Stress is an ever growing struggle in our daily lives, and workplace-related stress is no different. There are many physiological responses our body has in response to stressful situations which impact and create turbulence in our daily lives. However there are also economic impacts to be considered when discussing the effects of negative stress. It is difficult for organizations to accurately evaluate exactly how much employee stress costs them each year, however it is estimated that workplace stress costs the Canadian economy anyplace between $12 to $33 billion a year, and for the United States this figure increases to a shocking $300 billion (Kevin Kelloway, 2014). Stress has a dramatic effect on a business’s bottom dollar in a variety of ways …show more content…
including; employee absenteeism and presenteeism, workplace accidents, and employee turnover, all of which have a dramatic impact on productivity outputs. Organizations also face increased payments towards legal fees, compensation payments and in turn increased premiums. Employee absenteeism as well as presenteeism are draining on an organization financially. Absenteeism contributes in the obvious fashion of lost productivity due the absence of the worker. As well it increases stress levels on co-workers having to coordinate an increased work load to accommodate a workers absence. “Northwest National Life reported in 1993 that one million absences each day in the workplace are stress-related” (Lee, n.d.). Given the dated figures of this study and with the increasing prevalence of stress in the workplace it is fair to estimate this number has probably risen over the last 22 years. Presenteeism, being when workers show up for their designated shift however due to whatever reason are not functioning to their fullest potential, can produce the same results as the absence of an employee. These results include; reduced productivity, diminished quality of work, and placing increased workloads and stress on other employees. Economic stability plays a large role in the extent of workplace presenteeism, tough economic times lead to job insecurity leaving employees afraid of missing work. In addition highly stressed workers are more likely to be involved in a workplace accident, this can be due to rushing to fulfill deadlines or quotas, or by not devoting their full attention to the task at hand. Accidents in the workplace are a further drain on organizations in both direct and indirect costs. Costs due to workplace accidents include; loss of productivity due to shut down time, increases in insurance and compensation premiums, penalties and fines, legal fees, medical fees, development of negative public image, and poor morale amongst the organization further impacting production efficiency and quality. Avoidable employee turnover is further detrimental to an organizations costs. Employees under heavy stress at work are more likely to burnout and seek other employment. Employee turnover results in decreased productivity during the rehiring and training process as well as the loss of intellectual capital when an employee leaves the company. Further costs an organization must endure due to turnover are costs associated with rehiring such as, recruitment costs, costs incurred during selection process, and training costs. Organizations likewise face the probability of paying legal fees and worker’s compensation fees in the event they do not demonstrate due diligence in preventing and responding accordingly to a workers stress in the workplace. This is highlighted in one such case where in 2006 Electronic Arts (Canada) Ltd was forced to pay $150, 000 to Janie Toivanen in costs, stock options losses and damages, as well as injury to her dignity, feelings, and self-respect when the company failed to recognize her declining condition and decided to fire her due to declining work performance (Maclean's, 2007). This case is an example of the burdens a company may face should they fail to provide a worker with adequate resources to properly accomplish their job requirements. Furthermore employers face increased premiums the more Worker’s Compensation claims they file. When taking into consideration the health effects on a person due to stress it is easy to see how stress has a significant impact on the economy in the form of medical expenses. “It is estimated that 75 to 90 percent of all visits to health care providers are due to stress-related conditions” (Maxon, 1999). With Canada spending $211 billion on healthcare in 2013 (Chai, 2013) it is easily highlighted the extent to which stress-related conditions have a considerable impact on Canadian healthcare expenses. Additionally it is significant when regarding the effect of stress on the economy to consider the responsibility of supporting a worker should they need to claim short term or even long term disability, this burden generally lies with Insurance companies or through government compensation programs. So how does an organization combat these additional costs associated with work-related stress? From an HR perspective there are various implementations which can be administered to combat the root of the problem itself. This would include ensuring proper supports are in place for employees to seek guidance and support. However as with engineering controls when regarding physical threats in the workplace it is always beneficial to administer solutions at the source of the matter. This is done by ensuring proper design of the jobs themselves and their workplace conditions, this would include things such as properly defined work roles, workloads, and deadlines. Chai, C.
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Many people think of stress as a simple problem. In reality however, stress is complex and often misunderstood. We all know that stress is the body’s reaction to any demand on it. Perceptions of events, whether positive or negative, activate stress. It is, therefore, a highly individual affair. What is stressful to ‘X’ may not be so to another. But it is fairly easy to conclude that everyone lives under a certain amount of stress. In fact, the only people without stress are dead. At the same time it is certainly wrong to conclude that stress is always bad. Mild stress may improve the productivity. It may force people to focus more sharply on the problem and produce solutions. But if stress is severe and persist for long periods of time, it can be harmful. Stress can be disruptive to an individual as any
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It is important to reiterate that when dealing with job stress, the organization must be sure to make the careful distinction between the commonly perceived definition of stress and positive stress within the organization. Through Seley’s research, he postured that positive stress can “be helpful when it motivates people to accomplish more” (The American Institute of Stress). This positive stress serves as a motivator that drives people to reach goals.
Work place or occupational stress refers to any form of restrain that is experienced when there is no match between job demands and the output of the worker. The article ‘Occupational stress’ aims at showing ways in which stress people get from their work place affect them and what causes the stress. This condition may encompass many conditions that include maladaptive behavior, psychological disorders, cognitive impairment, as well as emotional strain. These conditions lead to poor performances at work, injuries, or biological reactions that in turn may compromise the health of the employee.
Long – term stress can even require the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety, and depression; it can be a main cause of moodiness and frustration. Many of us are aware of the physical symptoms of stress-muscle pain, rapid breathing or an increased pulse. At the same time, they also suffer from emotional of stress which can be like roller coaster of highs or lows. emotional effects rang from emotional overeating to a feeling of being overwhelmed and pressure. stress impact many other components, which leads to difficulties in making decisions, loss sense humor, poorer concentration, negative thinking. As can be seen, stress nearly brings serious effects to people. Apart from the effects above, it can be the main reason which creates your decreased productivity at work. stress makes people less control their pace work, which leads to dissatisfaction. about 40% employees said that they are burned out because of work-related stress and loss $300 billion each year in the workplace . In addition, your relationship with people around also become worsens because of your stress. In fact, stress makes people puzzled and their life can undergo a considerable
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Hargreaves, G. (1998). Stress management: the essential guide to thinking and working smarter. New York: Amacon.
Stress damages people and it damages their organizations. Constant and unmanaged stress potentially reduces the effectiveness and efficiency of the personnel. Stress among policemen would manifest in the form of fatigue, depression, inability to concentrate, irritability and impulsive behaviour. These danger signals are quite common among the policemen. Both physical and mental illness renders the employee unfit for work. It impacts job satisfaction and reduces job performance. Common direct costs of occupational stress are reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and employee
As the world becomes more and more developed, stress gradually becomes an unavoidable feature of modern society. “Stress is a dynamic condition is which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, demand, or resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important”. Stress occurs in a lot of events in our everyday life such as everyday events (suddenly sees a red light), exciting events (having a baby), scary events (watching a horror movie) and many more. Among the different types of stress, job stressors has been generally accepted as an universal phenomenon. Job stressors trigger problems for people both physiologically and psychologically. However, individual differences when they face a particular event to be a job stressors. Culture difference is one major factor that causes the individual differences. America, England, China and Japan are used for analyzing the different types of stress in western and eastern culture and their unique ways of coping the stress. Just like western culture, eastern culture also has a lot of stress among employees. China is one of most representative countries in eastern culture. While China becomes more and more universalized, China still contains its own Confucian culture. Since China has a special environment and culture, it causes unique types of stress compare to western culture. Those types of stress are mainly work demand stress and family demand stress. Work demands are psychological stress at the workplace, such as overloading of work; time shifts; complexity of work; and having conflict demands. Due to these work demand of stress, it damages employees’ both physical and psychological states (e.g., tension and anxiety...
Everyday, there are workers who come home from their jobs with a high amount of health issues. Headaches, aching muscles, exhaustion, and many more health issues have workers wondering why this is happening. All of these symptoms can be linked to stress in the workplace. Job stress has become more of a problem than ever before. Numerous studies show that job stress is the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated progressively over the past few decades (“Workplace Stress,” 2004). Stress has become more common and costly in the workplace not only for the workers, but also the companies. What is considered stress in the workplace? Many companies everyday are dealing with issues related to stress in the workplace. For example, the Blackpool Fylde and Wyre NSH Trust Foundation Hospital noticed there were issues with stress when people began calling out sick. Their consultant for occupational health began to see a pattern of worker stress that might be the case. With stress being such a big issue in the workplace, are there ways a company can decrease the amount of stress?
Regulation compliance, employee safety, fire safety, ergonomics, industrial hygiene, hazardous waste removal, training procedures, and management relations are samples of features taken into consideration during a Safety Major’s day. Though there are numerous specializations safety professions can choose, a base knowledge in all fields is essential for a successful career. Therefore, I intend to pursue a continuation of safety certifications that will demonstrate a persistent ability to learn about my career. For the initial duration of my profession, I hope to obtain an Environmental Health and Safety specialist entry level position for an established organization. If the opportunity arises, I will promote within the same organization until