Harmonia

Managing Stress

Stress: “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them’

The negative effects of stress have become one of the most important health issues facing organisations today. With margins becoming smaller and competition increasing employers are expecting more from their employees than ever before. However the cost of the increase in stress levels in the workplace are beginning to take their toll. The majority of UK businesses have a significant problem on their hands and unless they take steps to address it, it will begin to impact on their overall business performance.

Stress has become the primary reason for absence from work – accounting for 60% of all work absence.

Facts and Figures

•About half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill
•Up to 5 million people in the UK feel ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressed at work
•Work related stress costs society about £3.7 billion every year (1995/6)(HSE)
•An article in the Sunday Times reported that stress related problems can reduce business profits by up to 10%
• Current estimates suggest that in the UK employers are losing £20 billion from missed deadlines, sick pay and poor performance. With an estimated 20 million days lost through sickness absence.
• Over 4 million workers have experienced a decrease in commitment to their employers as a result of stress. (Survey by the Institute of Management/ UMIST on the Quality of life, 1998)
• The CBI (Confederation of British Industry) survey on the issue found that an average of 7.1 days per annum were lost due to stress related sickness.
• It takes on average 11 weeks to replace a worker!

The Effects of Stress

The detrimental effects on an organisation:

• Reduction in performance and productivity
• Increase in absence due to stress related illness
• High turn over of staff
• Staff being less committed to the employer
• Increase in accidents at work
• Increase level of long term sick, leading to possible compensation claims
• Reduction in customer service levels
• Overall drop in margins due to all of the above

The detrimental effects to the employee suffering from work related stress:

• High/ low blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Weight gain/ loss
• Allergies
• IBS
• Migraines
• Fatigue
• Loss of concentration
• Ulcers
• More prone to infections such as colds, flu as immune system is not working at optimum levels

How can On Site Massage help the employee and the organisation?

On Site Acupressure massage is designed specifically to reduce stress in the workplace. This energising 15-25 minutes massage is received fully clothed seated in a specifically designed chair, using no oils or creams. By using a combination of massage, acupressure points and stretching the therapist eases tension and increases circulation to the key muscle groups affected by stress. Unlike other forms of stress management the positive effects of this type of treatment are felt immediately.

To book your free no obligation demonstration please contact Harmonia on 01634 249652 or email info@harmonia.org.uk