Managing the Stress of Others is Stressful for Leaders
As I highlighted in the previous blog post on How Stress Impacts The Workplace, stress is not only a major obstacle in life, it is also a major cost for businesses and organizations.
According to the American Institute of Stress (AIS) website, “Numerous studies show that job stress is far and away the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated precariously over the past few decades.” Additionally, workplace stress is estimated to cost U.S. employers over $500B annually.
As a result, leaders must not only deal with their own personal stress levels, but they are also accountable for monitoring and managing the stress levels of their staffs.
Here are some of the statistics from the AIS website that make managing the stress of others so stressful for leaders: 
- 40% of workers reported their jobs as very or extremely stressful.
- 25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives.
- 29% of workers felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work.
- Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial or family problems.
- Nearly half of workers say they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% say their coworkers needed such help.
- 14% of workers had felt like striking a coworker in the past year but did not.
- 25% have felt like screaming or shouting because of job stress.
- 10% are concerned about an individual at work they fear could become violent.
- 18% had experienced some sort of threat or verbal intimidation in the past year.
- 14% said they worked where machinery or equipment has been damaged because of workplace rage.
- 19% had quit a previous position because of job stress.
- Almost 25% had been driven to tears because of workplace stress.
No wonder Generation X was identified by the American Psychological Association as the most stressed generation in America. They now form the bulk of the workforce, and thus are experiencing the kinds of workplace stress cited by AIS in the above statistics.
In it incumbent upon leaders to start proactively reducing stress within their organizations, not only for the sake and wellness of their employees, but to shore up bottom-line profitability as well. Two places to start are our workshops on the Five Dysfunctions of Teams and Turning Workplace Conflict Into Collaboration. Contact us today to discuss how to bring the proven practices of these programs into your organization.
This article is partially excerpted from my award-winning book Better Decisions Better Thinking Better Outcomes: How to go from Mind Full to Mindful Leadership, available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats. The book is the recipient of a Silver Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association for bringing “a comprehensive plan of action for improving life through recognizing decision-making patterns that don’t serve us well, don’t enrich our lives, and don’t bring us to our goals and dreams.”
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