Working on Stress

R-OM-SERV srl

Workplace Related Stress and

Active Stress Management Courses using

The Radiance Technique®

Background information  

 Most of the employers and employees consider stress as being normal at the workplace. Some of the employees feel the stress effects stronger than others. And when the effects are surpassing their resistance and adaptation capacity they get sick, and they will need additional free days for treatment and recovering. The US work statistics refers to occupational stress as a neurotic response to stress. US and EU will pay special attention to the work related stress field of study during 2001-2002 period.

Work related stress sources:

 ·        Major change in work procedure and instructions;

 ·        Additional working hours;

·        Major increases of the intensity and activity rhythm;

 ·        Major restructuring;

 ·        Too much to do in too little time;

 ·        Repeated critics of below expectation results and lack of recompense for the outstanding work results;

 ·        Conflicts between employees or groups of employees that work on common projects. Lack of proper outlined standards and responsibilities.

 Work related stress effects:

 a)  A decrease of the intuitive, intellectual, emotional and physical capacities:

i)    International Labor Organization estimates that work related stress is responsible for a 10% loss from the gross domestic product of a country ;

ii)  Work related stress is at the base of a $300 billion annual loss in the American Economy through sick leave, decrease of productivity, replacement of employees, work accidents, direct medical expenses, assurance expenses and compensations for the employees. These losses surpass by far the sum of the net profit of the first 500 corporations in US.  

iii) An estimated loss of 9 billion british pounds is the estimated price that UK has to pay because of the stress related problems.

 b) The emotional virus effects begin to show up

 c)  An increase in the number of the sick leave days:

i)     In US over 1 million employees per day have a sick leave, because of the health problems caused by work related stress. This is responsible for a half of the 550 millions days off that americans have. A three year study at a big Corporation concluded that 60% of the absenteeism was cause by work related stress.

ii)   The US surveillance bureau for work accidents and professional illnesses announced that in 1997 over 3400 cases of sickness were caused by work related stress. These cases needed an average of 23 free days for recovering, 4 times more than those provoked by other factors. Also 40% of the work stress caused leaves required more than 31 days for recovery.

iii)  UK companies reported around 100 millions days of medical absenteeism caused by work related stress symptoms.

d)   An increase in the risk of contracting an illness

e)   Over 95% of the calls that the family doctors receive in US are caused by stress provoked illness and 80% of the illnesses that lead to a stay in a hospital had at their origin stress:

i)  Work related stress is at the origin of the principal contributors to the cause of death: Cardiovascular diseases, Cancer, Pulmonary related diseases, Accidents, Cyrosis and Suicides.

ii) On the average 10% of the UK's workforce suffer in a way from the work related stress

f)    Premature aging and a decrease in the life expectancy because of the chronic illnesses and death by work accident or sudden deaths:

i) The unhealthy behavior of employees is caused by their incapacity to cooperate with stressful conditions are at the source of 80% of workplace deaths;

ii) Most of the work accidents are caused by work related stress, and between these are also those accidents that have involved major ecological catastrophic events (like the those at Three Mile Island or Exon Valdez)

The distribution of the work related stress on different job positions:

The 3400 cases of illness caused by the occupational stress are divided in the following professional categories:

                                               i.      Technical and administrative assistance        48 %

                                             ii.      Experts and Managers                                   16 %

                                             iii.    Workers and laboratory personnel                15%

                                             iv.   Production and repairmen workers                  9%

                                             v.      Cooks                                                              4%

                                             vi.      Police and other forces                                   3%

                                              vii.      Other professions                                          4%

The distribution of illnesses caused by work related stress by professional activities:

                                                  i.      Services                                                                 35%

                                                 ii.      Production                                                             21%

                                               iii.      Retail commerce                                                  14%

                                               iv.     Assurance, Banking and Real estate              12%

                                             v.      Transport and public utilities                              9%

                                               vi.      Whole sale commerce                                         7%

Women are 50% more exposed to the work related stress than men.

The Technical or the administrative work force is more exposed to stress than the normal workers.

Solutions for individuals and for organizations:

·        The assurance of proper work conditions: 20 - 24 degrees temperature, proper natural or artificial lighting conditions (when artificial light is used tungsten lighting is preferred to cold lighting);

·        The decrease of the work week to 35 hours / week, and even more in the places where work related stress risks to be higher;

·        The decrease of the work day from 8 to 6 hours / day, or even to 4 hours / day in the workplaces with higher work related stress;

·        The division of the holiday time in order to have at least one free week per semester, especially for the persons who have a higher risk of involvement in work related stress.  

·       Continuous study in order to bring the level of working knowledge in balance to the continuous raise of in the job expectations ;

·      A clear and optimal job description, and realistically timed deadlines;

·     Good cooperation and delegation skills;

·      Finding a balance between the rest and active periods, and between pleasant and not so pleasant activities;

·       Daily check of the current priorities and a healthy balance between the proposed goals and the available time and / or other resources;

·       Physical exercises and other daily physically activities (it is better to perform the physical exercises before the important intellectual efforts);

·       Afternoon rest and at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep during the night, preferable would be to get asleep before 23:00;

·       Making time for spending with friends and family;

Additional solutions brought by The Radiance Technique®

·        The harmonization of the workplace and the rest room at least 2 times per day ;

·        Attunements for the unpleasant events from the workplace that still affects us;

·        Energy directing for the workgroup in which we take part, for good relationship with business partners, for future projects and for inherent worries of the workplace;

·        An expanded session (composed of drawing 3 times the 4th universal symbol and 1st universal symbol, followed by 22 models symbol and 1st universal symbol);

·        The harmonization of home, food, medication, water or liquids that we consume;

·        Daily energy directings for family and expanded sessions for us and for those close to us, or more than daily during the weekend, the trimestrial recovery week and annual holiday.

·        Energy directings for future projects and for protection of the resulting worries.

Laws and Recommendations

Romania:

The Romanian Law regarding the assurances of the work accidents and of the professional illnesses