In a hypercompetitive global economy, organizations must be “on” 24/7. Yet this scramble for perpetual performance is taking a harsh toll on employees. They relentlessly push to get ahead and stay ahead—working longer days, emailing after hours, taking fewer vacations—often with little acknowledgment for their efforts.
Europe continues to lead the U.S. in a sharp and continuing focus on workplace stress – excluding NIOSH’s research. OSHA is silent on the subject of work-related stress. Cultural differences are at play here: stress is infrequently publicly discussed in corporate corridors in the U.S., where a combination of potential disability claims and the go-it-alone John Wayne tend to silence talk about job stress.
Employers today take all sorts of precautions to help keep their staff from harm. From thorough training to the use of the latest personal protective equipment, everybody is looking to do all they can to keep people safe in the workplace. The number of things which have an impact on the level of risk we face each day at work is vast.
Especially for women, lowering work-home conflicts may reduce burnout
April 11, 2014
Conflicts between work and home — in both directions — are an important contributor to the risk of burnout, suggests a study in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
In the current issue of the Harvard Business Review the cover story details how senior-level executives, both men and women of course, deal with the work-life balance hassle. The takeaway: everyone struggles with it; there are options that depend on things like ambition, age, individual financial resources, and individual support networks.
U.K. study shows stress, lifestyle choices can make a difference
December 18, 2013
In a surprising finding, new research out of Great Britain shows that many employers in their 60s have a lower “relative vitality age” – and thus, lower health risks – than colleagues in their 30s. The Britain’s Healthiest Company Report* crunched numbers on nearly 10,000 people and concluded that the sexagenarians in the survey had lower health risks based on a “Vitality Age calculator” developed by PruHealth, a health insurer and wellness program provider.
More than half of Americans, 55 percent, said they feel stressed during their everyday life, according to a Healthy World Report released by TeleVox entitled "A Stressed Nation: Americans Search for a Healthy Balance."
High strain linked to decreased job performance for those addicted to work
November 21, 2013
Workaholics work hard, but still have poor job performance — mainly because of high mental and physical strain, according to a study in the November Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
It’s certainly common to attach positive labels to people and organizations following their notable success. Such labels can be quite beneficial, activating a sense of competence and enhancing self-motivation.