Stress affects work performance of nearly half of employees

Today’s guest blogger suggests awareness campaigns on employee assistance programs should consider age and gender differences. Do you agree? Would you consider running separate EAP messaging for male and female employees? Share your thoughts in the comments. —Andrea Davis, Managing Editor

Stress has been called the “health epidemic of the 21st century” by the World Health Organization and is estimated to cost American businesses up to $300 billion a year. For managers and benefits professionals to effectively address stress in the workplace, it is important to understand how stress affects employee productivity, and whether it affects men and women differently.

According to recent research stress impacts the work performance of 49% of employees. It most often leads to difficulty concentrating, absenteeism and poor work quality. Gender differences exist in the influence of stress on work performance, yet variances by age are minimal. According to the study, difficulty concentrating is the most common way that personal problems and stress disrupt work performance for males and females. Females are absent more often due to personal problems, but males miss more days of work because of a personal issue. Formal disciplinary action was almost double for men, with those age 56-65 year-olds reporting the highest rates of disciplinary action.

A full 94% of employees reported improved work performance following participation in the employee assistance program. While promotion is key to building awareness and use of EAP services, a one-size-fits-all approach may not be appropriate. These findings indicate that targeted workplace programs and promotion campaigns should consider gender and age differences. An EAP can collaborate with management to identify and address the needs of a company’s vulnerable population, and to implement a robust promotional campaign to help employees address problems and stress before they become an issue on the job. For example:

• Managers need to pay attention to female absenteeism since it may be a reflection of stress at home and/or in the workplace. A company’s EAP can provide training sessions designed to teach managers how to identify employee problems and how to refer employees to the EAP.

• To decrease male disciplinary actions, specific EAP support and wellness programs should focus on men and their needs in the workforce. Promotional outreach to men should be brief, factual, and focus on solutions instead of problems, and should reflect their communication preferences — email and text messaging.

• Your EAPs can provide training on how stress affects work performance overall and by gender and age. A management team that is familiar with signs and symptoms of stress in the workplace will be better equipped to encourage stressed employees to engage with the EAP and workplace health programs.

Marie Apke is chief operating officer with Bensinger, DuPont & Associates.