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Workplace Stress Affects Overall Health: Tanking People and Profits

Stress has such negative connotations. However, it is a living and breathing component to top performers. Robert Ostermann, professor of psychology at FDU’s Teaneck-Hackensack Campus points out, “No one reaches peak performance without being stressed, whether an athlete, an office worker or a manager.”^Source How you “manage” the stress is what defines the difference between heightened productivity and the inability to work effectively. Outside pressures of economic uncertainty, having less staff to do more work, and combined roles and responsibilities can create unhealthy stress, pushing many of us over the line when it comes to the ability to perform.

In fact, according to a Supplemental Science article in USA Today, 47% of people say their stress levels are higher now than six months ago. If that stress pushes us to the point of burnout, the physical and emotional side-effects cause cascading effects to our lives both inside and out of work. Regardless of the source of the stress, the impact spills over to all aspects of our lives; 55% say it affects their ability to sleep well, 33% feel the impacts on their physical health, and 32% notice the effects on personal relationships.

Side-effects at work include—but are not limited to—inability to focus, make decisions, prioritize, communicate, manage relationships, and process information. If these are combined with job dissatisfaction and apathy, there can be an accumulating effect on productivity. These debilitating effects influence a manager’s ability to not only perform their tasks, but to manage others and even more so, cause them to deal negatively with customers impacting the customer experience (91% of dissatisfied customers never come back).^Source This alone can cost companies millions.

The problem with stress is that it can be a vicious cycle that feeds itself as it grows. The more stressed you are, the more stressed you become. Tuning into the primary contributing factors and proactively managing how you address and mitigate them will determine whether your performance soars or suffers.

Lead by example. Take a Heath Check and pass it on. These items below may be signs you or your employees may be a bit underwater when it comes to stress levels.

	Physical			Emotional
		Headaches/Muscle Aches			Anxious/Tension
		Heart Racing/Chest Pains			Irritable
		Exhaustion/Fatigue			Depressed
		Lethargic/Lack of Energy			Withdrawal/Social Issues
		Upset Stomach/Heart Burn			Loss of Interest
		Loss of Concentration			Restlessness
		Loss of Sleep			Relationship Volatility
		Extreme Weight Fluctuations

There is hope. Solutions to workplace stress can be easily identified and implemented. Once again, stress is truly something that needs to be actively managed. By understanding triggers and de-stressor tools you can be well on your way to gaining back balance in your workplace and at home.

Here are some basics to put in place. However, remember it is important to also find and integrate your own solutions based on your unique issues and needs.

	Exercise—30 min per day aerobic (which can be broken up into 3 parts for you to achieve) energizes your ability to process and focus
	Snack—frequent, small, healthy tidbits raise your blood sugar to fuel your productivity and even out moods
	Sleep—adequate true rest is required to be able to function effectively in life on all levels
	Mindfulness—watch body and verbal language to make sure you are maintaining positive energy as your actions affect your own mood and the moods of others
	Communication—it is important for both internal (self-talk) and external (with others) communication to be constructive—it will refresh your mind, enabling you to find solutions, not problems
	Balance—you hear it all the time… work/life balance… if one is off, it can imbalance the other, adding to the pressure you feel on both fronts
	Schedule—by prioritizing tasks and incorporating all of the above into your daily plan you’ll gain back control and stay on track

In conclusion, be accountable for your stress levels and take actions to overcome them so you can be the super star you are. Don’t forget some stress is good, but if it gets too high, you can take steps to overcome the negative impact.