "There has been a greater corporate interest in establishing more wellness and stress reduction programs," says industrial psychologist and work life consultant Lori Sokol. "Whether the economy is recovering or not," she says, "a company's bottom line benefits from programs which include stress reduction initiatives." Your Employee Assistance Program is your first line of defense for stress in the workplace.
According to www.helpguide.org, while some workplace stress is normal, excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and impact your physical and emotional health. And your ability to deal with it can mean the difference between success or failure. You can't control everything in your work environment, but that doesn't mean you're powerless—even when you're stuck in a difficult situation. Finding ways to manage workplace stress isn't about making huge changes or rethinking career ambitions, but rather about focusing on the one thing that's always within your control: you.
For workers everywhere, the troubled economy may feel like an emotional roller coaster. "Layoffs" and "budget cuts" have become bywords in the workplace, and the result is increased fear, uncertainty, and higher levels of stress. Since job and workplace stress increase in times of economic crisis, it's important to learn new and better ways of coping with the pressure. Your emotions are contagious, and stress has an impact on the quality of your interactions with others. The better you are at managing your own stress, the more you'll positively affect those around you, and the less other people's stress will negatively affect you, according to the Help Guide site. The information found there provides 6 tips to help you reduce stress on the job:
1. Recognize warning signs of excessive stress at work. When you feel overwhelmed at work, you lose confidence and may become irritable or withdrawn. This can make you less productive and less effective in your job, and make the work seem less rewarding. If you ignore the warning signs of work stress, they can lead to bigger problems. Beyond interfering with job performance and satisfaction, chronic or intense stress can also lead to physical and emotional health problems.
2. Reduce job stress by taking care of yourself. When stress at work interferes with your ability to perform in your job, manage your personal life, or adversely impacts your health, it's time to take action. Start by paying attention to your physical and emotional health. When your own needs are taken care of, you're stronger and more resilient to stress. The better you feel, the better equipped you'll be to manage work stress without becoming overwhelmed.
Taking care of yourself doesn't require a total lifestyle overhaul. Even small things can lift your mood, increase your energy, and make you feel like you're back in the driver's seat. Take things one step at a time, and as you make more positive lifestyle choices, you'll soon notice a reduction in your stress levels, both at home and at work.
3. Reduce job stress by prioritizing and organizing. When workplace stress threatens to overwhelm you, there are simple steps you can take to regain control over yourself and the situation–Create a balanced schedule; don't over-commit yourself; try to leave earlier in the morning; plan regular breaks. Your newfound ability to maintain a sense of self-control in stressful situations can be well-received by coworkers, managers, and subordinates alike, which can lead to better relationships at work.
4. Reduce job stress by improving emotional intelligence. When it comes to satisfaction and success at work, emotional intelligence matters just as much as intellectual ability. Emotional intelligence is about communicating with others in ways that draw people to you, overcome differences, repair wounded feelings, and defuse tension and stress.
5. Reduce job stress by breaking bad habits. As you learn to manage your job stress and improve your work relationships, you'll have more control over your ability to think clearly and act appropriately. You will be able to break habits that add to your stress at work – and you'll even be able to change negative ways of thinking about things that only add to your stress.
6. Learn how managers or employers can reduce job stress. It's in a manager's best interest to keep stress levels in the workplace to a minimum. Managers can act as positive role models, especially in times of high stress. If a respected manager can remain calm in stressful work situations, it is much easier for his or her employees to also remain calm.
Regardless of how well you dress, if you can't handle pressure and emotional stress, it does not help to look like a runway model or as if you just walked out of a Brooks Brothers catalog. Sooner or later, that façade will crack. Providing an EAP on the job is definitely a must have to help employees manage stress. For more difficult issues, a licensed professional counselor should be sought out for personal interaction. If your company can afford one, it's good business to have one on staff. If not, find a good one in your area for referrals and build in the cost of counseling as part of the benefits plan. Your employees will thank you for it.
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