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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
Employers recognize the negative effects of workplace stress and are using various strategies to manage it, a Buck Consultants L.L.C. survey released Thursday concludes.
Eighty-two percent of the employers surveyed at the WorldatWork 2010 Total Rewards Conference & Exhibition in Dallas indicated that their health care costs are “significantly or moderately impacted by worker stress,” the New York-based human resources consulting firm said in a statement.
About 80% said worker stress affects absenteeism, and 77% said it affects workplace safety.
“Employers increasingly realize they must address the rising tide of employee stress, and not just to improve employees’ well-being,” Barry Hall, a principal at Buck Consultants, said in the statement. “Those who ignore stress will take a hit to their bottom line, in higher costs and lower productivity.”
In response to workplace stress, 66% of the employers have put at least four programs aimed at reducing stress in place, with employee assistance programs used most often. The survey noted other strategies, such as work-and-life balance support, on-site fitness centers and stress awareness campaigns.
The survey, which was conducted in May, had responses of 257 conference attendees representing 200 employers of various sizes and industries.
When Jean-Paul Sartre concluded that “hell is other people,” he may have unwittingly prognosticated modern-day workplace stressors.