Reducing Workforce Stress Through Better Management

The management style of an organization can have a significant impact on an employee’s personal power and consequently effect employee stress: For example, a manager can influence the amount of support an employee has, the amount of control an employee has over a situation, the demands placed on the employee and the rewards the employee receives. More than any other figure in the workplace, the manager or supervisor has the tools to dramatically affect the stress levels – and therefore, the productivity – of their employees.

Many corporate cultures can produce feelings and attitudes that make employees more vulnerable to illnesses, while organizations that have a culture of employee engagement and empowerment can actually reduce illness.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates that stress costs U.S. businesses over $400 billion annually through employee turnover, absenteeism, "presenteeism", workers compensation, and long-term and short-term disability. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has also reported that healthcare expenditures are nearly 50 percent greater for workers who report high stress levels. Additionally, workers who take time off as a result of a stress-related disorder tend to be off the job for 20 days on average.

To help prevent workforce stress, managers need to know what to look for. The following are six common signs of a stressful work environment:

1. Heavy workload, infrequent rest breaks, long work hours and shiftwork; hectic and routine tasks that have little inherent meaning, do not use workers’ skills, and provide little sense of control.
2. Lack of participation by workers in decision making, poor communication in the organization, lack of family-friendly policies.
3. Poor social environment and lack of support or help from co-workers and supervisors.
4. Conflicting or uncertain job expectations, too much responsibility, too many "hats to wear."
5. Job insecurity and lack of opportunity for growth, advancement, or promotion; rapid changes for which workers are unprepared.
6. Unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions such as crowding, noise, air pollution, or ergonomic problems.
   (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Workforce, September 1999, Vol. 78, No. 9, p. 50.)

Due to their position on the frontlines of a workforce, managers and supervisors are uniquely positioned to address the issue of workforce stress and to minimize its impact on the organization. There are many ways to accomplish this goal. Managers can use the tips below as a foundation on which to build the most effective methods for their workforce.

1. Give employees adequate control over how they do their work. Workers are more productive and able to deal with stress better if they have some control over and flexibility in how they perform their work.
2. Talk openly with employees. Management should keep employees informed about bad news as well as good. Giving employees opportunities to air their concerns to management also is important.
3. Provide competitive personal leave and vacation benefits. Workers who have time to relax and recharge after working hard are less likely to develop stress-related illnesses.
4. Maintain current levels of employee benefits. Workers' stress levels increase when they see reductions in their employee benefits.
5. Reduce the amount of red tape for employees. Employers can lower burnout rates if they ensure that employees' time isn't wasted on unnecessary paperwork and procedures.
6. Recognize and reward employees for their accomplishments and contributions. Ignoring employees' accomplishments can lower morale and lead talented and experienced employees to seek work elsewhere.
   (Northwestern National Life. Personnel Journal, June 1993, Vol. 72, No. 6, p. 57.)

While each organization’s culture, systems, and processes vary, the impact of workforce stress does not: it is universally negative. At the same time, it is universally manageable by well-trained managers. By identifying signs of emerging stress in the workplace, as well as using employee-focused strategies to prevent or minimize its occurrence, workforce stress need not become an organization’s Achilles’ heel.