Stress at work seems like a given — there’s a reason they call it “work” and not “an all expenses paid vacation to the Bahamas.” American workers, though, are far more stressed than they should be, and it’s affecting both their health and their job performance.
The Mayo Clinic has identified numerous health problems stemming from stress, including headaches, muscle tension, upset stomachs, anxiety, drug or alcohol abuse and anger. Obviously, under those conditions it’s difficult to do quality work, which is why oftentimes an unfocused, irritable, unproductive workforce can be attributed to stress. While any workplace will have some inherent stress — not all of it from the job itself — there are many ways for employers to lower stress among their employees. Here are five good places to start.
Michael Sauers is the Director of Logan Library in Logan, UT. Prior to this he was one of the founding staff and Technology Manager for Do Space in Omaha, NE. After earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany's School of Information Science and Policy Michael spent his first 20 years as a librarian training other librarians in technology along with time as a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, a technology consultant, and a bookseller. He has written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and has published 14 books ranging from library technology, blogging, Web design, and an index to a popular horror magazine. In his spare time, he blogs at TravelinLibrarian.info, runs The Collector's Guide to Dean Koontz website at CollectingKoontz.com, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
Unless otherwise stated, all opinions are my own and are not to be considered those of the City of Logan, UT.
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