According to the American Institute of Stress, 65% of workers said that workplace stress had affected their lives in one way or another. This number is not a surprise to many, but it should be. When comparing the stress level of work environments around the world, the U.S. takes the cake. U.S. workers have spent more hours on the job than the labor force of any other industrial nation. A 2001 survey concluded nearly 40% of workers described their office environment as “a real-life survivor program”(American Institute of Stress). As the workforce grows increasingly more competitive, and the job market tightens, many believe workplace stress to be on the rise.
Now, let’s compare the average American workweek to that of other industrialized countries. The average American works approximately 44 hours per week. Whereas in Japan and Italy, the largest number of hours an employee allowed to work in a week is 40 hours. And in the UK, Canada, Germany, and France, average work weeks are less than 4o hours.
Why is this information relevant? Because between 60% to 80% of workplace injuries are workplace stress-related. There are a multitude of factors that may contribute to workplace stress. These include understaffed departments, and poor management techniques. Regardless of what causes stress, all these contributors lead to decreased productivity. Whether you run a small business or a Fortune 500 company, decreases in productivity can be detrimental. Especially in the case of small businesses, which typically don’t have the cash reserves necessary to make up for the lost time.
Having management aware of the problem can go a long way in managing workplace stress, but it isn’t enough. Workplace stress affects everyone in the office, decreasing employee morale, and overall productivity. This lack of productivity can diminish the profits of the business, feeding into the flame of a stressful work environment.
Some Tips on Reducing the Stress Levels in Your Workplace:
1) Engage your frontline supervisors. They should be on the lookout for stressed out, anxiety-ridden employees. You don’t need to be Freud to recognize a stressed employee.
2) Have that front line supervisor engage in a one on one discussion. Oftentimes knowing that the employer recognizes a problem relieves stress. It may even motivate an employee to work through a tough time.
3) Check with HR or your Workers Comp Insurance Carrier, they may have counseling provisions within their policy. Their policy could allow several visits to a therapist to help relieve stress. Even if it’s personal and not work-related, check to see what your Workers Comp policy offers.
4) Rotate staffing, giving days off for completing “x” amount of days without an injury. Try to motivate focus and productivity. By giving your employees achievable goals, they can feel a sense of accomplishment.
Running an efficient and profitable small business is hard enough as it is. As a business owner, you must allocate resources to workplace stress. These dollars spent on increasing the coverage of your Workers Comp Insurance Carrier are far cheaper than if the worker hurts themselves or others because they are not focused on the work at hand.
If your business is suffering from production losses, take some of the steps above. Seek professional help if that still doesn’t work and if you have any further questions, contact Metropolitan Risk Advisory today!
Contact a Risk Advisor or call 914-357-8444 if you have further questions!
