Health/Wellness
Tension tied to job failureThe costs associated with depressed, stressed-out workers can take some time to show up on the bottom line, whether through product defects or in the cost of company benefits. HANK DANISZEWSKI and TIMOTHY LE RICHE |
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 [ 2007-01-14 ] |
"The costs are hard to quantify, but they are probably a lot higher than we think," said Ann Frost, a professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business.
And where the cost could be particularly high is in key public service jobs, such as nursing.
"Think of the implications of nurses under stress... You think about mistakes that are made or things that aren't noticed."
Battling workplace stress and depression is all about maintaining control, advises Roberta Neault, president of Life Strategies Ltd. in Coquitlam, B.C.
"We've created a recipe for increased stress and depression in the workplace just through ... lots of change, increased responsibility, less-clear job descriptions and boundaries. All those together fuel stress and burnout."
One of the biggest contributors to stress is the failure of management to properly match skills and resources to challenges, said Neault.
Frost says sales people and service workers face more depression because they are constantly facing rejection or dealing with difficult people.
She also says employers can help stressed-out workers by making work schedules more flexible.
Neault encourages employers to look at workplace factors that could be contributing to stress.
In some cases, the answer is as simple as getting people outside for a little while.
Would you ever work for a social or charitable enterprise in the third sector?