ver. A complete message targets the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands and back which are the parts of the body most affected by tension and the general physical demands of working.

There’s still an undertone of sexual innuendo for some people when they hear the word massage. This is why companies that offer massages for their employees do it in a non-traditional manner. The massage therapists don’t use oil and the employee remains fully clothed. In fact, most on-site messages take place out in the open where others can watch.

Let’s face it. This is a matter of dollars and cents. On-site stress reduction and stress maintenance programs are cost effective ways to squeeze a little bit more productivity out of workers. By reducing the effects of tension, it

One of the most dangerous trends in working society today is job-related stress. It is rare to find an employee at any level in a company today who is not affected directly and profoundly by the effects of workplace stress.

Downsizing, reorganization, more overtime and increased competition are all drastically contributing to a permanent workforce seemingly unable to cope with pressures of their jobs. Add to that the complex task of attempting to balance work issues with the evermore chaotic demands of family and simple survival, and its clear that in too many ways we a people just about ready to snap.

If anyone thinks the problem of job-related stress is an exaggeration designed to defend a workforce grown increasingly soft, statistics prove otherwise. Report after report reveals that the numbers behind the stress are truly staggering, and they point to a near-future of problems with gigantic implications.

The following are partial results of recent studies done by Minneapolis-based Northwestern National Life Insurance Company.

• 40% of respondents said their jobs were very stressful.

• 34% said they didn’t have enough time to get their work done.

• 69% said stress reduced their personal productivity.

• 33% of respondents said at the time of responding they had some stress-related physical or mental condition.

• 72% said they experienced three or more stress-related physical or mental conditions simultaneously somewhat or very often.

• 34% said they expected to burn out on the job.

Countless deaths each year from heart disease and high blood pressure are directly related stress. Untold billions of dollars are lost through stress related illnesses, absenteeism, poor productivity and shoddy work. All of this means that the financial bottom line, the be-all and end-all of most businesses suffers as well.

With so much at stake and so much already lost or still to lose, is it any wonder that companies are now taking steps to slow down if not stop stress in the work place? Companies are learning that keeping employees healthy has an equally healthy effect on their bottom lines.

Companies such as Coors Brewing Company, Hershey Foods, Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo now offer educational courses and stress screenings, exercise programs in order to help lower employee stress. These companies and many more like them have realized that treating stress disorders now will save them further down the road.

While combating stress through education and exercise is the most common corporate approach to the problem, there have been other, more offbeat attempts to keep stress at bay. For example, H.J. Heinz, Marriott International and Toyota Motors offer employee programs for mind-body training and in-house massage therapy. Other companies have even gone so far as to offer t’ai chi therapy and hiring comedians to entertain employees during breaks.

In the Information Age companies of today where many employees sit in front of computer all day or lean over a desk messages are a great stress reliever. A complete message targets the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands and back which are the parts of the body most affected by tension and the general physical demands of working.

There’s still an undertone of sexual innuendo for some people when they hear the word massage. This is why companies that offer massages for their employees do it in a non-traditional manner. The massage therapists don’t use oil and the employee remains fully clothed. In fact, most on-site messages take place out in the open where others can watch.

Let’s face it. This is a matter of dollars and cents. On-site stress reduction and stress maintenance programs are cost effective ways to squeeze a little bit more productivity out of workers. By reducing the effects of tension, it k

port after report reveals that the numbers behind the stress are truly staggering, and they point to a near-future of problems with gigantic implications.

The following are partial results of recent studies done by Minneapolis-based Northwestern National Life Insurance Company.

• 40% of respondents said their jobs were very stressful.

• 34% said they didn’t have enough time to get their work done.

• 69% said stress reduced their personal productivity.

• 33% of respondents said at the time of responding they had some stress-related physical or mental condition.

• 72% said they experienced three or more stress-related physical or mental conditions simultaneously somewhat or very often.

• 34% said they expected to burn out on the job.

Countless deaths each year from heart disease and high blood pressure are directly related stress. Untold billions of dollars are lost through stress related illnesses, absenteeism, poor productivity and shoddy work. All of this means that the financial bottom line, the be-all and end-all of most businesses suffers as well.

With so much at stake and so much already lost or still to lose, is it any wonder that companies are now taking steps to slow down if not stop stress in the work place? Companies are learning that keeping employees healthy has an equally healthy effect on their bottom lines.

Companies such as Coors Brewing Company, Hershey Foods, Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo now offer educational courses and stress screenings, exercise programs in order to help lower employee stress. These companies and many more like them have realized that treating stress disorders now will save them further down the road.

While combating stress through education and exercise is the most common corporate approach to the problem, there have been other, more offbeat attempts to keep stress at bay. For example, H.J. Heinz, Marriott International and Toyota Motors offer employee programs for mind-body training and in-house massage therapy. Other companies have even gone so far as to offer t’ai chi therapy and hiring comedians to entertain employees during breaks.

In the Information Age companies of today where many employees sit in front of computer all day or lean over a desk messages are a great stress reliever. A complete message targets the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands and back which are the parts of the body most affected by tension and the general physical demands of working.

There’s still an undertone of sexual innuendo for some people when they hear the word massage. This is why companies that offer massages for their employees do it in a non-traditional manner. The massage therapists don’t use oil and the employee remains fully clothed. In fact, most on-site messages take place out in the open where others can watch.

Let’s face it. This is a matter of dollars and cents. On-site stress reduction and stress maintenance programs are cost effective ways to squeeze a little bit more productivity out of workers. By reducing the effects of tension, it

job.

Countless deaths each year from heart disease and high blood pressure are directly related stress. Untold billions of dollars are lost through stress related illnesses, absenteeism, poor productivity and shoddy work. All of this means that the financial bottom line, the be-all and end-all of most businesses suffers as well.

With so much at stake and so much already lost or still to lose, is it any wonder that companies are now taking steps to slow down if not stop stress in the work place? Companies are learning that keeping employees healthy has an equally healthy effect on their bottom lines.

Companies such as Coors Brewing Company, Hershey Foods, Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo now offer educational courses and stress screenings, exercise programs in order to help lower employee stress. These companies and many more like them have realized that treating stress disorders now will save them further down the road.

While combating stress through education and exercise is the most common corporate approach to the problem, there have been other, more offbeat attempts to keep stress at bay. For example, H.J. Heinz, Marriott International and Toyota Motors offer employee programs for mind-body training and in-house massage therapy. Other companies have even gone so far as to offer t’ai chi therapy and hiring comedians to entertain employees during breaks.

In the Information Age companies of today where many employees sit in front of computer all day or lean over a desk messages are a great stress reliever. A complete message targets the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands and back which are the parts of the body most affected by tension and the general physical demands of working.

There’s still an undertone of sexual innuendo for some people when they hear the word massage. This is why companies that offer massages for their employees do it in a non-traditional manner. The massage therapists don’t use oil and the employee remains fully clothed. In fact, most on-site messages take place out in the open where others can watch.

Let’s face it. This is a matter of dollars and cents. On-site stress reduction and stress maintenance programs are cost effective ways to squeeze a little bit more productivity out of workers. By reducing the effects of tension, it

rams in order to help lower employee stress. These companies and many more like them have realized that treating stress disorders now will save them further down the road.

While combating stress through education and exercise is the most common corporate approach to the problem, there have been other, more offbeat attempts to keep stress at bay. For example, H.J. Heinz, Marriott International and Toyota Motors offer employee programs for mind-body training and in-house massage therapy. Other companies have even gone so far as to offer t’ai chi therapy and hiring comedians to entertain employees during breaks.

In the Information Age companies of today where many employees sit in front of computer all day or lean over a desk messages are a great stress reliever. A complete message targets the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands and back which are the parts of the body most affected by tension and the general physical demands of working.

There’s still an undertone of sexual innuendo for some people when they hear the word massage. This is why companies that offer massages for their employees do it in a non-traditional manner. The massage therapists don’t use oil and the employee remains fully clothed. In fact, most on-site messages take place out in the open where others can watch.

Let’s face it. This is a matter of dollars and cents. On-site stress reduction and stress maintenance programs are cost effective ways to squeeze a little bit more productivity out of workers. By reducing the effects of tension, it

ver. A complete message targets the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands and back which are the parts of the body most affected by tension and the general physical demands of working.

There’s still an undertone of sexual innuendo for some people when they hear the word massage. This is why companies that offer massages for their employees do it in a non-traditional manner. The massage therapists don’t use oil and the employee remains fully clothed. In fact, most on-site messages take place out in the open where others can watch.

Let’s face it. This is a matter of dollars and cents. On-site stress reduction and stress maintenance programs are cost effective ways to squeeze a little bit more productivity out of workers. By reducing the effects of tension, it keeps employees on the job and working. That can only improve the bottom line.

Stress-reduction and stress-maintenance programs are not limited to large corporations. It is something businesses of all sizes should seriously consider because, not only is it a win-win situation for employer and employee, but it also feels good as well.

Copyright©2007 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.