Are company stress management programs effective?

Résumé du document

France has very specific characteristics on stress at work, problems such as suicide are much more frequent than elsewhere. Ironically, France is a country where firms are trying to reduce stress problems. The French case is a good example to study in the current context. The question is:what firms can do and are their stress management program's effective? For answering this, in a first part (I), we will see the causes and the consequences of the stress at work, secondly (II) the case of France telecom and telecom.

More and more in this world where technology is evolving workers are under pressure. Companies make workers be under pressure in order of efficiency and productivity. However it is important not to get confused with pressure and stress. Work pressure is normal and inevitable due to the professional context.

Extraits

[...] Working without stress does not mean working without pressure; nevertheless a no-­‐stress firm leads to better performance and less health risks for employees. The influence of stress on health is negative; it promotes the appearance of pathologies and can worsen others. The cost of work stress on economy is huge. The cost of work stress for the firms is huge too, decreasing performance and the firms' image and increasing outgoings. Stress causes: What are the main reasons for the increasing of stress? [...]

[...] " All these effects of stress at work are therefore dramatic for the health of the employees concerned. There is already a half century of this, Hans Selye wrote: "Today we begin to understand that many diseases are more common due to stress that accidents caused by germs, viruses, harmful substances or any external agent. " 3. Macro-­economic cost Stress is expensive not only for businesses but also for society in general. The International Labour Organisation estimates "up to 3 to of GDP in industrialized countries the economic cost of stress (in sick, medication, lost productivity . [...]

[...] This kind of stress induces ineffectiveness. Then, it can lead to different consequences as: health risks and illnesses, impact on firms, impact on general economy Growth of Stress involves a lack of performance For the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in Bilbao a state of stress "occurs when there is imbalance between the perception that a person has the constraints imposed by its environment and the perception that it has its own resources to deal with." Stress is a result of the professional context and depends on people. [...]

[...] These variables are independent because these are not linked to the people's activities. Who is the most concerned? Non-­‐managers are the most stressed workers, around 27%. For managers, stress is constant but the rate is not so high, around 21%. For executives, the rate of stress gets up and low (not constant), around 17%. (Source: Enjeux Les echos, January 2006) According to the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) and based on hospitals' files, here is the government's list of the 10 most stressful jobs: 1. [...]

[...] However, beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and cause damage to your health, relationships and productivity. Social demand is one of the consequences of stress. Too much or too little social stimulation can be stressful: too little and you could feel lonely or isolated, too much and you could become overwhelmed. Moreover your body could react just as strongly as if you were facing a situation. When stress is prolonged, the body is in a state of constant activity, or stress over load. [...]