It’s no secret that many people feel sick and tired at work. What you may not realize is that workplace stress can be as lethal as second-hand smoke, leading to disease and early death. In fact, workplace wellness programs don’t seem to be making much of an impact at all. Something needs to change.
Stress ruins lives
Stress is a killer. If left unchecked, it can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, compulsive overeating, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, sleep disturbances, and havoc in the home.
Many people spend a large portion of their days, their lives, in the workplace, and as they do, stress mounts. According to a study by researchers at Harvard Business School and Stanford University, stress in the workplace is related to numerous health outcomes, including increased risks of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, depression, and anxiety.
The stress/work study
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of evidence from 228 other studies that met their criteria. They examined workplace conditions presumed to undermine health, including: long working hours and shift work; work–family conflict; job control, which refers to the level of discretion that employees have over their work; and job demands. They call this combination, “job strain.”
The results are frightening:
- High job demands increased the odds of having an illness diagnosed by a doctor by 35%.
- Long work hours increased the chances of early death by almost 20%.
- Worry that you might soon lose your job increased the odds of having poor health by about 50%.
The researchers point out that one reason for this may be that health policies have largely ignored the adverse health effects of workplace-related stress. This includes high job demands, financial insecurity, and long work hours.
Failed workplace programs
Workplace wellness programs are now a staple benefit of half of all mid to large size companies. These days, having access to a gym, flex spending accounts, dietary and emotional counselors on call are all part and parcel of current wellness packages. But they don’t seem to be making an impact at all.
According to the research, less than half of all employees actually participate in the wellness programs offered or utilize their services. The reason: Employees are forced to work too many hours, or in too stressful an environment, to then have the time or energy needed to make use of these programs.
Work environment is the key
Having wellness programs in place is of no use if:
- Schedules are so tight there is no time to participate in them; and
- The work environment is so stressful that it damages health to such a degree that such programs become null and useless.
The researchers hit the nail on the head: “Management practices in the workplace can either produce or mitigate stress related to long working hours, heavy job demands, an absence of job control, a lack of social support, and pervasive work–family conflict.”
In the Stanford survey, 30% of respondents reported that work-related stress was so severe that it adversely affected their health. What’s more, the study concluded that “the effect of workplace stress is about as large as that of secondhand tobacco smoke, an exposure that has generated much policy attention and efforts to prevent or remediate its effects.”
What needs to happen
What we see clearly here is that increasing costs of healthcare and poor health outcomes are inversely related. It doesn’t seem to matter that the United States spends double per capita on health care than every other wealthy nation because we rank 26th overall for longevity. It is not the quality of care, but our daily work environment that is killing us — despite medical advances and dollars spent on healthcare.
In other words, prevention is key, not treatment after the fact.
Employers must create a healthier business culture and work environment. In addition to nutritional counselors, stress counselors, and gym memberships, the research suggests they must begin to include “social support; social networking opportunities; organizational justice, which refers to the perceived level of fairness in the workplace; and availability of health insurance, which affects access to health care and preventive screenings and, therefore, mortality.” Without these supports, workplace stress is not sufficiently mitigated.
What’s more, each person must feel, track and manage their own stress and wellness. They need to say enough is enough and take steps to reduce workday stress. For starters:
- Take walking breaks
- Do not eat at your desk
- Place firm limits on the amount of work hours and travel
It’s difficult, I know. But eating right and exercising is not enough when you spend 30 to 50 percent of each day slowly being killed by stress at work. It’s time to make a change.
