WORKPLACE A little kindness soothes job stress, experts say

Work leaves many emotionally exhausted, according to surveys.
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Do you ever think about how people around you at work all day affect your ability to cope with life? Do they improve your emotional well-being or make it worse?
At a recent breakfast, Thomas Strauss, the chief executive officer of Summa Health System in Akron, spoke of the importance of caring for the emotional needs of people -- even in the workplace.
The conventional view is that people should leave their personal lives at home when they're at work. But Strauss sees that as unrealistic.
"We must acknowledge what is called the congruent life -- the unity between what people do for personal fulfillment and what they do for a living," he told an audience of 600. "People cannot be effective, and sometimes cannot even be present at work, when they're overwhelmed by emotional pain."
Of course, some people are stressed not so much by what's happening in their personal lives as by what's happening at work. Tight budgets often affect staffing levels, and that can lead to increased job pressure and work overload.
Feeling exhausted
In one survey last year, about 60 percent of 726 workers surveyed reported not having enough time or emotional energy for life outside work, according to consultant Mindy L. Gewirtz of Boston, who led the study. The survey mainly targeted women. In interviews, Gewirtz found a prevalence of marital problems related to job stress, uncertainty about the future and long hours away.
In another report last year, the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety noted that high levels of emotional exhaustion are the norm for 25 percent to 30 percent of the work force. The report concluded that "revolutionary changes" in the workplace have outpaced our ability to understand their implications.
On one hand, research links job characteristics, such as low levels of control, to stress and stress-related consequences, such as cardiovascular disease and psychological disorders. On the other hand, increased flexibility and learning opportunities can lead to greater satisfaction and less stress.
Signs of job stress include headaches, insomnia and low morale.
People problems
Some experts also note that long hours on the job don't necessarily cause stress.
"The principal cause of stress, unhappiness and depression in the workplace is bad managers," said Robert Hogan, a workplace psychologist based in Tulsa, Okla. "It is that straightforward. It's the first-line managers. There are all kinds of data showing that people who are primarily motivated by money are just mean, that they treat people like utilities."
That goes back to Strauss' point: that regardless of outside circumstances, there should be a culture in the workplace where people are treated kindly, and where their personal lives are taken into account. The challenge, which he acknowledged, is to get managers throughout an organization to go along. Often, he said, someone may just need words of compassion and understanding.