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7/11/04
WORKPLACE Workers are more stressed than ever before, according to a recent poll. When researchers at Harris Interactive asked 772 working adults whether their fellow employees seemed to be more tense and anxious than they were last year, 70 percent said yes. When asked what causes the most stress, 29 percent of workers cited war and terrorism, 28 percent said concerns about the economy, 27 percent mentioned their jobs, and 10 percent said their families. The rest were not sure. World events appear to be playing a significant role in causing stress. Thirty-seven percent told Harris Interactive pollsters that concerns about war and terrorism have added to their stress levels at work in the last year, and 48 percent said people in their workplaces express fear or anxiety about national or world events at least several times per week. Fourteen percent said anxiety about those events occur several times a day, and 34 percent said several times each week. ''The nature of employee stress is changing,'' said Frank Kenna III, the president of The Marlin Co., a Connecticut workplace communications firm that commissioned the poll. ''War and terrorism weren't even on most people's radar screens a few years ago and now these concerns are at the top, causing significant amounts of stress.'' The Harris Interactive poll revealed that many employers have not strengthened their security measures since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Of those polled, 42 percent said their company has not moved to update or improve security regarding visitors, the use of data entry keys or cards, badges, and mail handling since the terrorist attacks. Twenty-seven percent said most employees at their workplaces are not very knowledgeable about how to respond to potentially serious security breaches. Thirteen percent said workers are not at all knowledgeable, and 37 percent describe employees at their workplaces as somewhat knowledgeable. Only 21 percent said workers are very knowledgeable about how to react to security breaches or problems. That's not surprising. A survey of business travel policies and practices by the Bureau of National Affairs Inc. revealed permanent security changes began to disappear within a year after the terrorist attacks. The bureau, an electronic and print publisher that tracks legal and regulatory developments in the workplace, found that immediately after the attacks nearly four out of five employers curtailed or postponed travel, scheduled video conferences instead of face-to-face meetings, or urged workers who flew for business to use alternative transportation whenever possible. By 2002, however, many had eased restrictions and modified those changes. Aside from concerns about national security, the poll revealed employees may feel stressed because of their workloads. Of those polled, 21 percent strongly agreed they have too much work. Another 28 percent agreed somewhat. Ten percent said they have too many unreasonable deadlines. Twenty-two percent agreed somewhat. The telephone survey, conducted between May 20 and June 7, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Increased job pressures also affect workers' families and personal lives. Of those polled by Harris Interactive, 63 percent said their personal lives have been affected by job-related stress. Sixty percent said their jobs have negatively affected their physical and emotional health. Job stress also influences how co-workers relate to each other. For example, 35 percent of the respondents said gossip has risen in their workplaces, and 26 percent complained that backstabbing has, too. Fifty-two percent feel some of their co-workers need help managing anger. Thirty-five percent said co-workers are harder to get along with because of stress. --DIANE E. LEWIS
UNEMPLOYMENT A $211,675 emergency grant has been awarded to assist workers who lost jobs at Merck-Medco Rx Services in Lawrence, according to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. The Labor Department said the new award would supplement and continue funds that have already been used to help about 62 employees who lost jobs. The grant was awarded to the state Department of Workforce Development. The funds will allow workers hurt by the plant's shutdown to access support services such as child care, transportation, job training, or English proficiency classes. ''This grant will provide reemployment assistance, training, and skills upgrading to these workers as they prepare for new opportunities,'' said Chao. The company closed in early 2002 due to the loss of a major contract, a sixfold increase in rent, and antiquated equipment too costly to upgrade, according to a state request for emergency funds. Initially, the federal government awarded $1.2 million to the workforce development office to help the Merck-Medco Rx workers who lost jobs as a result of the shutdown. --DIANE E. LEWIS
WORK/LIFE Men and women in management have similar needs and goals in the workplace. So says Catalyst, the New York research firm that focuses on women's careers. A recent report based on a survey of 705 senior level women and 243 men in senior positions reveals that both have difficulty juggling the demands of work and their families or personal lives. In all, 51 percent of the women and 43 percent of the men reported having difficulty achieving work-life balance. And both men and women say a variety of informal and formal flexible arrangements would make their efforts easier. ''However, women and men have used very different strategies to find a balance between work and their personal lives,'' said the Catalyst report. ''And, as they advance to senior levels, women have made more tradeoffs between work and their personal lives.'' The report said both men and women focus on the same advancement strategies such as exceeding performance expectations, successfully managing others, seeking high-visibility assignments, and demonstrating expertise. Both also had the same barriers during their climb upward. These included having a style of behavior different from the organizational norm, a lack of significant general management, and a lack of knowledge about the firm's organizational politics. However, the report said women endured cultural barriers to advancement not experienced by men. These include gender-based stereotypes, exclusion from informal networks, lack of role models, and an inhospitable corporate culture. Said Paulette Gerkovich, senior director of research at Catalyst: ''It is important to recognize that not only do women have their sights set on the corner office, but they have high levels of career satisfaction. Despite the tradeoffs they have made, a large majority of both women and men report comfort with their choices.'' Gerkovich said 75 percent of the men and 75 percent of women polled reported they were satisfied with their current positions, their employers, and the level of respect they receive from corporate leaders. --DIANE E. LEWIS
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