Stress Management - 4/13

Stress is a natural response of all humans.

Stress Management in the Workplace

Stress is the physiological and emotional response to a demand or challenge in life. It is a natural response of all humans. In fact, the human body was designed to experience stress and react to it. This response can be positive, resulting in a lifesaving event, such as avoiding something that is harmful.  However, to be positive, stress must happen in short bursts. Longer periods of stress, known as chronic stress, is harmful to your physical and mental health. Examples of chronic stress are an unhappy marriage or trouble at work. Chronic stress can lead to hypertension, depression, anxiety, fatigue, weight gain or loss, headaches, and GI disturbances.

Work related stress is a common problem in the US. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health defines workplace stress as the emotional and physical responses to work demands or requirements that don’t match capabilities, resources, or the needs of the worker. Although workplace stress can be physical such as bad posture, poor lighting, or poor work layout; psychosocial factors are arguably the most prominent in the workplace. These include job insecurity, inflexible hours, bullying, or poor work structure.

The good news is that workplace stress is preventable and treatable. The first step is identifying the stressor. The next step is to apply interventions to improve these stressors. Chronic workplace symptoms include headaches, exhaustion, difficulty making decisions, slow reaction times, and forgetfulness. Some interventions that can help to alleviate job stress are redesigning your work environment that is conducive to your job, such as a dedicated space for employees to take breaks or document. Allowing times for staff to take breaks and lunch fosters a healthy work environment. Our assisted living facility, Cozy Living Community has a designated space for staff to place belongings in lockers and a designated space for documentation without interruptions. Our company currently offers paid lunch breaks. 

It is important to promote and increase employee participation in decision making and work planning. Cozy Living Community has made it a priority to increase communication. Employees are to report to work 15 minutes early for shift change reports. This time allows for off going staff to report important details that happened on their shift and time for oncoming staff to plan work for the day. We also have a communication board that encourages staff to post ideas for quality improvement of the company. 

Matching job descriptions with skills and qualifications as well as creating clear promotion and clear pathways, promotes job satisfaction reducing work related stress. Cozy Living Community offers a professional development step ladder. This professional development was designed to encourage growth within the company and to reward individuals for their growth and achievements. The development ladder walks through the steps and requirements for moving from a level 1 employee to a level 5 employee. Performance evaluations are done annually. The employee will self-evaluate their performance as well as their immediate supervisor. Evaluations analyze whether the staff meets the company’s core values. In addition to the core values, managers analyze whether the employee is in the right seat, based on capability, understanding, and desire for the current position. 

These are just a few of the many interventions that Cozy Living Community Assisted Living is doing to combat work-related stress. We understand that workplace stress is silent and often neglected. Workplace stress will decrease productivity, employee health and overall success of the company. It is our mission and duty to continue to improve workplace environment, employee health, and overall job satisfaction at Cozy Living Community.

References

Corporate Wellness Magazine. (2022). Workplace Stress a Silent Killer of the Employee Health and Productivity. Retrieved from https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/workplace-stress-silent-killer-employee-health-productivity on April 10, 2022.

MedlinePlus . Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated Jun 24; cited 2020 Jul 1]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/.