{"id":90,"date":"2019-03-15T21:34:42","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T21:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/mgmt805\/chapter\/workplace-stress-management\/"},"modified":"2023-03-24T15:13:06","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T15:13:06","slug":"workplace-stress-management","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/mgmt805\/chapter\/workplace-stress-management\/","title":{"raw":"7.3 Workplace Stress Management","rendered":"7.3 Workplace Stress Management"},"content":{"raw":"<h2>What you'll learn to do:\u00a0Describe how theories and concepts around work\u2013life balance affect notions of workplace stress management<\/h2>\nHow much stress is good stress? As we discussed earlier, a certain amount of stress is expected and motivating for an individual. Set goals should be challenging and incent the employee to work a little harder. That\u2019s good stress. But when they become intimidating, that\u2019s too much stress. That\u2019s when things start to fall apart.\n\nBack in 1908, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson developed a theory about stress and performance. They proposed an \u201cinverted-U\u201d relationship between arousal and performance, crediting heightened states of arousal with optimum performance. At a certain point, that performance takes a turn for the worse, with anxiety, illness and breakdown setting in.\n\nThe theory is popular and somewhat intuitive, even if there isn\u2019t a lot of empirical support for it. But for the purposes of this, it illustrates the manager\u2019s quandary: what\u2019s the right amount of challenging, \u201cgood\u201d stress for her employees?\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-122\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/15213337\/HebbianYerkesDodson-1024x582.png\" alt=\"Diagram of Yerkes and Dodson's proposed relationship between arousal and performance. It indicates that performance is strongest at a mid point of arousal. When arousal is low, workers are not yet interested enough to perform optimally. When arousal is too high, workers have impaired performance because of strong anxiety. \" width=\"651\" height=\"370\">\n\nSetting the right level of goals, making sure the job design is balanced and that work environments are supportive and encouraging\u2014these are some of the challenges managers face daily in order to control stress in the workplace. They can also provide the employee with healthy choices to manage her own stress levels via programs and benefits that encourage self-care.\n\nIt\u2019s all about work\u2013life balance: the balance an individual needs between time allocated to work and time allocated to family and personal life.\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n \t<li>Discuss individual approaches to stress management<\/li>\n \t<li>Discuss job design and other managerial approaches to stress management<\/li>\n \t<li>Discuss wellness programs as an organizational approach to stress management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Individual Approaches to Stress Management<\/h2>\nIt would seem as though successful people have somehow learned how to beat stress and win at the game of life. While some crumble and fall under the demands and conditions of the workplace, others seem to thrive and make those pressures work for them. How do they do it?\n\nThe internet is primed and ready with hundreds of articles that advise today\u2019s worker on how to find success with work-life balance. \u201cWrite a personal mission statement to clarify priorities,\u201d one article preached. Another said, \u201cLook for progress instead of perfection.\u201d All of them are easier said than done.\n\nManagerial studies have found that individuals who manage their time wisely, engage in physical activities and protect down\/family time are the most successful at managing stress and creating an optimal work-life balance. Let\u2019s take a look at each of these suggestions.\n<h3>Time Management<\/h3>\n\u201cIf I had four hours to chop down a tree, I\u2019d spend the first two hours sharpening the axe.\u201d This quote is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln and, whether he said it or not, it speaks to the essence of time management. Time management is the ability to use your time effectively and productively at work, the ability to create a schedule and plan your time to accomplish goals. Sharpen your metaphorical axe by setting aside uninterrupted time and make sure the tools to do the job are at your fingertips, and you\u2019ll be working smarter, not harder.\n\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-254\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22202503\/organizer-791939_1920.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of an open planner\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\">There\u2019s no shortage of time management training out there, and the basic principles of most of them include\n<ul>\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Creating daily list of tasks to be accomplished<\/li>\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prioritizing those tasks<\/li>\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Schedule time to complete those tasks based on the priority assigned, and<\/li>\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tackle the most difficult tasks during the time of day when you\u2019re most alert<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nCreating lists, prioritizing and scheduling are like sharpening that axe, and tackling them is akin to chopping down the tree.\n\nTime management experts suggest learning to say no to tasks, and finding ways to eliminate low-priority trivial tasks from your to-dos. Flexibility is also a fairly common suggestion in modern time management training, given that so much of an employee\u2019s work day is unpredictable. Time management experts suggest planning fifty percent of your day carefully, and leaving the other half open for unplanned \u201cemergencies\u201d as they come up.\n\nFinally, time management experts suggest that workers reward themselves for completing the tasks on their list. Rewards are a great motivator (as we learned in Module 6: Motivation in the Workplace!).\n<h3>Physical Activity<\/h3>\nVirtually any form of exercise can act as a stress reliever, even if you\u2019re not an athlete, even if you\u2019re not really in good athletic shape. Yoga, aerobics, a game of tennis, or even a simple walk with friends or family can provide stress release and should be a part of an individual\u2019s stress management plan.\n\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-252\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22201916\/carly-rae-hobbins-334386-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of a young father walking down the beach holding his young daughter's hand. She is holding a baby doll.\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\">Exercise of any kind releases endorphins, which are the feel-good transmitters in your brain that make you happy. If you\u2019ve heard of a \u201crunner\u2019s high,\u201d that\u2019s exactly the endorphin release to which we\u2019re referring. Individuals responding to stressors aren\u2019t experiencing too many endorphins, and exercise can help put them back into action.\n\nExercise can also provide an opportunity to refocus. An individual engaging in a game of racquetball, or running to beat a personal best time, becomes focused on the goal of the athletic effort, on the movements of his body and his athletic performance. This redirection of focus from stressors is a benefit.\n\nSleep is often disrupted by anxiety and stress, and regular exercise will improve an individual\u2019s ability to get a good night\u2019s sleep. It also improves an individual\u2019s mood. Any individual looking to add exercise to his or her daily regimen should consult with a physician first, and, once given the green light, should make it a part of a weekly routine.\n<h3>Relaxation Techniques<\/h3>\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-253\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22202245\/sharon-mccutcheon-526809-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of three lit candles.\" width=\"300\" height=\"451\">Individuals can often get a little closer to work-life balance by practicing any of a variety of relaxation techniques. Some relaxation techniques are practiced forms of meditation, and others are simply diversions that take the mind off stress. Consider the following practices:\n<ul>\n \t<li><strong>Autogenic relaxation.<\/strong> In this technique, one uses visual imagery and body awareness to relax, often by imagining yourself in a peaceful setting and then consciously relaxing your breathing, your limbs, and your body, a little at a time.<\/li>\n \t<li><strong>Visualization.<\/strong> Individuals exercising this technique use as many of their senses as they can in order to put themselves in a relaxing scene. For instance, if one is imagining the beach, the smell of salt water and the sound of crashing waves help create the visualization.<\/li>\n \t<li><strong>Progressive muscle relaxation.<\/strong> An individual will slowly tense and then relax each muscle group in this relaxation technique, starting with the toes and working upward throughout the body.<\/li>\n \t<li><strong>Tai chi.<\/strong> Tai chi is a self-defense technique that\u2019s developed into a gentle exercise that promotes good mental health and stress release using the concept of yin and yang. It\u2019s often described as \u201cmeditation in motion.\u201d<\/li>\n \t<li><strong>Meditation.<\/strong> Individuals use this practice to achieve a mental calmness and clarity by focusing their mind on a particular thought, object or activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe list goes on, and you get the general idea: relaxation techniques support a level of calmness by changing focus to something other than the stressor. But one doesn\u2019t need to zone out in a dark room in order to achieve that change of focus those relaxation techniques. A good laugh courtesy of your favorite sit-com, playing a musical instrument, dancing to loud music, or knitting might be closer to your idea of stress release.\n<h3>Protecting Down Time\/Time with Family<\/h3>\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-255\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22202819\/gift-habeshaw-514909-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of a two young families. A mother and father hold their young daughter. Two fathers sit by their two children.\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\">Here are some statistics you might find all too familiar: According to a 2016 study by the Academy of Management, employees bring home an average of eight hours of work a week. The American Psychological Association discovered that 30% of men and 23% of women regularly bring work home, and similar numbers of people admitted to working on vacation and bringing work on social outings.\n\nTechnology seems to demand that individuals be \u201con\u201d 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but an employee can\u2019t protect work-life balance when that\u2019s a looming expectation. The good news is that employees can leverage technology in their favor as well. Google Calendar now features a function that automatically rejects requests for meeting and calls outside of the user\u2019s established work hours. Apple has created a VIP inbox that alerts you when messages from prioritized sources\u2014your spouse, your kids, the CEO\u2014have arrived, and lets Bob in the mailroom wait until you\u2019re available.\n\nSimilarly, mobile carriers now have programs where you can designate blackout times, allowing you to completely shut off at dinner time, on weekends, or whenever you choose. And individuals should remember that they can just choose to turn off their mobile devices. The email messages will be waiting when they return.\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/13949\n\n<\/div>\nManagers should be aware of individual stress relief practices, not only for their own well being, but for the well being of their staff. Allowing or encouraging individuals (or groups) to practice a small amount of stress relief during working hours, maybe in the form of lunchtime yoga or a financial management class, can save countless dollars and improve engagement and activity.\n<h2>Managerial Approaches to Stress Management<\/h2>\nWhen we talked about individuals exercising time management techniques as a way of achieving a better work-life balance, we mentioned flexibility and the ability to allocate 50% of their day to the unpredictable, unplanned part of their days. Could managers be stepping in and proactively addressing those 20 hours of a worker\u2019s week that are made up of unplanned emergencies?\n\nIn her 2015 article<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2015\/04\/time-management-training-doesnt-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> \u201cTime Management Training Doesn\u2019t Work,\u201d<\/a> for <em>Harvard Business Review<\/em>, productivity expert Maura Thomas suggests that an employee\u2019s problem is not just getting distracted from work but getting distracted from work by other work. Workers are sitting down to thoughtful tasks and being lured away by client emails, experiencing a new interruption every few minutes and working at a frantic pace. \u201cManaging your time\u201d used to be synonymous with \u201cmanaging your attention,\u201d but the workplace doesn\u2019t function like that anymore. Time management training needs to change with the times.\n\nThomas suggests that, rather than training individuals on time management techniques, managers should spend more time on clarity around role priorities rather than specific task priorities.\n\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-257\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22204151\/book-3937486_1920.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of someone writing in a planner. One side has a lightbulb drawn on it. The other has a chart showing different people and how they'll interact in a project.\" width=\"400\" height=\"350\">When managers can make clear to an employee what the expectations of his role are and how they match up with the priorities of the company, the employee can gain a new clarity on how to prioritize incoming work. Job design, its initial conception and its constant evaluation, are important in managing workplace stress.\n\nAs we discussed in Module 6: Motivation in the Workplace, job design is key in motivating employees. Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback are all components that should be considered when designing a job, no matter how complicated or repetitive the job might be. Job design should reinforce the effort-to-performance link on the expectancy framework.\n\nIf job design provides the challenge that motivates an employee, it can also tip the scales toward stress. Managers can reevaluate job design to ensure that expectations for the role don\u2019t exceed the employee\u2019s abilities. They can, as Thomas pointed out above, also reduce role ambiguity by aligning employees around company objectives and helping them prioritize need-to-do tasks over day-to-day minutiae.\n\nWhile certain jobs are more stressful than others\u2014consider an air traffic controller\u2019s daily stress versus that of a clerical worker\u2014individual responses to stress are also very specific to an employee\u2019s personality. Managers should take into consideration how an individual might adapt to a high-stress role during the selection and placement process. Does this person have a strong internal locus of control? Previous experience is often a good indicator of a potential employee\u2019s suitability.\n\nAnother motivating factor for employees is goal-setting. Individuals should have specific, measurable goals that they can achieve if they stretch themselves. Managers should take care that they\u2019re achieving good, and not bad, levels of stress when working with employees to set goals. Goals that tie into company objectives work to clarify role responsibilities, and managers who review their employees\u2019 progress can protect them from demotivation and stress.\n\nFinally, there\u2019s the managerial option of job redesign to help with stress management. Redesigning jobs to make them richer for the employees can alleviate stress and add new motivation. A job redesign that gives the team member more responsibility, more say in decisions that involve them, and more meaningful work can give an employee more control over work activities and lessen his reliance on others.\n\nBut what about the effects of an organization\u2019s culture on stress levels? Some organizations expect an employee to put in far more than the standard 40 hours of work in a week. Employees feel an increasing need to stay connected to email and voice mail when not in the office, and often their managers expect to be able to contact them by phone or text well after working hours. International companies expect employees to navigate time differences, and employees in the US find themselves staying at work late or coming in early to have necessary conversations with Europe and Asia.\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Learn More: Eric Garton<\/h3>\nThe Harvard Business Review featured an article written by Eric Garton, author of <em>Time, Talent, Energy: Overcome Organizational Drag and Unleash Your Team\u2019s Productive Power<\/em>. In<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/04\/employee-burnout-is-a-problem-with-the-company-not-the-person\"> \u201cEmployee Burnout is a Problem with the Company, not the Person,\u201d<\/a> Garton cited a couple of burnout-inducing practices that are driven by an organization\u2019s culture:\n<h4>Excessive collaboration<\/h4>\nGarton cites this as a \u201ccommon ailment in organizations with too many decision makers and too many decision-making nodes.\u201d This flaw in organizational structure and culture leads to too many meetings and phone calls trying to align every possible stakeholder around a particular decision. This issue leads to \u201ctask switching\u201d which, unlike multi-tasking, requires an employee to switch to a new task while in the middle of another, costing time and energy and resulting in additional stress.\n\nThe solution to excessive collaboration, Garton suggests, is an adjustment of organizational structure and \u201cnodes,\u201d which are the intersections of an organizational structure where a decision maker sits. Too many nodes is a sign of unnecessary organizational complexity, which slow down the decision making processes.\n<h4>Weak time-management skills<\/h4>\nWhile we discussed Maura Thomas\u2019 theory that the modern workday has outgrown time management training above, both she and Garton agree that individuals are too often left on their own to figure out how to manage their time. Tools now exist that can help managers understand where their teams are spending too much time on meetings and collaboration, too little time on productive activities and entirely too much time on answering emails.\n<h4>Overloading the most capable workers<\/h4>\nThis isn\u2019t a new phenomenon, but as workloads seem to multiply, managers will continue to look to their best and brightest team members to help them keep up. Garton pointed out that, while average managers lose a day of their workweek to electronic communications and two days to meetings, highly talented managers suffer much more because their knowledge and success earns them a larger workload. Those same tools that help managers understand where their teams are wasting time can also help them see who is taking on a bigger piece of the team\u2019s burden.\n\n<\/div>\nA manager can have a positive effect on his employees\u2019 stress levels and work\/life balance by manipulating job design and understanding the effects of an organization\u2019s culture on job demands.\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/13950\n\n<\/div>\n<h2>Organizational Approaches to Stress Management<\/h2>\nIn addition to careful job design and managing stifling company cultures, organizations are taking steps to help employees battle stress by offering programs, benefits and office \u201cperks\u201d that allow workers to make choices about managing stress as it best suits their needs.\n\nWe learned earlier that healthcare is an expensive endeavor for employers these days, and smaller, privately held companies are looking for clever benefit package designs that reduce an organization\u2019s costs without costing the employee too much more. Stress and stress-related illness has a significant impact on healthcare costs, given annual costs for those stress-related health issues could be anywhere from $125 to $190 billion.\n\nIt\u2019s not unusual for a company to offer their employees smoking cessation programs or asthma management programs to help keep healthcare costs in check. Now employers are looking to implement other wellness programs, knowing that stress-related health issues are a driving the cost of medical benefits. In fact, health care providers are starting to support these client endeavors, too, recognizing the need to cut spending however they can.\n\nWellness programs are organizational efforts to help employees improve their health and mental well-being by offering company-sponsored exercise, weight-loss competitions, health screenings and more. Some companies are looking at a more holistic view of stress release by concentrating not just on employee physical health, but also offering financial management classes and opportunities to give back to the community.\n\nNationwide, companies are seeing the benefits of offering their employees wellness programs. As you can see from the graph below, 91% of all large companies (with more than 10,000 employees) offer some type of wellness program. They\u2019re a cost effective solution to a very expensive problem. Furthermore, as shown in the second graph below, a majority of employees are open to participating in them. Wellness programs are a win-win for companies and their employees.\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-126 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/15214035\/WellnessOffer.png\" alt=\"Chart indicating the amount of companies that offer wellness programs. 39 percent of employers with 50 to 100 employees offer wellness programs. 62 percent of employers with 101 to 1,000 employees offer wellness programs. 85 percent of employers with 1,001 to 10,000 employees offer wellness programs. 86 percent of employers with 10,001 to 50,000 employees offer wellness programs.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"510\">\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-127 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/15214054\/WellnessEmployees.png\" alt=\"Chart indicating what employees think of wellness programs. 69 percent of employees would join an optional wellness program. 65 percent of employees say its fair to reduce premiums through a wellness program. 45 percent of employees say wellness programs encourage them to stay at a company. 35 percent of employees say they'd be more loyal if their company had a wellness program. 28 percent of employees are willing to change lifestyle habits to lower insurance premiums.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"660\">\n\nNow, some employers offer these types of programs and then get in the way of their effectiveness. In Joel Goh\u2019s study, he pointed out that, while US employers recognize that stress leads to costly health issues and put programs in place to combat them, those same employers sometimes undermine those programs with stress-inducing employment practices. These programs don\u2019t work if the employee is too stressed and overloaded with work to participate!\n\nSome younger companies are going the extra mile to incorporate wellness into their culture and work environment. Google and Apple are headliners among organizations that offer their employees multiple choices in stress-burning activities throughout the day\u2014like ping-pong tables, foosball, bowling alleys\u2014and other perks that allow their employees to eliminate stress from their lives, such as free meals and free rides to work. Masseuses, available for booking during work hours, and family-room like areas where employees can relax and put up their feet go a long way toward employee stress relief and comfort. These are great examples of companies taking a cue from the ways individuals pursue stress release and making some of those methods available in the workplace.\n\nCompanies can incorporate stress release into their benefits packages in other ways as well. Companies offering a nice paid-time-off package that features use-it-or-lose-it vacation time encourages their employees to step away from the office and enjoy time with their families. Discounted gym memberships can encourage employees to stay physically fit, and companies are starting to offer easy, direct-deposit college savings plans so that employees can more easily provide for the education of their offspring. Some companies have gone as far as providing on-site day care for employees, making child care convenient and cost-effective. Other companies have a dogs-allowed policy at the office, where people can bring in their pets and combat stressful situations with a furry hug.\n\nFinally, mental health is an ever-present issue in today\u2019s society, and employers offer employee assistant programs (EAPs) for those employees who are struggling with issues at work or in their personal lives. Employee assistance programs offer short-term, confidential counseling to employees, complete with referrals, free assessments and follow up services. Where wellness programs and company benefits can\u2019t address mental health and wellbeing, employee assistance programs step in and make it easier for struggling workers to find help.\n\nThese wellness programs and benefits offerings are companies\u2019 responses to the individual needs of their employees and their ongoing quest for work\/life balance. Not only do they foster excellent perception that they care about their employees, but they also address the very costly issue of stress in the workplace.\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/13951\n\n<\/div>\n<h2>Managing Stress<\/h2>\nNow that we've learned about different approaches to stress management, let's take a moment to see how these approaches might play out in the workplace.\n\n<hr>\n\n<div id=\"citation-list-108\">\n<div class=\"licensing\">\n<div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div>\n<ul class=\"citation-list\">\n \t<li>What is Stress?. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Freedom Learning Group. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n \t<li>Individual Approaches to Stress Management. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Freedom Learning Group. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n \t<li>Managerial Approaches to Stress Management. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Freedom Learning Group. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n \t<li>Organizational Approaches to Stress Management. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Freedom Learning Group. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n \t<li>Image: How Many Companies Offer Wellness Programs?. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n \t<li>Image: What Do Employees Think of Wellness Programs?. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Specific attribution<\/div>\n<ul class=\"citation-list\">\n \t<li>Untitled. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: 1388843. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Pixabay. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/people-emotion-dramatic-female-1492052\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/people-emotion-dramatic-female-1492052\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Pixabay License<\/li>\n \t<li>Organizer Calendar. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Karolina Grabowska. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Pixabay. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/organizer-calendar-schedule-791939\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/organizer-calendar-schedule-791939\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Pixabay License<\/li>\n \t<li>Beach vibes. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Carly Rae Hobbins. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Unsplash. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/M44ppvVbnEQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/M44ppvVbnEQ<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Unsplash License<\/li>\n \t<li>Three Lit Candles. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Sharon McCutcheon. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Unsplash. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/HMh33olHauI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/HMh33olHauI<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Unsplash License<\/li>\n \t<li>Untitled. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Gift Habeshaw. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Unsplash. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/44XRowmXF24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/44XRowmXF24<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Unsplash License<\/li>\n \t<li>Untitled. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: rawpixel. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Pixabay. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/book-business-creativity-ideas-3937486\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/book-business-creativity-ideas-3937486\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Pixabay License<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">All rights reserved content<\/div>\n<ul class=\"citation-list\">\n \t<li>Burnout on the Job Is on the Rise. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Wall Street Journal. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QsD91tX_piA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/QsD91tX_piA<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standand YouTube License<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"citation-list-112\">\n<div class=\"licensing\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","rendered":"<h2>What you&#8217;ll learn to do:\u00a0Describe how theories and concepts around work\u2013life balance affect notions of workplace stress management<\/h2>\n<p>How much stress is good stress? As we discussed earlier, a certain amount of stress is expected and motivating for an individual. Set goals should be challenging and incent the employee to work a little harder. That\u2019s good stress. But when they become intimidating, that\u2019s too much stress. That\u2019s when things start to fall apart.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 1908, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson developed a theory about stress and performance. They proposed an \u201cinverted-U\u201d relationship between arousal and performance, crediting heightened states of arousal with optimum performance. At a certain point, that performance takes a turn for the worse, with anxiety, illness and breakdown setting in.<\/p>\n<p>The theory is popular and somewhat intuitive, even if there isn\u2019t a lot of empirical support for it. But for the purposes of this, it illustrates the manager\u2019s quandary: what\u2019s the right amount of challenging, \u201cgood\u201d stress for her employees?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-122\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/15213337\/HebbianYerkesDodson-1024x582.png\" alt=\"Diagram of Yerkes and Dodson's proposed relationship between arousal and performance. It indicates that performance is strongest at a mid point of arousal. When arousal is low, workers are not yet interested enough to perform optimally. When arousal is too high, workers have impaired performance because of strong anxiety.\" width=\"651\" height=\"370\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Setting the right level of goals, making sure the job design is balanced and that work environments are supportive and encouraging\u2014these are some of the challenges managers face daily in order to control stress in the workplace. They can also provide the employee with healthy choices to manage her own stress levels via programs and benefits that encourage self-care.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all about work\u2013life balance: the balance an individual needs between time allocated to work and time allocated to family and personal life.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Discuss individual approaches to stress management<\/li>\n<li>Discuss job design and other managerial approaches to stress management<\/li>\n<li>Discuss wellness programs as an organizational approach to stress management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Individual Approaches to Stress Management<\/h2>\n<p>It would seem as though successful people have somehow learned how to beat stress and win at the game of life. While some crumble and fall under the demands and conditions of the workplace, others seem to thrive and make those pressures work for them. How do they do it?<\/p>\n<p>The internet is primed and ready with hundreds of articles that advise today\u2019s worker on how to find success with work-life balance. \u201cWrite a personal mission statement to clarify priorities,\u201d one article preached. Another said, \u201cLook for progress instead of perfection.\u201d All of them are easier said than done.<\/p>\n<p>Managerial studies have found that individuals who manage their time wisely, engage in physical activities and protect down\/family time are the most successful at managing stress and creating an optimal work-life balance. Let\u2019s take a look at each of these suggestions.<\/p>\n<h3>Time Management<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cIf I had four hours to chop down a tree, I\u2019d spend the first two hours sharpening the axe.\u201d This quote is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln and, whether he said it or not, it speaks to the essence of time management. Time management is the ability to use your time effectively and productively at work, the ability to create a schedule and plan your time to accomplish goals. Sharpen your metaphorical axe by setting aside uninterrupted time and make sure the tools to do the job are at your fingertips, and you\u2019ll be working smarter, not harder.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-254\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22202503\/organizer-791939_1920.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of an open planner\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" \/>There\u2019s no shortage of time management training out there, and the basic principles of most of them include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Creating daily list of tasks to be accomplished<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prioritizing those tasks<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Schedule time to complete those tasks based on the priority assigned, and<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tackle the most difficult tasks during the time of day when you\u2019re most alert<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Creating lists, prioritizing and scheduling are like sharpening that axe, and tackling them is akin to chopping down the tree.<\/p>\n<p>Time management experts suggest learning to say no to tasks, and finding ways to eliminate low-priority trivial tasks from your to-dos. Flexibility is also a fairly common suggestion in modern time management training, given that so much of an employee\u2019s work day is unpredictable. Time management experts suggest planning fifty percent of your day carefully, and leaving the other half open for unplanned \u201cemergencies\u201d as they come up.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, time management experts suggest that workers reward themselves for completing the tasks on their list. Rewards are a great motivator (as we learned in Module 6: Motivation in the Workplace!).<\/p>\n<h3>Physical Activity<\/h3>\n<p>Virtually any form of exercise can act as a stress reliever, even if you\u2019re not an athlete, even if you\u2019re not really in good athletic shape. Yoga, aerobics, a game of tennis, or even a simple walk with friends or family can provide stress release and should be a part of an individual\u2019s stress management plan.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-252\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22201916\/carly-rae-hobbins-334386-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of a young father walking down the beach holding his young daughter's hand. She is holding a baby doll.\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" \/>Exercise of any kind releases endorphins, which are the feel-good transmitters in your brain that make you happy. If you\u2019ve heard of a \u201crunner\u2019s high,\u201d that\u2019s exactly the endorphin release to which we\u2019re referring. Individuals responding to stressors aren\u2019t experiencing too many endorphins, and exercise can help put them back into action.<\/p>\n<p>Exercise can also provide an opportunity to refocus. An individual engaging in a game of racquetball, or running to beat a personal best time, becomes focused on the goal of the athletic effort, on the movements of his body and his athletic performance. This redirection of focus from stressors is a benefit.<\/p>\n<p>Sleep is often disrupted by anxiety and stress, and regular exercise will improve an individual\u2019s ability to get a good night\u2019s sleep. It also improves an individual\u2019s mood. Any individual looking to add exercise to his or her daily regimen should consult with a physician first, and, once given the green light, should make it a part of a weekly routine.<\/p>\n<h3>Relaxation Techniques<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-253\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22202245\/sharon-mccutcheon-526809-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of three lit candles.\" width=\"300\" height=\"451\" \/>Individuals can often get a little closer to work-life balance by practicing any of a variety of relaxation techniques. Some relaxation techniques are practiced forms of meditation, and others are simply diversions that take the mind off stress. Consider the following practices:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Autogenic relaxation.<\/strong> In this technique, one uses visual imagery and body awareness to relax, often by imagining yourself in a peaceful setting and then consciously relaxing your breathing, your limbs, and your body, a little at a time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Visualization.<\/strong> Individuals exercising this technique use as many of their senses as they can in order to put themselves in a relaxing scene. For instance, if one is imagining the beach, the smell of salt water and the sound of crashing waves help create the visualization.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Progressive muscle relaxation.<\/strong> An individual will slowly tense and then relax each muscle group in this relaxation technique, starting with the toes and working upward throughout the body.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tai chi.<\/strong> Tai chi is a self-defense technique that\u2019s developed into a gentle exercise that promotes good mental health and stress release using the concept of yin and yang. It\u2019s often described as \u201cmeditation in motion.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Meditation.<\/strong> Individuals use this practice to achieve a mental calmness and clarity by focusing their mind on a particular thought, object or activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The list goes on, and you get the general idea: relaxation techniques support a level of calmness by changing focus to something other than the stressor. But one doesn\u2019t need to zone out in a dark room in order to achieve that change of focus those relaxation techniques. A good laugh courtesy of your favorite sit-com, playing a musical instrument, dancing to loud music, or knitting might be closer to your idea of stress release.<\/p>\n<h3>Protecting Down Time\/Time with Family<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-255\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22202819\/gift-habeshaw-514909-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of a two young families. A mother and father hold their young daughter. Two fathers sit by their two children.\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" \/>Here are some statistics you might find all too familiar: According to a 2016 study by the Academy of Management, employees bring home an average of eight hours of work a week. The American Psychological Association discovered that 30% of men and 23% of women regularly bring work home, and similar numbers of people admitted to working on vacation and bringing work on social outings.<\/p>\n<p>Technology seems to demand that individuals be \u201con\u201d 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but an employee can\u2019t protect work-life balance when that\u2019s a looming expectation. The good news is that employees can leverage technology in their favor as well. Google Calendar now features a function that automatically rejects requests for meeting and calls outside of the user\u2019s established work hours. Apple has created a VIP inbox that alerts you when messages from prioritized sources\u2014your spouse, your kids, the CEO\u2014have arrived, and lets Bob in the mailroom wait until you\u2019re available.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, mobile carriers now have programs where you can designate blackout times, allowing you to completely shut off at dinner time, on weekends, or whenever you choose. And individuals should remember that they can just choose to turn off their mobile devices. The email messages will be waiting when they return.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\n<p>https:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/13949<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Managers should be aware of individual stress relief practices, not only for their own well being, but for the well being of their staff. Allowing or encouraging individuals (or groups) to practice a small amount of stress relief during working hours, maybe in the form of lunchtime yoga or a financial management class, can save countless dollars and improve engagement and activity.<\/p>\n<h2>Managerial Approaches to Stress Management<\/h2>\n<p>When we talked about individuals exercising time management techniques as a way of achieving a better work-life balance, we mentioned flexibility and the ability to allocate 50% of their day to the unpredictable, unplanned part of their days. Could managers be stepping in and proactively addressing those 20 hours of a worker\u2019s week that are made up of unplanned emergencies?<\/p>\n<p>In her 2015 article<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2015\/04\/time-management-training-doesnt-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> \u201cTime Management Training Doesn\u2019t Work,\u201d<\/a> for <em>Harvard Business Review<\/em>, productivity expert Maura Thomas suggests that an employee\u2019s problem is not just getting distracted from work but getting distracted from work by other work. Workers are sitting down to thoughtful tasks and being lured away by client emails, experiencing a new interruption every few minutes and working at a frantic pace. \u201cManaging your time\u201d used to be synonymous with \u201cmanaging your attention,\u201d but the workplace doesn\u2019t function like that anymore. Time management training needs to change with the times.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas suggests that, rather than training individuals on time management techniques, managers should spend more time on clarity around role priorities rather than specific task priorities.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-257\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/22204151\/book-3937486_1920.jpg\" alt=\"Photograph of someone writing in a planner. One side has a lightbulb drawn on it. The other has a chart showing different people and how they'll interact in a project.\" width=\"400\" height=\"350\" \/>When managers can make clear to an employee what the expectations of his role are and how they match up with the priorities of the company, the employee can gain a new clarity on how to prioritize incoming work. Job design, its initial conception and its constant evaluation, are important in managing workplace stress.<\/p>\n<p>As we discussed in Module 6: Motivation in the Workplace, job design is key in motivating employees. Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback are all components that should be considered when designing a job, no matter how complicated or repetitive the job might be. Job design should reinforce the effort-to-performance link on the expectancy framework.<\/p>\n<p>If job design provides the challenge that motivates an employee, it can also tip the scales toward stress. Managers can reevaluate job design to ensure that expectations for the role don\u2019t exceed the employee\u2019s abilities. They can, as Thomas pointed out above, also reduce role ambiguity by aligning employees around company objectives and helping them prioritize need-to-do tasks over day-to-day minutiae.<\/p>\n<p>While certain jobs are more stressful than others\u2014consider an air traffic controller\u2019s daily stress versus that of a clerical worker\u2014individual responses to stress are also very specific to an employee\u2019s personality. Managers should take into consideration how an individual might adapt to a high-stress role during the selection and placement process. Does this person have a strong internal locus of control? Previous experience is often a good indicator of a potential employee\u2019s suitability.<\/p>\n<p>Another motivating factor for employees is goal-setting. Individuals should have specific, measurable goals that they can achieve if they stretch themselves. Managers should take care that they\u2019re achieving good, and not bad, levels of stress when working with employees to set goals. Goals that tie into company objectives work to clarify role responsibilities, and managers who review their employees\u2019 progress can protect them from demotivation and stress.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, there\u2019s the managerial option of job redesign to help with stress management. Redesigning jobs to make them richer for the employees can alleviate stress and add new motivation. A job redesign that gives the team member more responsibility, more say in decisions that involve them, and more meaningful work can give an employee more control over work activities and lessen his reliance on others.<\/p>\n<p>But what about the effects of an organization\u2019s culture on stress levels? Some organizations expect an employee to put in far more than the standard 40 hours of work in a week. Employees feel an increasing need to stay connected to email and voice mail when not in the office, and often their managers expect to be able to contact them by phone or text well after working hours. International companies expect employees to navigate time differences, and employees in the US find themselves staying at work late or coming in early to have necessary conversations with Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Learn More: Eric Garton<\/h3>\n<p>The Harvard Business Review featured an article written by Eric Garton, author of <em>Time, Talent, Energy: Overcome Organizational Drag and Unleash Your Team\u2019s Productive Power<\/em>. In<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/04\/employee-burnout-is-a-problem-with-the-company-not-the-person\"> \u201cEmployee Burnout is a Problem with the Company, not the Person,\u201d<\/a> Garton cited a couple of burnout-inducing practices that are driven by an organization\u2019s culture:<\/p>\n<h4>Excessive collaboration<\/h4>\n<p>Garton cites this as a \u201ccommon ailment in organizations with too many decision makers and too many decision-making nodes.\u201d This flaw in organizational structure and culture leads to too many meetings and phone calls trying to align every possible stakeholder around a particular decision. This issue leads to \u201ctask switching\u201d which, unlike multi-tasking, requires an employee to switch to a new task while in the middle of another, costing time and energy and resulting in additional stress.<\/p>\n<p>The solution to excessive collaboration, Garton suggests, is an adjustment of organizational structure and \u201cnodes,\u201d which are the intersections of an organizational structure where a decision maker sits. Too many nodes is a sign of unnecessary organizational complexity, which slow down the decision making processes.<\/p>\n<h4>Weak time-management skills<\/h4>\n<p>While we discussed Maura Thomas\u2019 theory that the modern workday has outgrown time management training above, both she and Garton agree that individuals are too often left on their own to figure out how to manage their time. Tools now exist that can help managers understand where their teams are spending too much time on meetings and collaboration, too little time on productive activities and entirely too much time on answering emails.<\/p>\n<h4>Overloading the most capable workers<\/h4>\n<p>This isn\u2019t a new phenomenon, but as workloads seem to multiply, managers will continue to look to their best and brightest team members to help them keep up. Garton pointed out that, while average managers lose a day of their workweek to electronic communications and two days to meetings, highly talented managers suffer much more because their knowledge and success earns them a larger workload. Those same tools that help managers understand where their teams are wasting time can also help them see who is taking on a bigger piece of the team\u2019s burden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A manager can have a positive effect on his employees\u2019 stress levels and work\/life balance by manipulating job design and understanding the effects of an organization\u2019s culture on job demands.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\n<p>https:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/13950<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Organizational Approaches to Stress Management<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to careful job design and managing stifling company cultures, organizations are taking steps to help employees battle stress by offering programs, benefits and office \u201cperks\u201d that allow workers to make choices about managing stress as it best suits their needs.<\/p>\n<p>We learned earlier that healthcare is an expensive endeavor for employers these days, and smaller, privately held companies are looking for clever benefit package designs that reduce an organization\u2019s costs without costing the employee too much more. Stress and stress-related illness has a significant impact on healthcare costs, given annual costs for those stress-related health issues could be anywhere from $125 to $190 billion.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not unusual for a company to offer their employees smoking cessation programs or asthma management programs to help keep healthcare costs in check. Now employers are looking to implement other wellness programs, knowing that stress-related health issues are a driving the cost of medical benefits. In fact, health care providers are starting to support these client endeavors, too, recognizing the need to cut spending however they can.<\/p>\n<p>Wellness programs are organizational efforts to help employees improve their health and mental well-being by offering company-sponsored exercise, weight-loss competitions, health screenings and more. Some companies are looking at a more holistic view of stress release by concentrating not just on employee physical health, but also offering financial management classes and opportunities to give back to the community.<\/p>\n<p>Nationwide, companies are seeing the benefits of offering their employees wellness programs. As you can see from the graph below, 91% of all large companies (with more than 10,000 employees) offer some type of wellness program. They\u2019re a cost effective solution to a very expensive problem. Furthermore, as shown in the second graph below, a majority of employees are open to participating in them. Wellness programs are a win-win for companies and their employees.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-126 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/15214035\/WellnessOffer.png\" alt=\"Chart indicating the amount of companies that offer wellness programs. 39 percent of employers with 50 to 100 employees offer wellness programs. 62 percent of employers with 101 to 1,000 employees offer wellness programs. 85 percent of employers with 1,001 to 10,000 employees offer wellness programs. 86 percent of employers with 10,001 to 50,000 employees offer wellness programs.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"510\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-127 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4052\/2019\/03\/15214054\/WellnessEmployees.png\" alt=\"Chart indicating what employees think of wellness programs. 69 percent of employees would join an optional wellness program. 65 percent of employees say its fair to reduce premiums through a wellness program. 45 percent of employees say wellness programs encourage them to stay at a company. 35 percent of employees say they'd be more loyal if their company had a wellness program. 28 percent of employees are willing to change lifestyle habits to lower insurance premiums.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"660\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now, some employers offer these types of programs and then get in the way of their effectiveness. In Joel Goh\u2019s study, he pointed out that, while US employers recognize that stress leads to costly health issues and put programs in place to combat them, those same employers sometimes undermine those programs with stress-inducing employment practices. These programs don\u2019t work if the employee is too stressed and overloaded with work to participate!<\/p>\n<p>Some younger companies are going the extra mile to incorporate wellness into their culture and work environment. Google and Apple are headliners among organizations that offer their employees multiple choices in stress-burning activities throughout the day\u2014like ping-pong tables, foosball, bowling alleys\u2014and other perks that allow their employees to eliminate stress from their lives, such as free meals and free rides to work. Masseuses, available for booking during work hours, and family-room like areas where employees can relax and put up their feet go a long way toward employee stress relief and comfort. These are great examples of companies taking a cue from the ways individuals pursue stress release and making some of those methods available in the workplace.<\/p>\n<p>Companies can incorporate stress release into their benefits packages in other ways as well. Companies offering a nice paid-time-off package that features use-it-or-lose-it vacation time encourages their employees to step away from the office and enjoy time with their families. Discounted gym memberships can encourage employees to stay physically fit, and companies are starting to offer easy, direct-deposit college savings plans so that employees can more easily provide for the education of their offspring. Some companies have gone as far as providing on-site day care for employees, making child care convenient and cost-effective. Other companies have a dogs-allowed policy at the office, where people can bring in their pets and combat stressful situations with a furry hug.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, mental health is an ever-present issue in today\u2019s society, and employers offer employee assistant programs (EAPs) for those employees who are struggling with issues at work or in their personal lives. Employee assistance programs offer short-term, confidential counseling to employees, complete with referrals, free assessments and follow up services. Where wellness programs and company benefits can\u2019t address mental health and wellbeing, employee assistance programs step in and make it easier for struggling workers to find help.<\/p>\n<p>These wellness programs and benefits offerings are companies\u2019 responses to the individual needs of their employees and their ongoing quest for work\/life balance. Not only do they foster excellent perception that they care about their employees, but they also address the very costly issue of stress in the workplace.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\n<p>https:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/13951<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Managing Stress<\/h2>\n<p>Now that we&#8217;ve learned about different approaches to stress management, let&#8217;s take a moment to see how these approaches might play out in the workplace.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div id=\"citation-list-108\">\n<div class=\"licensing\">\n<div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div>\n<ul class=\"citation-list\">\n<li>What is Stress?. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Freedom Learning Group. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Individual Approaches to Stress Management. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Freedom Learning Group. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Managerial Approaches to Stress Management. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Freedom Learning Group. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Organizational Approaches to Stress Management. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Freedom Learning Group. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Image: How Many Companies Offer Wellness Programs?. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Image: What Do Employees Think of Wellness Programs?. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Specific attribution<\/div>\n<ul class=\"citation-list\">\n<li>Untitled. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: 1388843. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Pixabay. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/people-emotion-dramatic-female-1492052\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/people-emotion-dramatic-female-1492052\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Pixabay License<\/li>\n<li>Organizer Calendar. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Karolina Grabowska. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Pixabay. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/organizer-calendar-schedule-791939\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/organizer-calendar-schedule-791939\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Pixabay License<\/li>\n<li>Beach vibes. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Carly Rae Hobbins. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Unsplash. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/M44ppvVbnEQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/M44ppvVbnEQ<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Unsplash License<\/li>\n<li>Three Lit Candles. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Sharon McCutcheon. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Unsplash. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/HMh33olHauI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/HMh33olHauI<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Unsplash License<\/li>\n<li>Untitled. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Gift Habeshaw. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Unsplash. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/44XRowmXF24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/44XRowmXF24<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Unsplash License<\/li>\n<li>Untitled. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: rawpixel. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Pixabay. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/book-business-creativity-ideas-3937486\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/book-business-creativity-ideas-3937486\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/cc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license noopener noreferrer\">CC0: No Rights Reserved<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Pixabay License<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">All rights reserved content<\/div>\n<ul class=\"citation-list\">\n<li>Burnout on the Job Is on the Rise. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Wall Street Journal. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QsD91tX_piA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/QsD91tX_piA<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standand YouTube License<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"citation-list-112\">\n<div 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