Study finds Job Performance most Heavily Impacted by Workplace Stress Levels

 According to a study released by the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), job performance is most affected by workplace stress which outranked financial worries or domestic problems on the self-reported ratings survey. Participants reported how often they were not careful at work, accomplished less than their coworkers, and got no work completed at all. The IBI study showed that ratings for each category declined as job stress increased. Just over two-thirds of employees who reported a stress-free workplace worked at an average or above average pace. In comparison, 41 percent of employees who reported working in an often stressful environment performed worse than average.

“Employers are between a rock and a hard place in dealing with workplace stress. On the one hand, the challenging economy translates into employees working longer hours and experiencing more stress at work. On the other hand, employers want a high-performing workforce,” said IBI President Thomas Parry.

The study, which included self-reported data for nearly 6,500 employees, also examined the link between the health of workers and their stress levels and discovered a direct correlation. Over one-quarter of employees (27 percent) who were in excellent health never experienced stress in the workplace, and 9 percent of that group said that they felt permanent or continual stress. Of the employees who were in fair to poor health, 15 percent said they experienced stress and 6 percent reporting being stress free.