Helping employees with stress has become increasingly difficult. Employees regularly point the finger at work as a significant source of stress. The problem is twice as big for the youngest workers compared to the oldest.
So why are we so stressed at work and what are some employers doing?
Multitasking Stresses Us Out
Younger workers multitask more which causes them to stress out and burnout sooner. Companies that understand this have started to move away from open offices, which have become notorious for enabling multitasking and distraction.
Email Is A Burden
A recent study from Loughborough University found that we open nearly 3/4 of our emails within 6 seconds of receiving them. This would make sense if most of our emails were valuable, but Sanebox reports that 62% of emails are considered not important by the recipient. The result is a workforce that treats emails like 911 calls. Considering we get 121 of these "911 calls" a day, life in an office can get pretty stressful.
Employers Are Beginning To Train Employees In Healthy Technology Use
I recently did just this at a staffing firm called Vaco. They hired me to train their employees to find a healthy tech-life balance as part of their onboarding.
The C-Suite Is Starting To Mindfully Communicate
I recently spoke to the CEO of RescueTime, Robby MacDonnell about how he's built a culture of respect around employee concentration. He said it starts from the top, when he sends emails he now makes sure to let his employee know he doesn't expect an immediate response if he's sending the email after hours. Daimler has taken an even stronger stance by automatically deleting emails sent to an employee who is out on vacation.
Bottom Line: Multitasking encouraged by our always-connected devices has created a more stressful environment for employees. Fortunately, great companies are pushing back and encouraging workers to spend their time at work thoughtfully.