Work Related Stress - Is It Real?

“The only way to avoid stress is to die!” – Hans Selye. In 1977 it was estimated that between 50 and 70 percent of all disease and illness were stress related. By 1992 estimates were even higher, indicating that between 70 and 80 percent of health related problems are either precipitated or aggravated by stress. Lists of disorders from common cold to cancer have been related to stress.

Two decades ago Workers Compensation Awards for stress was rare; today it threatens to bankrupt the WC system in some states.  In California 9 out of 10 stress claims are successful and the average payout is more than 4 times that for regular injury claims.  The magnitude of the incidence and prevalence of stress related illnesses/ injuries are growing very fast.

Many US corporations have instituted stress management training programs for individual stress management through health promotion and/or EAP programs. But still there is a general reluctance and resistance to categorizing stressor as work related or to implementing institutional or organizational stress management programs.

A known Canadian company convinced the senior management to recognize that work- stress was affecting the bottom line and safety outcomes. They reinforced their case by studying intracompany health and benefit database, climate surveys and academic research. Shell Chemical International in an annual report on occupational illness for 1996 found that out of a total of 171 cases the vast majority (88%) was attributable to work stress, accounting for 1031 lost working days out of a total of 1087 days. Europe and Japan have undertaken major efforts to measure and manage work stress problems.

All humans will reach a point on the stress/performance curve (Yerkes-Dodson) where performance declines and stress increases. NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) believes that a proactive institutional and organizational intervention will have a far greater impact on health, safety, and productivity outcomes.

Work related stress is real. It is not a figment of our imagination and will not go away. In the industrialized world; new dominant paradigm in medicine based on a bio-psycho-social, or holistic model of health care and emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration between all health professionals is emerging. Some companies have established partnership with NIOSH to understand and improve stress; aiming toward interventions by building both individual and organizational capability around change management.

 

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