Stress is a part of workplace health that is often overlooked, and can usually be reduced quite inexpensively. Stress is one of those things that people don’t often think hard on and never realize that they are having more stress than is healthy for them.
If employers were to offer more flexible work environment, that could very well promote better productivity and better health. A flexible work environment could be in regards to hours, vacation time, or more freedom on how employees are to do their work. Another good way to reduce stress would be for employers to have good communication with their employees, so that if there is ever an issue the employees feel comfortable enough to speak to a supervisor, or whoever it may be, about it.
Shane you made a valid point about stress being overlooked as part of workplace health. Having been in the workplace for a number of years, employers traditionally view stress as a result of extrinsic factors (personal life, etc)and not work related.
ReplyDeleteI've had managers who have contributed to stress at work, to the extent that I dreaded going to work and it affected my health. So I really applaud the few companies that allow for a flexible work environment - flex hours, flexible leave arrangements, make-up time, having a say in rostering schedules, job sharing, part-time work, working at home,and flexibility of location.
Flexibilty permits thinking creatively about how working lives can be better structured to match individual and business needs. In the long run, like at Google, there is increased productivity, because there are happy workers.
When I worked in the exploration field, there was a lot of downtime and I really liked my employer because he treated me fairly and with dignity. Whenever there was downtime, I was willing to do other jobs that would improve the company and even my employer's personal life. I painted, cleaned, organized, and maintained the office and shop, went shopping, cut the grass, painted his house. See I was willing to make my time count. I could not just sit around. I even worked 18 hour days during deadlines.
Really then great employers can motivate employees to be more productive when employees are happy at work. Since most of our lives are spent at work, it should be stress-free and conducive to being the best that we have been trained to be. For employers to find this balance it will take hard work and compliance between employers and employees.