A National Institute of Mental Health report finds that stress negatively impacts work for 25 percent of American adults. According to the report, the EAP solution works well for companies and saves money and lost business by reducing employee turnover. In turn it helps increase productivity and job morale, and that does have an effect on the company's bottom line. But Menco says sometimes a company will call in an EAP believing that stress management is needed, when the problem turns out to be something else. They come in with the symptom, and we find the cause and address that.
Stress causes sleep deprivation, irritability and even panic attacks.
Menco outlines symptoms of stress and burnout as extreme job dissatisfaction, lack of motivation at work, sharply lower productivity and persistent feelings of depression, loss of control and helplessness. Sometimes, a good laugh can go a long way toward alleviating stress, and many companies are turning to humor as a preventative measure. Menco likes to schedule humor seminars at lunch time or between shifts. The seminars improve motivation, decrease stress and energize people, according to Menco. Susan Reardon of Reardon and Reardon, a management consulting and training firm in Natick, says confusion about what is expected of you in the workplace causes stress.