Gallup recently looked at employee satisfaction: "U.S. workers are the least satisfied with their on-the-job stress and the money they make, out of 13 aspects of work conditions rated in Gallup's annual Work and Education poll. Less than a third say they are completely satisfied with each. They are most satisfied with the physical safety conditions of their workplace, followed by their relations with co-workers."
One third of workers told Gallup they are dissatisfied with the amount of on-the-job stress. Stress was the biggest complaint of the 13 areas polled.
Allison Linn at Today, looking at the Gallup poll, said, "In addition, many employers expect the people who do have jobs to be working harder and harder for the same or even less pay. But it's not surprising that pay and stress are long-running complaints. Real median household income — or the midpoint of American household earnings — has been falling for the past few years and is about the same as it was more than a decade ago."
Stress at work has been studied and written about extensively.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "The nature of work is changing at whirlwind speed. Perhaps now more than ever before, job stress poses a threat to the health of workers and, in turn, to the health organizations."
The center described what stress is: "Job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury.
"The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these concepts are not the same. Challenge energizes us psychologically and physically, and it motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied. Thus, challenge is an important ingredient for healthy and productive work. The importance of challenge in our work lives is probably what people are referring to when they say 'a little bit of stress is good for you.'"
The American Psychological Association says, "Job stress is also a concern for employers, costing U.S. businesses an estimated $300 billion per year through absenteeism, diminished productivity, employee turnover and direct medical, legal and insurance fees." Deseret News
