Why is stress management now more important than ever before?
Watch this 1-minute stress video about the importance of stress management and discover the answer.
How to manage stress in the workplace?
Why reducing and managing stress is important is illustrated in the following graph originating from the 2019 'Cigna 360 Well-being survey'.
This pre-pandemic stress survey was carried out in 23 countries.
The report basically stated that 9 out of 10 employees feel stressed and 12% felt their individual stress level was unmanageable.
The report Stress in America 2023: A Nation Recovering from Collective Trauma highlights the lasting psychological effects of recent crises. Long-term stress since the pandemic has significantly impacted well-being, with chronic illnesses among adults aged 35–44 rising from 48% in 2019 to 58% in 2023. Mental health diagnoses in the same age group increased from 31% to 45%, while adults aged 18–34 reported the highest mental illness rate at 50% in 2023.
The key stressors for the younger people are money and health-related issues. However, stressors are not stress.
Stress takes place due to subconscious inner reactivity that is triggered by stressors. When such inner reactivity is constant, stress easily becomes chronic.
Chronic stress heightens risks for burnout and more serious mental health issues and negatively affects physical health by causing inflammation, weakening the immune system, and contributing to conditions like heart disease, weight gain, and stroke. Coping with long-term stress requires very good intrapersonal skills.
Stress management and learning practical intrapersonal skills is a win-win game as stress influences work results and employee engagement positively.
Lack of stress management and intrapersonal skills, on the other hand, influence people around us. The stress impact on work results and low employee engagement levels are stronger than most people are aware of.
According to the Cigna survey, 91% of employees state that their colleagues' stress impacts their work results.
How is stress connected with employee engagement?
Managing stress better will permit you and your team to improve employee engagement and nip the burnout problem in the bud.
Besides improving employee engagement from the current 11% to 34% engagement levels (depending on your region, see employee engagement levels on the graph above), managing stress well also allows for preventing work-related mental health issues.
A more recent Gallup 2024 report 'State of Global Workforce' pointed out those average engagement levels below. It is clear that workplaces, where mental wellness, work culture and employee wellness are valued, could see employee engagement levels reaching up to 70% instead of the average 23%.
Efficient stress management improves employee engagement. Workplaces with good mind health and best work practices see 70% of active employee engagement levels.
.jpg "Enjoy a free stress test!")
People who are well and engaged are productive. Your team wins and your business wins from stress management.
Don't leave without taking the stress test with feedback.
Click, the stress test above is free! All you need to do is take it within the next 24 hours.