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Wanted: Director of Stress Management
From pool tables to yoga lessons, companies are seeking creative ways to de-stress employees.
By Judy Koutsky for Office.com

April 20, 2001 -- According to a poll by Intega Realty Resources, nearly a quarter of all American workers have been driven to tears by the stress of work. Nearly half describe their offices as places of "verbal abuse and yelling." One in eight has called in sick because they were too stressed to work, and one in five have given up and quit. As many as 52 percent have logged 12-hour work days; half routinely skip lunch; and a third are too stressed to sleep. Although it's not news that American workers are among the most stressed in the world, it is not until recently that corporations put someone in charge to look at this problem straight in the eye.

The position of "director of stress management" emerged in some companies, while in others an executive was given an extra hat of making sure stress levels in the workplace remained low. Their job could involve anything from burning aromatherapy candles to organizing meditation and yoga classes for employees.

Bill Crawford, author of "All Stressed Up & Nowhere to Go!," is a psychologist, consultant and professional speaker in the area of stress management. Companies approach him when they feel the stress levels are at the breaking point and they need an objective outsider.

"Yoga, massages, I've even seen some companies go so far as to install an indoor pool or gymnasium to try and detox stressful, yet valuable, employees," Crawford says.

Crawford, too, thinks these are great initiatives as long as they are followed up with concrete changes in management attitude. The key is catching people before they bottom out, he notes. Stress can be very expensive to a company, resulting in costly mistakes, more sick days and lower productivity.

"With the economy the way it is, people think they need to rush to get everything done. This, of course, just creates more stress. Instead, everybody should be doing things 2 percent slower," Crawford notes. This can be successfully achieved with a mandate from management not to do things faster, but to do things more effectively.

At the extreme end of the spectrum, New York-based Magnet Communications employs Merlin, a white Maltese dog who belongs to the chief executive, as its director of stress management.

Pierpont communications, a full-service PR firm based in Houston, has rolled out an array of anti-stress programs. For example, hosts an annual "Spring Fling" in April. The event consists of a surprise bus trip for all 40 employees. Nobody knows what the final destination will be. Last year's event was a full-day field trip visiting the wildflowers in Austin, and the special day was complete with a picnic lunch by the lake. The company also has a mini pool table, fun room with Legos, pillows, a mini basketball net, a Nerf football and several other toys. Once a month, employees share a "Hit & Miss"-Pierpont Happy Hour. They also have a fall retreat. The most recent was dancing at Polly Ester's, a 1970s and '80s dance club.

"The success of Pierpont's anti-stress policy comes from the fact that it's implemented from the top down," says Tad Druart, VP. Some companies enforce mandatory fun, yet in some cases it does little to improve employee morale if the overwhelming feeling at work is stress and angst. At Pierpont, Druart explains, the management is making a concerted effort to lower the stress levels at the company. "The president of the company will see me working late, and knowing that I have a wife and three kids, he'll tell me to go home." Pierpont has fun play days and anti-stress facilities, and this works well in conjunction with a mandate from the top to ease up a little.

Appreciation Counts
The retreats and indoor "anti-stress facilities" like the pool table and Lego room convey to employees a strong message: You are appreciated. Carol Hymowitz, senior editor for The Wall Street Journal, writes regularly on workplace stress and agrees that appreciation by top management goes a long way. "Events like Spring Flings, sabbaticals and subsidized gym membership are great ways for companies to say 'thanks' for a job well done." But, she cautions, it's important that these activities are not a Band-Aid for real problems. You can't work employees to death and then give them a pizza party and expect them to feel good, she notes. Simple things, like replying to e-mails, are important steps management can take on a regular basis to ease a stressed workplace. And surprisingly, Hymowitz notes, these steps are often not taken.

Hymowitz has seen companies employ a number of techniques to try to inspire their employees. "Everything from CEO-led aerobic classes to ballroom-dancing instructions has been tried to decrease the anxiety level and increase the fun quotient," Hymowitz notes.

Hymowitz notes that some of the most successful anti-stress regiments that companies can implement aren't activity-based. "Some companies set up time-management classes for employees, while other companies implement an online EAP program -- an online therapist to help emotionally during rough times."

Tim Dimoff, President of Mogadore, Ohio-based consulting firm SACS Consulting and Investigative Services, notes that the best way of combating stress in the workplace is to ask employees what they want. "Instead of spending $5,000 on an office party, perhaps that money would be better utilized getting more ergonomically correct office equipment like new chairs," he says. Or maybe flextime or on-site daycare is what really could absorb some of the workplace tension. The key is not for management to blindly decide what's best for its employees but, instead, to make a concerted effort to get to the root of the problem.