Dive Brief:

• More than a third of workers said people are one of their major sources of stress in the workplace, according to the 2019 StressPulse survey released on Tuesday by employee assistance provider ComPsych.
• The survey also found that stress is causing 20% of the respondents to miss six or more days of work a year. When describing how stress impacts productivity and attendance, 41% of respondents said they lose 15 to 30 minutes a day and 53% lose one to two days a year.
• "Given that it's an employee market today, many organizations are experiencing increased turnover," ComPsych Founder, Chairman and CEO Richard Chaifetz said in a news release. "This can cause employees to be more stressed given their changing roles, shifting teams and the need to do more with fewer resources."  

Dive Insight:

This study sends employers a clear message; stress makes presenteeism and absenteeism worse. It appears employers have their work cut out for them if they are to avoid the damage stress can inflict on the workplace.

According to previous research, workers are more stressed out than just two years ago; a CareerCast survey found that 80% of respondents rated their stress levels above seven on an ascending scale of 1 to 10. Stress levels were based on the conditions that routinely threaten employee health and well-being, drive up absenteeism and lower productivity, such as the amount of travel required, deadlines, competition, working in the public eye, physical demands, risks and environmental conditions.

To reduce stress in the workplace, some employers are introducing wellness programs. But it remains inconclusive as to how effectively these programs erase stress. For example, a 2018 study by Willis Towers Watson found that most employers (56%) thought their wellness programs allowed workers to live healthier lives, but only 32% of the workers agreed. Employers must make sure, therefore, their investments in well-being meets workers' needs to reduce stress.