Stress is Killing Your Business

Increase productivity, decrease workers' comp claims
Increase employee satisfaction, decrease sick days
At little cost to your company.

Stress has surpassed the common cold as the most prevalent health problem in the U.S. and accounts for more than 70% of all absenteeism, according to the American Institute of Stress. Stress is the number one problem in business today. Stress related workers comp. claims abound. Headaches, back pain, and general malaise are blamed on stress. One of the problems with stress related complaints is, stress cannot be measured. It cannot be tested in the lab. It can't be seen on the X ray.

Any employee who is dissatisfied with anything at work can complain of stress and build a case. YOU as an employer don't need this going on with your employees. YOU as an employee don't need this with your employer or other employees. YOU as a HUMAN BEING don't need the headache, and yes STRESS of other peoples' stress.

Yet what is to be done about stress? There are several destructive ways to handle stress. Think about how the following affect productivity, efficiency, and general attitude of well being of the workplace:

Alcohol and drug use
Over eating
Outburst of anger
Back biting
Sabotage

There is a wealth of healthy ways to handle stress.

Exercise
Meditation and prayer
Humor
Massage

Stress among your employees is costing you money. But your own personal stress is costing you your life. First let's discuss your own stress, then stress in the workplace.

One of the best stress relievers is to consider the stress causing situation and ask, "What difference will this make tomorrow?" If the answer is, "None." Then let it go. When raising teenagers, it helps to frequently ask, "What difference will this make next year?" Sometimes it may come to,' How important is this in terms of 5, 10 or 20 years?" Then realize that the the true question is, "How important is this in terms of eternity?" This really narrows down the choices of responses to stress creators.

So many stress creators are really jokes waiting to be laughed at rather than disasters waiting to happen. Consider the following stress creators:

A friend comes to your home and finds dust bunnies under your bed. Great! Always keep a few there just to keep your friends happy. Think about it. If your friend is a lousy housekeeper and sees dust bunnies under your bed, she will think, "Good, I'm not the only messy one." If she is Mrs. White Glove Inspector, she will think, "Oh my friend has dust bunnies! I am so superior to her." This will boost her ego for a week. And it didn't cost you anything.

You get fired. This is usually a good stress creator. This will give you the opportunity to re-evaluate where you are headed. You will realize what you really want to be doing with your life. You can re-group and take the other fork in the road.

Your doctor gives you the bad news that you have an illness. This can be the time off that you need to re-center your life. Now you can get caught up on all the reading and television and videos that you have been too busy for. Now you can think about and do something about the foods you eat and supplements you have been meaning to take. You have time for your family. You have time to get your affairs in order. You have time to think about what is REALLY important. AND you don't have to do your hair and put on make-up every morning 'cause everybody expects you to look crummy.

Traffic. In the Greater LA area, traffic is probably one of the biggest stress creators. It doesn't need to be. Figure out where and when the traffic is heaviest and work around it. Learn that you need to get on the freeway before 3 or after 7 pm to go home from L A to the Inland Empire. If it is 3:15, forget it. There is no sense in hitting the freeway before 7 pm. When even with the best laid plans go astray and you are stuck in traffic anyway, be happy. Roll up the windows so that you are not breathing everybody's exhaust, pop in a books on tape or motivational speaker tape, and enjoy. You can earn the equivilent of a Ph.d listening to tapes while driving. If everybody else is really grouchy, and you are feeling wacko, you can employ a favorite stress-lifter-in-traffic-game. Keep a bag of wrapped candies in your car. When you get stuck, roll down the window and toss candies into the open windows of other cars.

Okay, your saying, "You are nothing but a PollyAnna. Where do you come up with this 'Positive thinking' stuff?" The best book written on stress reduction says, "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." If we keep our thoughts on these things, we will eliminate a lot of stress from our lives.

Okay, okay, cut out the pep talk and give specifics. Here is a rather strange breathing exercise that helps eliminate stress. With the thumb or finger, pinch one nostril closed. Breathe in deeply thru the open nostril. Slowly count 1,2,3,4,5,. Hold the breath, then release it thru your mouth as you silently count 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Close the other nostril and repeat.

Eating comfort foods helps reduce stress. Comfort foods include soup, pudding, bananas, mashed potatoes and other easy to eat, bland foods.

Getting sufficient exercise and eating properly are mandatory in controlling stress. A daily multi vitamin, extra B vitamins and special herb combinations for stress relief are available from your holistic health practitioner or massage therapist.

Massage is an all time favorite stress buster. The quiet atmosphere, the soft light, the soothing music, the scented oils invite you to relax. Your massage therapist's hands kneading and stroking the tension away in every tight muscle leads you to deep relaxation and perhaps even sleep.

If you are still reading and not asleep yet, heres's how you, as an employer, can save money and have happy employees. HELP REDUCE STRESS, HELP RELIEVE STRESS.

How much can you empower your workers? Before a project is assigned, determine that adequate training has been given. Is the support available, are materials at hand that will be needed? When responsibility is delegated, authority needs to be delegated also. If you really want to escalate stress and frustrate employees, give them the responsibility but not the authority to get the job done.

Keep employees happy with little perks. Remember that they are not working for money alone. Recognition, pride in a job well done, and other non-tangebles are also important. Show interest in what is happening in their personal lives. If there is extra stress at home, can the job at work lighten up a little until things smooth out? Happy employees do not file as many workers comp claims or take as many sick days as discontent employees do.

Keep employees healthy. Encourage exercise. Do you have a group rate available at a health club? If you have snacks available, provide juice and herb teas instead of just sodas and coffee; carrot sticks instead of cookies. Healthy employees work better.

Make massages available to your staff members. A gift certificate to a massage therapist or spa is a welcomed present. Contact the spa manager about corporate rates on bulk purchase of gift certificates. Have a massage therapist come to work to do "at the desk" neck and shoulder massages on your team members. Let the massage therapist bring his massage table to the plant and give massages to employees who have qualified for this special perk. Therapists live by the motto of "Have table, will travel." Check the credentials of the massage therapist that you use. Your best bet is to hire a therapist from a local spa or studio. Be sure that the therapist is certified, licensed, and carries professional liability insurance.

These ideas will decrease your absenteeism, decrease your workers comp. claims, increase productivity, and increase employee morale, satisfaction and retention. This plan costs you little, but adds up to big savings and bigger profits.