Stress Awareness Day Brings Awareness About Stress

National Stress Awareness Day is this Wednesday and serves as an important reminder to take a moment to notice how stress may be impacting our lives. The International Stress Management Association established Stress Awareness Day to provide guidance to employers manage employee stress.

Stress and Stress Awareness Is on the Rise

In 1997, a large corporation conducted a survey over three years and found job-related stress lead was responsible for 60% of the times workers called in sick. Another survey of 800,000 workers in 300 companies found a 300% increase from 1996 to 2000 in employee absences due to stress. One reason stress may be a more commonly reported reason for calling into work is that today’s culture has grown to be more open about mental health, which is a good thing. Awareness about an issue is the first step towards change and betterment.

Top common stressors on Americans’ minds today include money (62%), and work (61%), according to a 2018 report by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA’s 2017 survey was the first in ten years of surveying where there was a statistically significant increase in respondents reporting feeling stress. Moreover, women and people of color, who make up more of today’s workforce reported feeling more stress than the average respondent.

Reduce Workplace Stress with Corporate Wellness

Two great additions to a corporate wellness program to help your employees reduce stress are chair massage and yoga. Both massage therapy and yoga reduce cortisol and norepinephrine, two hormones that are produced when someone experiences stress. Chronic stress lead to increased risks for a number of health conditions including anxiety, depression, weight fluctuation, heart disease, sleep issues, memory impairment, and digestive problems.

Employers can and should make use of their awareness of the growing predominance of stress to create a healthier work environment where employees can flourish. Companies that make an investment into a corporate wellness program can see up to a 3 to 1 return, according to the Washington State Health Care Authority. Contrarily, companies that do not foster a healthier work-life balance will see diminishing productivity, higher health care costs, and greater occurrences of employee absenteeism.

Lodo Chair Massage offers Corporate Wellness Programs

LoDo Chair Massage provides corporate yoga and massage packages for companies looking to provide regular wellness services at work. We want to help you and your employees have a stress-free holiday! Follow the LoDo Chair Massage Facebook page for updates on a big Cyber Monday discount on on-site chair massage and corporate yoga.