Assignments without resources, conflicting roles cause distress
June 12, 2013
Employees who face high emotional demand and conflicting roles are more likely to report psychological distress — placing them at higher risk of mental health disorders and reduced productivity, reports a study in the June Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
Americans work longer hours, take fewer vacations, and retire later than employees in most other industrialized countries, so it figures that many of us are prime candidates for job burnout -- the physical and cognitive exhaustion that comes from too much stress at work over a long period of time.
The short answer, according to agency chief Dr. David Michaels, who was asked the question in a Q&A session Tuesday morning, is NO. Dr. Michaels was emphatic on that point. “We have too much on our plate now,” he said.
Half of workers across Europe think work-related stress is common, and four in ten think it is not handled well at their workplace. Job insecurity or job reorganization is thought to be the most common cause of work-related stress across Europe. There is low awareness of programs or policies to make it easier for workers to continue working up to or beyond the retirement age, though the majority support their introduction.
Despite widespread concern about work-related stress and workplace violence, most European companies still don’t have procedures in place for managing psychosocial risks, according to two new reports from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).
Most women who are pregnant can keep working during their pregnancy. Some women are able to work right up until they are ready to deliver. Others may need to cut back on their hours or stop working before their due date.
When Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics subcontractor, decided robots were the solution to its high volume production headaches, the latest much vaunted hope for future jobs followed its mines
Paul Huljich co-founded Best Corporation, a pioneering organic foods company of which he was chairman and joint-CEO. The company’s value grew to more than $100 million, but Paul eventually developed a number of severe stress-related conditions.