HR Executive, Nov. 23, 2010

HR Executive

Jump in Job-Security Fears Impacting Holiday Stress 

Some 68 percent of employees report having high levels of stress at work, with extreme fatigue and out-of-control feelings, according to the latest StressPulse survey by Chicago-based ComPsych Corp., a leading global employee-assistance provider. That represents a jump from 65 percent in 2009.

Although a much lower percentage, the biggest jump in the survey of employees – 20 percent – cite lack of job security as their primary cause of stress, up from 10 percent in 2009.  

“As the holiday shopping season begins, employees are trying to balance the urge to spend with the worry that they will retain their job,” says Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of ComPsych. “We increasingly get calls from employees who are struggling to manage their daily expenses,” he says. “On top of that, they are now faced with gift-giving costs.”

His company provides financial coaching along with psychological counseling, Chaifetz says. Not only should employers be on the lookout for signs of acute anxiety and changes in behavior, but they should also be reminding all workers that their EAPs are there, especially in this season, to “help individuals set and stick to a budget, as well as get counseling to keep stress levels in check,” he says.