(and costing your company more than just dollars)
The increasing demands to become bigger, better, faster, and more competitive in the marketplace is definitely making life more stressful.
We’ve been saying statements like that for decades.
And in these economic times, employees are being forced to do all of this with less and less, further elevating their stress levels.
And here’s something quite interesting:
The thoughts you attach to situations impact your body’s physiology in about 1/18th of a second.
Of course some stress is good. Apply a little pressure and people become more productive.
But apply too much pressure and things start to deteriorate.
And that’s why we’ve been seeing more stress related problems in the workplace over the last ten years compared to the previous fifty.
So how much do you think work related stress is costing your company? What’s the “air” of overall happiness like at the workplace?
In the US, it’s estimated that over $300 billion per year is lost to medical treatment and absenteeism due to workplace stress-related issues.
Plus, chronic stress interferes with memory, concentration, judgments and decision-making (not like those are needed on the job or anything!).
Stress costs in more ways than one, and when looking to cut these costs, corporate wellness programs become extremely attractive to more and more companies each day.
When employees feel well physically, are happy with the way they look in the mirror and have more energy, you can expect to see greater job satisfaction, less absenteeism, improved overall health, increased productivity and less employee burnout. But the key with any method aimed at employee stress reduction is helping them learn how to handle it more effectively.
Stress is a complex reaction. It’s emotional as well as physical. Simply sitting down for five minutes to write down everything that makes you happy NOW can have a profound effect on your emotions and physiology. Net effect: a less stressed, happier person.
Simple, yet powerful. But like “eating right and exercising,” it tends to fall into the “I know what I should be doing, but…” category.
Ultimately, most folks just don’t have the proper tools when it comes to managing stress.
However, an expert led and run wellness program aimed at improving your employees’ physical well-being can be the fastest way to happier people. That means less anxious, less worried and less annoyed employees.
A dilapidated home on the east coast isn’t going to fair well when a hurricane hits. But that’s only because the repeated battering of smaller storms weakened a foundation that wasn’t maintained in the first place.
With all the storms life throws at us, on top of a stressful work environment, chances are this maybe happening to your employees right now.
Live like you mean it!
Glenn
