To help mitigate employee stress levels, the number of employers offering stress management programs has grown in recent years.
Aon Hewitt’s Health Care Survey of large and mid-size U.S. employers finds that 35% of employers offered stress reduction programs in 2013, up from 22% in 2010.
However, just 3% of employees participated in an employer-sponsored stress management program in 2013. And nearly one-fourth said they didn’t believe their employer offers any programs or services to deal with stress.
“Employees are increasingly feeling stressed by work-related pressures, and this can often be destructive to health, productivity and performance,” says Kathleen Mahieu, the U.S. leader of behavioural health consulting at Aon Hewitt.
High stress levels also lead to employees’ inability to achieve their health goals, which can negate employers’ efforts to improve the overall health and well-being of their workforce.
To improve the workforce’s mental health, the firm suggests that employers concentrate on three actions: investigate the causes of stress and potential solutions, encourage employees to take advantage of stress reduction resources such as employee assistance programs and promote emotional well-being by encouraging employees to take vacation time or by offering flexible work arrangements.
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