As long-term stress is linked to the top six causes of death in the world, it’s a fair statement that stress is the number one killer of health in the world; it’s also a distraction from productivity, a catalyst for the sort of sleepless night that leads to a lesser quality of work performance and an American epidemic.
So, why aren’t we doing more to stop it?
According to a Work Stress Survey reported on by The Huffington Post, a massive eight out of 10 Americans are stressed about their jobs. That was in 2013. This is no small news, as “occcupation stress increases the risk of heart attack…[and] can also accelerate the aging process and raise women’s risk of diabetes, according to other 2012 studies.”
Further research has shown that, in the workplace, we’re interrupted seven times an hour on average and have our minds on issues other than work for more than two hours of the day. From a business standpoint, these aren’t promising numbers. Thus, it makes sense to ask how can we identify and eradicate the causes.
According to multiple surveys, most people are stressed at work for one (or both) of the following reasons: a lacking salary in relation to responsibility and duties, and an overly high work load.
Given these facts, as well as the immense and frightening repercussions of the long-term effects of stress, the cleverest way for any business owner or authority to manage their staff would be to ensure they aren’t experiencing either of these worries. This thought is highly supported by reports by Harvard Business School, which cite that “previous research has shown that paying people more than they expect may elicit reciprocity in the form of greater effort or productivity.” It’s also true that when employees are given work loads they feel they can manage, they’re more likely to perform better overall.
For more in-depth information on the topic, check out this infographic by OfficeVibe.com:
This infographic was crafted with love by Officevibe, the employee engagement platform that reduces stress at work while showing the return on investment of a great organizational culture.
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