Workplace Stress: top cause of workplace sickness dubbed Black Death of 21st century!

According to an article in the UK DailyMail, stress has become the most common reason for a worker taking a leave of absence, a report reveals today. 

Experts said the psychological condition had become so widespread that it was the "21st century equivalent of the Black Death." 

Stress has even eclipsed stroke, heart attack, cancer and back problems, according to the report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Jill Miller, an adviser to the institute, says the report "highlights the heightened pressure many people feel under in the workplace as a result of the prolonged economic downturn."

Cary Cooper, the co-author of a recent book about stress, "The Science of Occupational Health," drew a distinction between pressure and stress. He says the former is "stimulating and motivating" but becomes stressful when "it exceeds your ability to cope with it." The example I often use is this: "Stress is the term applied to the point at which a bending pencil or twig snaps." 

Professor Cooper, who is based at the Lancaster University management school, said stress was signalled by changes in behavior. Typically, these include finding it difficult to focus, losing your sense of humour or losing your temper more quickly than normal. In later stages, stress can manifest itself in over-eating or under-eating as well as smoking or drinking to excess."

Cooper said, "Short periods of it are manageable, but it can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease or stomach and bowel problems, if it persists. Given the fact we are in a downturn, workers have an intrinsic job insecurity. There are fewer workers doing more work,’ added the professor. People are suffering from presenteeism [working long hours simply to impress the boss], which affects their home life. Stress is the 21st century equivalent of the Black Death." 

SICK, SICK OF WORKING, OR SICK FROM WORKING?

The most common causes of stress for workers are an excessive workload, the management style of a boss, restructuring in the workplace, and problems at home.

The CIPD report shows that a typical worker has 7.7 days off each year due to sickness, typically from minor illnesses such as colds, flu, stomach upsets, headaches and migraines. State workers, who make up one in five of the workforce, take two more sick days on average than private sector workers – 9.1 days compared with 7.1 days.

A separate report, from accountants KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, warns that the jobs market is set to nosedive. Bernard Brown, a partner at KPMG, said: "It is only a matter of time now before we move from a growth position to one of a contracting jobs market." 

According to the American Institute of Stress, job stress costs U.S. businesses “more than $300 billion annually due to increased absenteeism, employee turnover, diminished productivity, medical, legal and insurance expenses and Workers’ Compensation payments.” That’s ten times the cost of all strikes combined, the organization says.

Though there are no cookie-cutter methods for reducing workplace stress, a University of Michigan study revealed that employees would rather talk with a clergyman than a therapist or psychologist. I still marvel that, although many companies are reluctant to allow a Workplace Chaplain onto their campuses to serve the needs of their Employees - an act that is proven to reduce stress, increase loyalty, and reduce absenteeism - they don't hesitate to request Chaplaincy services during a disaster such as a stressed Employee who "goes postal" and murders a handful of coworkers before killing himself.

Could YOUR organization utilize the resource of a Workplace Chaplain? Whether it's a monthly visitation, or a quarterly in-service presentation, let me know if I can be of service to your personnel.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work (TCAW)