Top 10 Causes of Workplace Stress

According to CNN-Money.com, Americans spent more than $17 billion for anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs in 2002, up 10% from the year before and nearly 30% over a two year period.

The Institute for Management Excellence reports that American industry spends more than $26 billion each year for medical bills and disability payments with another $10 billion for executive's lost workdays, hospitalization, and early death.

While these trends might be caused by some who are simply intolerant to stressful situations, it should also be recognized that properly managed circumstances can reduce stress, maximize employee productivity, and improve the living conditions of everyone.

Out of control stress also costs companies through increased absenteeism, lack of enthusiasm for the job, poor performance, and bad attitudes. Improvements in each of these areas can bring improved productivity and increased profits.

To find out what is most stressful to employees, Bill Wilkerson, CEO of The Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, conducted a survey and reported the ten top sources.

Observing Yourself

It is impossible to go through life without feelings and thoughts. These feelings and thoughts affect your body and your mind and can bring you in various mental states, from elation to devastation.

However, as you mature, you also learn that nothing lasts: not elation, not devastation, and not anything in between. Feelings and thoughts come and go like the tides of a river. If your responses to emotions are like those of the majority of other human beings, you probably enjoy the feelings of elation and dread those of devastation. You may then have also learned that elation, devastation, and all in-between states can elicit behaviors in you that you would have avoided, were you in a more moderate state of mind.

Fortunately, there is a way to establish better balance in your life, in which neither elation nor devastation, nor any state in between, will derail your acts or your perspectives about what makes sense, and what not. That is the way of observation.

Control Stress or it Will Control Your Business

When we think about stress in the workplace, we usually refer to ulcers or heart conditions, but stress has a much broader impact. It is known that stress is linked to cancer, lung ailments, cirrhosis of the liver, immunity to common illnesses, back problems, and many other medical problems.

It is estimated that stress is the underlying factor in 75 - 90% of all physician visits.

We see the effects of stress in workplace absenteeism, accidents, health care costs, workers comp, quality problems, productivity, litigation, grievances, violence, customer service complaints, resistance to change, personnel turnover, and profits.

Workplace stress is costing your business thousands of dollars per year. Is stress a line item on your budget? Knowing how much you are spending on stress is a good place to start, but you must take responsibility for stress control and its impact on the bottom line.

High Stress Warning Signs

Military leaders are taught the symptoms of acute stress so they can treat the symptoms and keep soldiers on the front line. In the worst situations, the Army has experienced the loss of as many soldiers to stress as to combat wounds. In the best of conditions, the loss to stress has been one soldier for every ten wounded by the enemy.

Corporate leaders don't have the same concerns about losing employees to enemy fire. However, they do lose employees to stress. The loss comes in the form of absenteeism, medical problems associated with stress, lower productivity, accidents, and poor performance.

Employees react the same as soldiers do to sleep deprivation, physical discomfort, too much work, and trauma. Some people are more susceptible to stress, but even the most tolerant have some reaction to stressful events.

Relax, You’ll Know What You Need To Run Your Business

When I started my business, I didn't realize all of the things I didn't really know about running my own business. Between all of the government requirements and the accounting knowledge I started to wonder just what kind of "stupid pill" I'd swallowed! I didn't know what I thought I knew, about the business of business. Whew!…what a shocker!

That was years ago and looking back, shivers still run up and down my spine. The good news was, I wasn't alone and in reality most of us go through the same thing. Not that it makes any of us feel any better at the time, but it is a part of the learning "dues" that most likely will be paid.

It's interesting but even though there is still new and unknowns facing all business people each day, we seem to handle it better as our business acumen matures.

3 Kinds of Workplace Stress

Workers across America will tell you that stress levels are increasing. The demand for anti-depressants is up. Doctor's visits are increasing. Stress-related ailments are shooting up like a rocket.

There are many stressors behind all these problems, but the gurus generally classify the stress itself into three categories. Understanding the major types is the first step to controlling stress and improving productivity.

1. Acute Stress. This kind of stress is caused by recent events. It is significant but temporary. Small doses can result in positive reactions: the adrenalin rush and feelings of elation can motivate achievement. Too much, too often results in headaches, backaches, upset stomach, and other tension-related responses.

Your One Minute Mental Vacation

Do you find yourself stressed out doing all the marketing things you need?

How would you like to take a one-minute vacation? Do you think it can help you cope with your challenges each day?

Are you worried about sales, taxes, competition and your work schedule?

Here is an excellent exercise to help you cope with your workday.

Try it every morning.