Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques

In the context of a burgeoning economy and the growing influence of “Americanised” work cultures and practices in a number of workplaces, stress at work has increased in Ireland in recent years. The management of workplace stress is thus an important contemporary issue in 2001. Recent research indicates that deficiencies in the management and organisation of work are the main causes of stress at work, and that workplace stress may have a number of negative consequences for workers and employers, including: physical and mental illness; chronic absenteeism; increased labour turnover; and reduced morale, motivation and productivity.

Consequences of workplace stress

The three studies conclude that workplace stress may have a number of negative consequences for both workers and employers, as follows.

• Workers may abuse alcohol and drugs, and be more prone to accidents and physical and mental illness.
• Workplace stress is increasingly an issue for litigation, which can entail significant costs.
• Workplace stress causes millions of working days to be lost through “absenteeism” each year, which represents a significant cost to employers. Far more days are lost through workplace stress than through industrial action, a fact that is frequently overlooked.
• Stress may promote higher labour turnover, and employers may have difficulty retaining staff.
• Stress may cause workers to lose morale and become less motivated and committed, which may result in lower productivity.
• Stress may promote increased industrial relations problems.

Preventing and eliminating workplace stress

So what can be done to prevent and eliminate workplace stress? Some organisations have introduced various stress reduction programmes, such as courses in yoga, to tackle stress. However, these programmes may only go a certain distance in tackling stress because, although they may be useful for addressing the outcomes of stress, they do not address the causes. In other words, they are reactive rather than preventative.

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