It's a no win situation. When the economy is bad, workers have stress—according to the media—because their economic survival is at stake. When the economy is booming, workers have stress—according to the media—because work is too demanding.

     There is no doubt that work is changing, and workers have to adjust to this change. Many so-called experts in the field of stress want to lay the blame for this on organizations. According to a recent Occupational Hazard article (Stephen G. Minter, summarizes a number of expert claims in "Too Much Stress") all this change is overwhelming a large number of employees today, creating a series of serious health problems.

     Most of us understand that organizations exist within a highly competitive matrix of other companies that are attempting to gain a competitive edge over each other. The game that is being played in the business world today is absolutely one of fast and frequent change. To suggest that an organization should remove itself from this game would basically spell its death knell.

     Unfortunately, many experts claim that teaching people to better manage their stress doesn't get to the heart of the problem, which they see as how the organization is structured, makes decisions, and induces change. Yet, none of these experts explain how it is possible to get organizations to effectively compete without embracing change, setting deadlines, or even increasing work loads.
 
     When you look at all the statistics about stress, certainly it is shocking to read that a certain percentage of people will succumb to the pressures of job stress. It is perhaps more interesting to look at the huge numbers of people who seem to manage the stress quite adequately. 

     This is the premise that TMI takes in its Stress Manager program. Apparently in Denmark, the number of occupational health psychologist has quadrupled in the last four years. Rather than reading this as an indicator of increased stress, why not see it as a viable effort on the part of organizations to help their work force cope with the increasing pressure that is as real a part of modern life as e-mail and traffic jams!

     While not a complete solution, perhaps a big part of the problem is one of education. Perhaps there are ways to exist within modern high-pressured organizations and not take all that pressure on to one's self. If there are and people don't know about them, they need education in these matters.
 
 
 

Janelle Barlow, Author
The Stress Manager
 
 
 
 

Previous "Stress Management Corner" pages:
 

#1	New Approaches to Job Stress
#2	If Exercise Works as a Cure...
#3	Headaches! The Most Common Complaint
#4	Eight Glasses a Day!
#5	How Well Does Zinc Work?
#6	Intense Emotions Can Kill You
#7	Sleep!
#8	Job Stress and Compensation Claims
#9	Job-Related Stress
#10	Losing Weight - It's Not Easy!
#11	Food Supplements - How Necessary?
#12	Stress and Change
#13	Depression Among the Elderly
#14	Spirituality and Your Health
#15	It's Cold Season Again!
#16	A Positive Attitude is Important
#17	Power of Laughter
#18	More Laughter and Stress Management
#19	Go for a Massage!
#20	Aspirin: That Little White Pill
#21	Aging and Self-Conception
#22	Worker Stress Increasing
#23	Back Pain
#24	Kava: The Natural Cure for Anxiety
#25	Oxidative Stress Theory
#26	Yet Another Cause of Fatigue
#27	Can Too Much Iron Be Bad for You?
#28	Tea: A Magical Potion?
#29	Sleep, Social Attitudes & Individual Needs
#30	Proof: Walking Reduces Heart Disease
#31	Anger and Heart Attacks
#32	Impact of Relaxation on Cancer
#33	The Elderly and Social Support
#34	Women and Stress

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