A few decades ago, sexual harassment was a common workplace issue. Over the years, programs were put in place to protect workers from its impact. However, the 2011 Work, Stress and Health conference addressed a different problem contributing to workplace stress, namely bullying. The website Management-Issues.com reports that in the U.S., bullying is now four times more prevalent than sexual harassment.

The site defines workplace bullying as threats, innuendo or deliberate isolation of a colleague. A May Monster Global poll found that this is a worldwide problem.Of 517 workers surveyed across the globe, 64 percent admitted to being bullied, either physically or emotionally, to the point where it was affecting their job performance, according to the website.

The Workplace Bullying Institute is a non-profit dedicated to helping those who feel alienated at work. The organization recommends a three-step approach to dealing with a workplace bully. First, admit that you are being bullied, second, take time off to plan a strategy against the him or her and, finally, expose the harassing person to your employer and demand that action be taken.

An article in the New York Daily News suggests that employees who are “lucky” enough to keep their jobs while their organization makes layoffs may be worse off than the individuals who get cut.

The writer, Carolyn Kepcher, cites the findings of a book titled Turbulence: Boeing and the State of American Workers and Managers, in which researchers infiltrated a company to observe what happens to employees who stay with an organization that is handing out pink slips.

The investigators found that the workers who kept their jobs had higher rates of binge drinking and depression, when compared to individuals who were laid off.

However, Kepcher points out that adversity oftentimes leads to change.

“Hard times call for innovative solutions, which often means a willingness to let go of cherished routines and processes in favor of ones that work with far less people,” she wrote.

This is not to negate the intense effects of workplace stress that can occur in unstable times. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety reports that anxiety can take a toll on a person’s physical and mental well-being.

As a result, organizations that are experiencing layoffs may want to consider employee wellness programs that provide stress management techniques to staff members who remain a valuable asset to the company.

Extensive studies have shown that a happy, fulfilled, stress-free employee is a productive worker who is loyal to their organization.

Now, researchers at the Aragon Institute of Health Sciences in Spain have identified three factors that often stand in the way of employee wellness.

One type of burnout stems from a staff member being overworked, which the authors defined as working more than 40 hours per week. They referred to this subset as “frenetic.”

The second category they identified the “under-challenged” worker. These employees often have occupations which require them to do tedious, non-stimulating jobs that offer no opportunity for advancement.

According to the authors, employees who are “worn out” are those who have held the same position for a long period of time. As a result, they begin to get lax about their responsibilities and get stuck in a rut due to a lack of recognition from supervisors.

“Having a family, partner or children can act as a protective ‘cushion,’ because when people finish their day at work they leave their workplace worries behind them and focus on other kinds of tasks,” said lead author Jesus Montero-Marin.

When a honeybee is exposed to a stressful situation, it tends to look at life with a less-than positive attitude, according to researchers at Newcastle University.

Further examining stress and how it affects an individual’s physical and mental conditions, the team of scientists put half of a group of bees in a situation that mimicked what would occur if their hive were being attacked by a honey badger.

When compared to insects that endured no trauma, the stressed-out bees were less likely to try to drink a liquid which smelled bitter. The researchers concluded that the traumatizing event made the honeybees less optimistic.

“Bees stressed by a simulated predator attack exhibit pessimism mirroring that seen in depressed and anxious people,” said lead author Geraldine Wright.

Study authors noted that the bees’ response to stress was much like that seen in humans, dogs, cats and rodents

The GfK US Employee Engagement Benchmark 2011 Survey findings recently revealed that talented and educated employees are the most stressed and therefore may be more likely to leave a company at the end of the economic recession.

The researchers reported that employees who hold PhDs are the most engaged in their careers – at about 38 percent – but that they also feel the most pressure about job security, long hours, resources and maintaining a work-life balance.

During a recession, companies have a tendency to cut corners and do not make investments in employee wellness. Authors noted that this may lead to disengagement of talented employees, who would be likely to seek job opportunities with other organizations when the recession ends.

“Engaged employees are a companies’ most valuable asset, and addressing the pressures that more educated employees face is crucial to keeping them engaged and not seeking employment elsewhere,” said Thomas Hartley, vice president of GfK Customer Loyalty and Employee Engagement.