M05: Stress Support – Above Green

(2 points)

INTENT

Identify and manage areas of workplace stress and provide programs that support stress management.

SUMMARY

This WELL feature requires projects to assess causes of stress within the organization, create a plan for relieving stress and provide training and education to support employees in managing personal stress.

ISSUE

Stress is a pervasive global public health concern and workplace hazard that is linked to numerous negative physical and mental health consequences, including autoimmune disease, obesity, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, muscle tension and backache, migraines and chronic headaches and poor recovery from illness. Exposure to stressful workplace conditions and job strain is linked to and is a predictor of numerous adverse mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, substance use, suicide, poor concentration, emotional exhaustion and burnout. Stress also influences an individual’s ability to engage in other key health behaviors, including smoking cessation, healthful eating and being physically active. Employee stress is incredibly common, with recent studies reporting that 80% of workers feel stress on the job and 25% report work as their number one stressor. Overall, employees who experience stress are more likely to miss work, resulting in an estimated one millions worker absences per day due to stress. Additionally, stressed employees are more likely to quit, be involved in an accident, experience reduced performance and incur an average of nearly 46% higher health care expenditures compared to less stressed peers. In the European Union alone, it is estimated that work-related stress negatively affects at least 40 million workers, costing 20 billion euros annually.

SOLUTIONS

Numerous factors increase the likelihood that workplace stress will occur. These include low support from supervisors and colleagues, little control over work processes, unmanageable and high demands, concern over little job security and low opportunity for advancement or professional development. Day-to-day operations, including understaffing, overly compressed schedules and malfunctioning equipment, also contribute to stress. However, stress and its associated risks can be reduced through interventions that adjust job stressors, such as changes in operations, increases in co-worker and supervisor support and training employees in developing resilience to withstand job stressors.

IMPACT

By preventing or reducing exposure to job stressors and improving resilience to workplace stress, employers can prevent a substantial proportion of common mental health problems as well as the negative physical health outcomes associated with stress.

REQUIREMENTS

Part 1

Develop Stress Management Plan (1 point)

Verified by Professional Narrative

For All Spaces

Projects complete the following:

Evaluate at least four of the organization- or project-wide metrics below:
1. Frequency of absenteeism.
2. Use of paid time off, sick days and personal days.
3. Frequency of leave due to disability or illness.
4. Frequency of performance issues.
5. Employee retention and turnover rates.
6. Employee survey responses.
Provide a stress management plan based on the evaluation of organization- or project-wide metrics, outlining opportunities to address employee stress through organizational policies and operations, covering the topics below:
1. Opportunities for organizational change to address employee stress (e.g., work processes and environment, business travel policies, management of work demands, work-life balance).
2. Opportunities for employee participation in organizational decisions regarding workplace issues that may affect job stress (e.g., work processes, environment, schedules).
3. Plan for implementation, describing support from key management or leadership, who is leading the initiative, what is to be completed, where in the organization it will be occur, who will be impacted, and when and how it will be implemented.

Part 2

Support Stress Management Programs (1 point)

Verified by Policy Document

For All Spaces

Projects support employee stress management through the following:

Stress management training or education, covering issues such as stress management at work and work-life balance. Training or education must be tailored to employee need, reviewed by a qualified professional and offered quarterly, at minimum.
At least three additional health and wellness offerings associated with stress reduction or management (e.g., fitness opportunities, childcare support, mindfulness training). Offerings may include other features pursued by projects and in concepts outside of the WELL Mind concept.

Note: Trainings and/or education must be culturally appropriate and literacy level appropriate. Trainings may be in the form of education seminars, workshops or classes. Trainings may be provided in-person or online; on-site or off-site; in group or individual settings; and through vendors, on-site staff, health insurance plans or programs, community groups or other practitioners.