The UK-based Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) recently released a report evaluating several programs aimed at reducing workplace stress. The findings concluded that management personnel had to work toward the right levels of involvement to successfully reduce job-related stress.
Specifically, the CIPD concluded that managers at various levels needed to understand, agree with and support the aims of a stress intervention program in order to serve as effective role models and convince employees of the project’s value.
In order to secure that kind of managerial involvement and commitment, the report concluded that selecting and effectively communicating a stress-reduction program’s message to both managers and employees is necessary.
The report notes that organizations may need to select tools to fit their particular culture, for example using statistics to underscore the need for a stress management program or naming it in a way that is consistent with the organization’s past programs.
To establish your own corporate wellness initiative, consider HeartMath’s Revitalize You! e-learning program, which may help employees learn techniques to reduce stress. It also makes a number of tools available.
Employees can benefit from the emWave2 handheld interactive device, which gives immediate feedback, allowing users to align their breathing and heart rhythms and reducing the negative effects of stress.
