Toll of Stress Impacting Health Care Costs, Absenteeism and Workplace Safety
NEW YORK: July 8, 2010 – Employers understand the detrimental effects stress is having on their organizations, and are responding with multiple strategies to help workers cope, a recent survey by Buck Consultants, A Xerox Company indicates.
The survey, ‘Stress in the Workplace,’ identifies the areas most affected by stress and the strategies employed by organizations to reduce stress for their workers. The research was conducted at the WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference in May 2010. The study analyzes responses from more than 250 conference attendees, representing more than 200 organizations of various sizes and industries.
“Most employers realize that a stressed-out workforce drives up health care costs,” said Barry Hall, principal at Buck Consultants. “Employers are responding by introducing numerous methods to combat the impact of work-related stress.”
Hall noted that workplace issues highly affected by stress are:
• Health care costs – 82 percent of respondents indicate that their health care costs are significantly or moderately impacted by worker stress
• Absenteeism – 79 percent report significant or moderate impact
