Workplace Stress is a Business Problem That Companies Prefer to Ignore

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Workplace stress is the most frequently cited reason U.S. employees consider leaving their jobs, according to a new survey by consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide.  Employees defined their  top causes of workplace stress as long hours, work/life balance, technologies that expand availability, and managers’ inability to recognize stress.

More surprisingly, another Watson Wyatt survey found that nearly half of employers (48%) acknowledge that stress caused by overwork is affecting business performance and 32% said that work/life balance issues were taking a toll on the bottom line. 

Although companies know that workplace stress is a problem, very few are taking steps to address it. Only 5% said they are taking action to address stress caused by long hours. A more encouraging 16% said they are taking action to relieve stress caused by work/life balance issues.

Those companies that don’t address these issues may find themselves paying the price in health care and retention costs. According to a statement by Shelly Wolf,  national practice director of health and productivity at Watson Wyatt: “Too much stress from heavy demands, poorly defined priorities and little on-the-job flexibility can add to health issues. By leaving stress unaddressed, employers invite an increase in unscheduled time off, absence rates and health care costs — all of which hurt a company’s bottom line.”

Your BlackBerry is Making You Stupid(er)

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Did you know that your obsessive BlackBerry habit could make your thinking fuzzier than if you had just smoked a joint?  Dr Glenn Wilson, a psychologist at King’s College, London University,  conducted a survey on this subject back in 2005 on behalf of Hewlett Packard. According to Dr. Wilson, "Workers cannot think as well when they are worrying about e-mail or voicemails. It effectively reduces their IQ," says Wilson.

The tests conducted on 1,000 volunteers showed that those distracted by a mobile device or computer saw an average drop of ten IQ points while the stoners saw only a four-point drop. Interestingly, the impact was more pronounced in men than in women. Wilson also suggested that ongoing exposure to our  "modern culture of information could cause a permanent drop in intelligence."

Just thought you should know about yet another good reason  to learn to disengage from our technology when an important task is at hand. If your boss complains, just tell him you need all of your IQ points today.

And whatever you do, don’t check your BlackBerry while smoking a joint or you’re liable to do something truly moronic.

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

According to an interesting new article in Business Week by writer Douglas McMillan, a growing number of midlife career-changers are ditching their corporate gigs to pursue careers devoted to the environment.

There are currently 8.5 million of these "green-collar jobs" in renewable-energy and energy-efficiency industries in the U.S. and a November report commissioned by the American Solar Energy Society projects that number could grow to 40 million by 2030.

Interested in pursuing a green career? Here are some resources to get you started:

• Green Careers Guide from MonsterTRAK
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• Green Career Salary Trends at Payscale.com
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• EnvironmentalCareer.com Job Board
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• Green Career Tracks Coaching and Services

Telecommuting Is Good For You (And Your Company)

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Your dilemma: You’d love to work from home a few days a week but your boss thinks telecommuting is just an opportunity to slack off and watch Oprah. Well, I’ve got just what you need to make your case: Real numbers from an academic study that shows that telecommuting is better for both workers and bosses.

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University looked at data on 12,833 telecommuters and found that telecommuting programs have beneficial effects for both the workers and their employers. Study results showed that telecommuters reported more job satisfaction, less motivation to leave the company, less stress, improved work-family balance, and higher performance ratings by supervisors. Managers supervising telecommuters also reported that their performance was not negatively affected by working from home.

And if your boss argues that face time at the office is necessary to foster good work relationships, you can oh-so-diplomatically beg to differ. Telecommuters who worked away from their offices for less than three days per week did not see their work relationships suffer Those who were out of the office for three days per week or more, however, did see their bonds with co-workers diminish.

If you have been fantasizing about telecommuting, now may be the time to pitch the idea to your boss. Approximately 45 million Americans telecommuted in 2006. If you want to join their ranks, your best bet is to put together a written proposal for your boss. Address any of her potential concerns and explain the business value of the arrangement for the company. Perhaps you will be able to start work earlier or work later because you can cut out a long commute. Or maybe you can deliver higher-quality work in an environment away from the cubicle-farm distractions where you can focus. Cite the results of the Penn State study to help make your case and show that you’ve done your homework.

Be prepared to compromise. If your manager remains skeptical, offer to do a trial run for a few weeks and see how it goes. Then bend over backward to show that you can be even more productive from home than you can be in the office.

If all goes well, you will soon be be enjoying the benefits of the telecommuter’s life. Of course, there are also challenges to making telecommuting work, but most find that the increased flexibility and the reduced commute time are well worth any effort required to adapt. Just ask those guys from Penn State.

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Today is Cyber Monday, the online equivalent of Black Friday, and many retailers are offering crazy discounts and free shipping to entice holiday shoppers. Wouldn’t you rather shop from your desk than get up at 2AM to wait in line in the cold outside Wal Mart?

The problem is that Cyber Monday is a work day for most of us. Of course, that’s not going to stop people from snagging some Cyber Monday deals. Take a look around. Do your co-workers seem unnaturally interested in the "work" on their computer screens? Are people suspiciously Alt-Tabbing at the sound of approaching footsteps?

Why should Cyber Monday be any different than the typical work day? A recent survey by Salary.com found that approximately six in every 10 workers admit to wasting time at work with the average employee wasting 1.7 hours of a typical 8.5 hour working day. Personal Internet use was the leading time-wasting activity, with 34% of  respondents admitting to the crime.

Why are so many slacking off at work? The #1 reason was boredom. Other popular reasons cited were having too long hours, being underpaid, and not having challenging work. In other words, they’re not engaged. If you find that you are consistently wasting time at work as an escape from the frustrations or banalities of your job,  that’s a pretty good sign  that you should start looking for another gig.

On the other hand, a little bit of time-wasting is natural for even the most productive and satisfied workers. It’s not possible to work at full intensity for eight hours straight without chemical intervention. Most people are more productive when working in focused intervals with breaks in between.  In other words, you might get more done and deliver higher-quality work if you take a few minutes to check out Overstock.com between work projects this morning.

And if your boss gives you the stink-eye after he catches you surfing for deals, just mention that whole bit about how you need to work in focused intervals with breaks in order to maximize your productivity.

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

A new survey from recruiters Robert Half International and CareerBuilder.com reveals that the war for talent is in full effect and that top candidates are taking advantage of their bargaining muscle. A few very interesting stats:

   
• 6 out of 10 hiring managers complained of difficulties in finding fully qualified people. Nearly two thirds felt that the environment will be just as challenging next year and more than a quarter said they believe that hiring willl be even more challenging.

   

• 6 out of 10 candidates said they would be likely to negotiate a better compensation package today, compared with just under 3 out of 10 who felt the same way last year.

What do these numbers mean? "With an employee-driven market comes a shift in negotiating power," Matt Ferguson, chief executive of CareerBuilder.com, said in a press release.

The survey also found that hiring firms are responding to the shift by intensifying their efforts to attract and retain star performers. Nearly a third of firms had put new staff retention programs into place over the last twelve months.

Interestingly, the research also revealed that companies and workers have different ideas about which benefits inspire loyalty.

Companies focused on offering bonuses and higher pay (23% and 16% of responding companies, respectively). While more money is always a good thing, employees said that they were more likely to choose one job over another based on factors such as flexible schedules (65%) and telecommuting opportunities (33%).

I think that both companies and employees should pay a lot of attention to this survey. Its findings closely correspond with what I heard from hundreds of corporate employees during the research for my upcoming book.

If you’re a hiring manager at a big firm, the message is clear. Flexibility is extremely important to today’s best and brightest. Yes, people want to be paid fairly, but they also want to have lives outside of the office.

If you’re a top performer, this research is a good reminder that there is no need to settle for working at a company that doesn’t treat you well or in a job that doesn’t inspire you. You’ve got the leverage to pick and choose.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want and deserve when it comes to compensation and benefits. I know firsthand from my interviews that there are companies out there that are willing to invest in you and keeping you happy and productive.

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

A majority of small business workers love their jobs, according to a recent survey. iContact, a company that provides email and survey services for small businesses, reached out to 1,124 men and women employed by small companies and found that 75% said they would rate their jobs an 8, 9, or 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Less than 3% rated their job a 3 or below.

Compare those numbers to general job satisfaction survey results, which say that upwards of 50% of workers are actively dissatisfied at work.

What’s so great about working for a small business? While researching my book, I talked to several people who left the corporate ladder to take on roles at small companies and start-ups. Most were attracted by the opportunity to play a more active role in building a business they believed in. Many also cited fringe benefits like greater work/life balance, freedom from bureaucracy, and better relationships with managers and co-workers.

Most importantly, all of the people that I spoke with were having a blast. They were passionate about their work. Of course, it didn’t hurt that many of them worked at cool companies like Kidrobot and Word World.

Working for a small company certainly isn’t for everyone. Salaries tend to be lower than those offered in Corporate America, though small companies often try to compensate with ownership stakes and other benefits. Small companies also offer less structure and support. There aren’t a lot of extra budget dollars for administrative support, company cars, and team-building retreats.

And there are plenty of mismanaged and misconceived small companies out there, so it’s important to do your due diligence. During the dot com bust, many of us learned firsthand what can happen when incompetent and/or clinically insane CEOs get millions in venture capital to throw around.

What do you think? Would you rather work for a start-up or a big corporation? Why do more small business employees love their jobs?

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

A new study from the UK found that chronically stressed female workers were 73% more likely to become obese than their coworkers — even with similar eating and exercise habits.

The study authors, as quoted in Glamour magazine, explained that this could be because long-term stress increases your levels of cortisol, a hormone that can encourage storage of fat in the gut area. I guess that’s a big part of why bare midriffs are against the dress code in your office.

Apparently, staying in a job that you hate can cause you to pack on the pounds even if you manage to eat right. And we all know that stressful jobs make it much harder to squeeze in trips to the gym and time for planning and preparing healthy meals. Now, it seems that the stress itself can lead to weight gain. Still no word on whether stress about the weight gain will lead to additional weight gain.

If you’re feeling the effects of corporate corpulence, it may be time to start shopping around for a less stressful job. At the very least, make a little time for relaxation and exercise in your schedule this week. And if anybody makes a crack about your spare tire, just blame it on your boss.