May 1, 2009

HR Magazine

Workplace Stress? Deal with It!

As the recession has deepened, employees increasingly have been bringing their worries to work. Calls to employee assistance programs have been spiking. ComPsych Corp., a Chicago-based global provider of EAP services, says its call volume is about 30 percent above normal, and financial problems have replaced emotional problems as callers’ top concern. The company has received a record number of requests for on-site counseling following layoffs, says ComPsych’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz.

In ordinary times, conventional stress-reduction tools such as EAP services, wellness and work/life balance programs, and more-accommodating flexible work schedules can be helpful. But today’s stresses are not conventional. Today’s workplace stress is generated in part by fear of the unknown, as opposed to the usual stress of deadlines or people conflict and so forth, Chaifetz says, adding that HR professionals play a role in communicating “what’s happening, what’s expected and reducing these fears.”