Preventing A Workplace Disease: The Urgency For Addressing Corporate Stress
It’s well-documented that stress, both physical and emotional, is not just unpleasant, it’s a detriment to our personal health. We should all be familiar with the science of the stress hormone Cortisol, and how when we let levels get too high, we are setting ourselves up for the onset of various ailments and diseases. The most conspicuous Cortisol threat is the compromised immune system (ever notice how when a tremendously stressful episode is finally resolved, the person gets sick?). It is for this very reason that stress can also be a threat to the fiscal health of a business. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that American businesses lose $300 billion annually due to stressed employees becoming ill (that’s Billion with a B). With this startling statistic available to us, it’s a mystery why more professionals and high-energy wannabes aren’t incorporating stress-reducing anabolic practices into their daily lives. Why aren’t more evolved firms implementing cultural norms and best practices to girdle this rising systemic health menace?
The Indicators Are In Plain Sight
There appear to be three compelling reasons why the stressful status quo remains in place despite the evidence of the havoc it wreaks on productivity. For starters, many high-energy, ambitious businesspeople have convinced themselves that they’re too busy to cram anything else into their workweek, and thus, have systematically ignored the importance of stress management. Secondly, many corporate cultures are stress-generating, meaning, the stressors have been inadvertently woven into the fabric of their operations. And finally, many firms do not have a game plan in place to set stress-eliminating practices into motion. A serious paradigm shift is in order, and those companies who are willing to embrace change will be the companies to pull ahead and become the industry leaders. For those who ignore the need for a shift, the stress contagion will continue to drain the energy of their workforce with the strength of a black hole.
Getting There From Here
Okay, ready for the good news? Each of us has the capability to change our attitude about how we manage stress, and how we can help those around us live less toxic lives, in and outside of the office. Here’s more good news: Making the move away from the stress-inducing workplace model is a true win/win situation for company and employee. In the case of corporate stress, try applying the quote, “a rising tide lifts all ships.”
Unlike with politics (both national and corporate), all of us are on the same side of this movement, in theory. Now, it’s time to act on it by accepting that the theory is a law. Imagine working in an environment teeming with productive, engaged, and energized colleagues. This is more possible than you may think. DRIVEN stands at the ready to eradicate unhealthy corporate stress at its roots, our motive being the transformation of an unsustainably-stressful environment into a healthy, functioning organism.
To learn more about how this can be accomplished for your company, read about DRIVEN’s Private Client Services.