Better Managing Tips

The Real Cost Of Stress

January 5th, 2010 | Author: Andrew Bailey

We are at that time of year where stress can be a major problem for a lot of us. The real cost of stress in the workplace can be measured in dollars. In the US, it has been reported that workplace stress costs the nation more than $300 billion each year in health care and missed work. This cost of stress price tag is made up from accidents, absenteeism, employee turnover, diminished productivity, direct medical, legal, and insurance costs and workers’ compensation awards. Workplace stress can come from many avenues but a major one apart from increasing credit card debt and the usual post christmas debt etc, is finding yourself unemloyed at the worst time of year.

There are some signs you should watch out for if you think you are feeling stress at work. The major ones are:

1.Frequent headaches, jaw clenching or pain		26. Insomnia, nightmares, disturbing dreams
2. Gritting, grinding teeth		27. Difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts
3. Stuttering or stammering		28. Trouble learning new information
4. Tremors, trembling of lips, hands		29. Forgetfulness, disorganization, confusion
5. Neck ache, back pain, muscle spasms		30. Difficulty in making decisions.
6. Light headedness, faintness, dizziness		31. Feeling overloaded or overwhelmed.
7. Ringing, buzzing or “popping sounds		32. Frequent crying spells or suicidal thoughts
8. Frequent blushing, sweating		33. Feelings of loneliness or worthlessness
9. Cold or sweaty hands, feet		34. Little interest in appearance, punctuality
10. Dry mouth, problems swallowing		35. Nervous habits, fidgeting, feet tapping
11. Frequent colds, infections, herpes sores		36. Increased frustration, irritability, edginess
12. Rashes, itching, hives, “goose bumps”		37. Overreaction to petty annoyances
13. Unexplained or frequent “allergy” attacks		38. Increased number of minor accidents
14. Heartburn, stomach pain, nausea		39. Obsessive or compulsive behavior
15. Excess belching, flatulence		40. Reduced work efficiency or productivity
16. Constipation, diarrhea		41. Lies or excuses to cover up poor work
17. Difficulty breathing, sighing		42. Rapid or mumbled speech
18. Sudden attacks of panic		43. Excessive defensiveness or suspiciousness
19. Chest pain, palpitations		44. Problems in communication, sharing
20. Frequent urination		45. Social withdrawal and isolation
21. Poor sexual desire or performance		46. Constant tiredness, weakness, fatigue
22. Excess anxiety, worry, guilt, nervousness		47. Frequent use of over-the-counter drugs
23. Increased anger, frustration, hostility		48. Weight gain or loss without diet
24. Depression, frequent or wild mood swings		49. Increased smoking, alcohol or drug use
25. Increased or decreased appetite		50. Excessive gambling or impulse buying Source: http://www.http://www.stress.org

Tackling the cost of stress in the workplace should be the concern of every manager in the company. Management should take some responsibility in this area. If you can identify the sources of stress to your workers, you can limit the amount of money it’s going to cost your company in wasted sick leave, time off work payments and the worst one of the lot, workers compensation payments. Stress reduction should be a goal this year for every company and if you as a responsible manager take the lead in this, your upper management will thank you for it. While you cannot eliminate stress in the workplace altogether, there is a lot you can do to minimize its impact on your company.

Tweet This Post

Posted in Management Articles For Managers | Tags: cost of stress, stress, stress in the workplace, workplace stress

No Responses to “The Real Cost Of Stress”

Telephone Number Search says:

June 4, 2010 at 12:48 pm

As a Newbie, I am continually searching on the internet for articles that can support me. Thank you

sweaty feet says:

June 3, 2010 at 4:44 pm

Please, can you PM me and tell me few a lot more thinks about this, I am really fan of your blog…

contested divorce says:

May 27, 2010 at 3:52 pm

Hey – nice blog, just looking around some blogs, seems a pretty nice platform you are using. I’m currently using WordPress for a few of my sites but looking to change one of them over to a platform similar to yours as a trial run. Anything in particular you would recommend about it?

webhosting berkualitas says:

May 25, 2010 at 11:05 pm

I just cant stop reading this. Its so cool, so full of information that I just didnt know. Im glad to see that people are actually writing about this issue in such a smart way, showing us all different sides to it. Youre a great blogger. Please keep it up. I cant wait to read whats next.

landing page template says:

May 23, 2010 at 7:58 am

While this subject can be very touchy for most people, my opinion is that there has to be a middle or common ground that we all can find. I do appreciate that youve added relevant and intelligent commentary here though. Thank you!

splitz bowling says:

May 18, 2010 at 10:57 am

Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.

minisite designer says:

May 15, 2010 at 7:40 pm

Wow, very interesting article. It’s funny how history can be twisted in so many different ways. These photos certainly give us clues, but I guess we’ll never know the true story. . . .