Stress in the workplace is taking a toll on both employees and employers in very significant ways according to recent statistics. These statistics reveal that:

• One million workers call in sick to work every day due to stress
• Three out of four Americans say work is stressful
• One out of every four say it is the most stressful thing in their lives
• Workplace stress costs employers $200 billion each year in stress-related expenses

In considering these stats to gain greater understanding of the extreme impact of work-related stress, we think it’s important to focus on the Patients Come Second philosophy and actively work toward preventing workplace stress. By combating employee stress in your healthcare organization, you’re investing in your devoted workers and putting them at the top of your priority list. With reduced stress, they will experience increased loyalty and be in a happier, healthier place. These positive feelings roll into the quality of service delivered to patients, creating a large ripple effect of patient loyalty and retention.

Employee satisfaction and well-being is a value of BerylHealth. Here are some tips from how we focus on building a less stressful workplace environment.

• Educate, encourage and engage employees about a healthy lifestyle.. Provide plenty of resources for employees to get familiar with workstation ergonomics, and consider implementing wellness programs and/or a policy for subsidizing fitness club memberships. A company sports league is also another way to encourage workers to get active.
• Provide support and resources. Employees are often excited about picking up new skills and sharpening their current strengths, but it can be hard for them to work on improvements without resources. Foster their desire for continued education by doing on-site continued job training or even sending them out of the office to brush up on skills at classes within your community. Your employees will be grateful for the company’s investment in them, and the company will also reap benefits by having employees with a wide array of growing skills.
• Build your team.  We understand there is work to do. But eliminating the notion of enjoyment in the name of quantity of work is disingenuous. Find the space to reward and uplift your employees.  Connect with their interests to get them involved in some fun social events, holiday celebrations or charity work. The improved morale and sense of camaraderie will be well worth it.

For more information check out some of the publications from members of our own BerylHealth team.