Excess Workplace Stress

“Workplace stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths in the US each year.” – OSHA

A line like that sounds like something from an extremist organization. It is from the US government’s Office of Safety and Health Administration. It is from a 2015 study abut workplace stress, which is something we have become accustomed to. Stress at work is assumed. The stress-free jobs sound mythic, or partial truths. Stress at work caused 120,000 deaths per year – in the 2015 study. Selective amnesia makes it difficult to compare subjective measures of stress then versus stress now; but, it is easy to assume that there is more stress now.

The report includes other factoids, but one bit of good news is worth highlighting.

“For every $1 spent on ordinary mental health concerns, employers see a $4 return in productivity gains.”

Mental health issues are associated with a stigma, but maybe demonstrating a cost benefit can encourage companies to address the issue. Even if a company doesn’t, at least there are some things individuals can do: use professionals to help rather than trying to fix it ourselves, but also do simple, individuals acts of self-care. (A lesson that is easy to understand but can be hard to apply.)