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CONTACT:
Julie Olian
760-203-1133
julie@trademarketplace.com
Stress Management is Crucial for Employee Wellness…
WorkSMART FIGHTS WORK STRESS
EPIDEMIC
LA JOLLA, Ca. --- February 28, 2006--America
is facing a new epidemic---work stress---a quiet killer
that contributes to the six top causes of death: heart
disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis
of the liver and suicide.* With estimates from The
American Academy of Family Physicians noting that
60% of all doctor visits involve stress related symptoms,
the problem of job stress has substantial personal
and professional costs. The Harvard Business Review
(November 2005) estimates that businesses lose more
than $300 billion annually in stress-related productivity,
health care and absenteeism costs. As a result, corporate
wellness experts are now recognizing the importance
of stress management programs to curb office stress
and establish a healthier work/life balance while
improving productivity, job satisfaction and employee
retention.
Introducing the WorkSMART
program, a practical and effective stress management
toolkit created by Dr. Jean McPhee. Dr. McPhee, Ph.D.,
is a Stanford-educated psychologist who has also studied
extensively at the Mind/Body Medical Institute of
Harvard University School of Medicine. Like Peak Performance
training used by world-class athletes, WorkSMART teaches
relaxation techniques that leverage the critical connection
between mind and body. In just 15 minutes a day, WorkSMART
provides effective strategies to manage job stress
and improve productivity. The program includes guided
audio exercises, a training log and practice drills
to relax, manage stress, improve work performance
and create a better work environment.
“After years of treating clients with a variety
of stress complaints, I decided to create a simple,
time-efficient program that lets people take charge
of their stress levels and reduce the physical impacts
of work related stress,” says Dr. McPhee. “WorkSMART
helps people find solutions within themselves by teaching
them how to trigger their own natural abilities to
relax.”
WorkSMART is the first multi-faceted program designed
to reduce job stress while fitting easily into the
work environment. It is built upon thirty years of
research based on the discoveries of Dr. Herbert Benson,
President of Harvard’s Mind/Body Medical Institute.
WorkSMART guides listeners on how to recognize stress---and
the situations that trigger it---and then offers clear,
manageable strategies to reduce stress for greater
physical and emotional well-being.
“WorkSMART skills improve performance by helping
people stay focused and in control of their emotions,
allowing them to work more efficiently,” continued
Dr. McPhee. “The program fits easily into the
workday schedule, with audio exercises that can be
completed in just 15 minutes...the time it takes for
a coffee break.”
In a review of the WorkSMART program, Peg Baim, Clinical
Director for the Center of Training at the Mind/Body
Medical Institute, says, " WorkSMART is smart.
The clear presentation of audio and visual instruction
engages the participant to make relaxation a meaningful
part of everyday living. WorkSMART also teaches people
to recognize their stress-producing habits. It then
offers clear, manageable strategies that build more
serviceable thoughts and behaviors that result in
greater physical and emotional well-being.”
WorkSMART is available to individuals through www.smartperformanceworks.com
for $34.95, plus shipping and handling. The WorkSMART
Curriculum Guide is also available for corporate managers
to lead on-site groups through stress management training.
Further information may be obtained by contacting
SMARTPerformance, 800-609-9225 or
info@smartperformanceworks.com.
# # #
“The Stress Solution: An Active Plan to
Manage Stress in Your Life,” Lyle H. Miller,
Ph.D. and Alma Dell Smith, Ph.D.
NOTES
More than
$300 billion is lost annually due to stress-related
productivity, health care, and absenteeism costs
- The Harvard Business Review (November 2005),
40% of
all workers report stress related anxiety, depression
and disease
- National Institute for Occupational Safety &
Health (NIOSH)
More than
1/3 of Americans say they have had an illness that
was primarily caused by stress
- The American Psychological Association
60% of
all doctor visits involve stress related symptoms
- The American Academy of Family Physicians
In 1999,
anxiety related disorders cost the U.S. $42 billion
a year in work-related medical costs.
- National Institute of Mental Health
Researchers
have linked stress as a contributor to the six leading
causes of death—heart disease, cancer, lung
ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.
-“The Stress Solution: An Active Plan to
Manage Stress in Your Life,”
Lyle H. Miller, Ph.D. and Alma Dell Smith, Ph.D.
High levels
of hostility have been found to predict heart disease
more often than high cholesterol, cigarette smoking
or obesity.
- Health Psychology
November 2002
The cost
of workplace stress is enormous, contributing to corporate
health insurance premiums that skyrocketed four times
the rate of inflation to over 11% in 2004 alone.
- The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Stressed
workers incur annual health care costs that are $600
more per person than non-stressed workers, the personal,
professional and economic impacts of the work stress
epidemic.
- NIOSH
43 percent
of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress
- Lyle H. Miller, Ph.D. and Alma Dell Smith, Ph.D.
Work-related
stress can double one’s risk of dying from heart
disease.
- British Medical Journal, 2002
Having good mental health helps you make good decisions
and deal with life’s challenges at home, work
and school. – American Psychology Association,
1998
NOTES
FROM THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGY ASSOCIATION 2004 NATIONAL
SURVEY
• 45% of workers list job insecurity has a significant
impact on work stress levels
• 61% of workers list heavy workloads as a significant
impact on work stress levels
• Executives and managers tend to have the most
stressful jobs, while self-employed workers are the
least stressed.
• A majority of workers (52%) are more stressed
because of work than home54% of workers are concerned
about health problems caused by stress
• One in four workers, have taken a mental health
day off from work to cope with stress.
• 62% of Americans say work has a significant
impact on stress levels.
• 73% of Americans name money as the number
one factor that affects their stress level.
• 54% of Americans are concerned about the level
of stress in their everyday lives.
QUOTES
“Businesses
used to think productivity was only a function of
how motivated the employee was…Today, research
is showing that a person’s physical and emotional
well-being is often a more accurate measure of how
productive he or she is going to be.”
Dr. Norman Anderson, CEO
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGY ASSOCIATION
“It is critical that companies do something
to address the rampant negative effects of workplace
stress if they want to compete, effectively….fortunately,
each of us holds the key for managing stress, and
leaders who learn to do this and help their employees
do likewise can tap into enormous productivity and
potential.”
Herbert Benson
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
November 2005
“Employers [must] combat staggering health care
costs, which consume more than 15 percent of our gross
domestic product, or approximately $1.85 trillion,
by shifting the focus to prevention and wellness and
tackling things like stress, absenteeism and injury
in the process”
Melissa Chessher
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, NEWHOUSE SCHOOL
October 2005
“Nearly
one million employees miss work each day because of
workplace stress.”
FORTUNE
January 24, 2005
“A
vast literature ties excess or chronic stress to reduced
immunity, hypertension, coronary artery disease, increased
risk of heat attack and stroke, and many other disorders.
Stress is now considered as much of a risk factor
as smoking, overweight, or lack of exercise for a
variety of diseases.”
CONSUMER REPORTS
November 2005
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