Stress Management

A ccording to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, healthcare costs are nearly fifty percent greater for workers who report high levels of stress. It has also been reported that workers, who need time off because of stress related symptoms such as anxiety, will be off the job for about 20 days.

These statistics reveal that stressed employees can be bad for business. With the rising cost of health care, shrinking of the consumer market and downsizing trends within the economy, it’s more important now than ever before to reduce errors while achieving the highest level of productivity from staff. Unfortunately, there are many factors working against that. By way of example, employees today are impacted on a deep emotional and mental level by today’s recession. The workplace stressors only compound the stress already present. The result is an employee who is experiencing a lack of concentration or focus, anxiety, loss of interest, low morale, fatigue, depression, aggression or hostility. All of those symptoms are counterproductive and create an environment for increased workplace errors and accidents. Since stress also contributes to the degradation of the body’s normal functions, absenteeism tends to soar as workers seek refuge from frequent chronic and minor illnesses by calling in sick.

Corporations who seek to address the causes of stress and invest in stress management programs for employees have seen marked improvements in productivity, while the rate of mistakes and accidents show a noticeable decline. A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology , states that in one study, the frequency of medication errors declined by 50% after prevention activities were implemented in a 700-bed hospital. In a second study, there was a 70% reduction in malpractice claims in 22 hospitals that implemented stress prevention activities. In contrast, there was no reduction in claims in a matched group of 22 hospitals that did not implement stress prevention activities.

By providing staff with the tools to recognize the onset of stress, while learning simple relaxation techniques, both employers and employees can reduce stress. Our Stress Management Solutions can be implemented into your daily operation and coincide with any existing wellness program that exists. When looking for a program that best suits the needs of your organization, consider that the best stress management course for employees is one that is convenient and proven!