You may be aware that stress in the workplace has received an increasing amount of attention in recent years. According to a recent study by the Industrial Society, stress in the workplace is undermining performance and productivity in nine out of ten companies. Likewise, up to 60% of all absences from work are caused by stress. It is important for employers to recognize work-related stress as a significant health and safety issue. Work-related stress affects both physical and mental health. Consequently, stress in the lives of your employees affects the health of your organization, both medically and financially.

The cost of stress to your organization may show up as increased time off, high staff turnover, an increase in health related absences, reduced work performance, and more customer complaints. One person experiencing stress can produce stress in other staff members. Employers who don’t take stress seriously may leave themselves open to compensation claims from employees who have suffered ill health from work-related stress. Because stress is quickly becoming an occupational hazard within many organizations, employers are taking the necessary steps to alleviate as much on-the-job stress as possible.

For most people, their jobs or careers are the major source of stress in their lives. A Gallup poll found that 90% of participants were stressed at work at least once a week. Twenty-five percent said they were stressed at work on a daily basis. More than 44% of employees indicated that their workload was excessive and more than 46% of employees are worried about getting laid-off. Needless to say, there is stress in the workplace. This is an extremely overwhelming feeling of stress; more tension, more headaches, backaches, and neck-aches.

Research shows that more than 250,000 workdays are lost per year due to workplace stress. Job stress costs employers between 200 and 300 billion dollars a year. An estimated 60% to 80% of industrial accidents are stress related and more than 40% of job turnovers are due to job stress.

As an employer, an employee’s health and well-being is vital to the success of your organization. By keeping your employees healthy, you will keep your working environment healthy. Taking the necessary actions now to reduce stress can prove to be very cost effective for you and for your organization. By providing stress management or stress reduction solutions for the workplace, companies see the benefits in an overall increase in their bottom line, an increase in productivity and a decrease in absentees.