Wellness Plans : Health Promotion Programs – Focus on Stress Reduction.

Benefits of Stress Reduction Programs

While stress cannot be eliminated from life, or even from the workplace, coping skills may be developed with relative ease. Stress management skills lead to reduced absenteeism and more effective, more productive workforce.

Because stress has been proven to contribute to such physical conditions as ulcers, high blood pressure (BP) and stroke, stress reduction has a direct impact on bettering physical health.

Studies have shown that heart patients who attend stress management programs have 42 percent lower health care costs. Other studies have documented a 50 percent reduction in medical services use when stress management programs are employed.

Moreover, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) professionals estimate that 20 percent of any workforce is affected by personal problems that can influence work performance.

Stress reduction tactics to consider –  

• Offer on-site yoga or meditation classes.

• Organize support groups among workforce.

• Sponsor stress management classes during the workday.

• Offer an worker assistance program that includes both counseling and referral.

• Provide onsite counseling for staff members in a work-related trauma, like the death of a colleague.