Employees and supervisors alike have a tendency to be distracted or stressed out due to excessive or poorly worded emails from coworkers, according to a recent article on DynamicBusiness.com.

Electronic communication has become so prevalent in the modern workplace – and use has been accelerated even more by the ubiquitous Blackberry and iPhone – that it has become the first mode that individuals turn to when they have a problem or query.

Paradoxically, the more emails we get, the more we ignore and information ends up getting lost in translation.

“Poorly worded emails, along with the expectation that the receiver responds immediately, are causes of increased workplace stress. This situation has led to email being named the third major reason for workplace stress, behind organizational change and competing deadlines,” said Greg Crowther, a supervisor at Australia-based consulting firm Callidus Partners, quoted by the source.

People-Communicating.com recommends keeping emails succinct, and saving more in-depth questions or issues until there is a chance to speak in person. Also, try not to get carried away by copying every relevant person on an email, include only those who are absolutely necessary. Finally, the website recommends proofreading communication before hitting send to avoid typos or superfluous information.

Employee wellness programs that include resources for stress management may also be a useful distraction for workers who become overwhelmed by their inboxes.

In a study of about 200 employees who had witnessed an angry outburst from another worker in the past, it was found that supervisors who reacted with compassion achieved better results overall than those who simply fired the hot-tempered individual, according to researchers at Temple University Fox School of Business.

The team of scientists theorized that managers who did not sanction the employee took actions to solve the initial problem, and took into consideration that they may have played a role in the worker’s anger.

“Some of the most transformational conversations come about through expressed anger,” said lead author Deanna Geddes.

She added that even one act of understanding on the part of a manager had potential to lead to reduced workplace stress.

These findings suggest that interventions like employee wellness programs may be the simple step needed to control aggression in the workplace. If workers are made to feel valued and given the appropriate tools and resources to manage stress, it may help reduce instances of outbursts and strengthen employee performance.

Past research has shown that chronic stress has the physiological effect of shortening telomeres, which are small pieces of DNA that protect chromosomes from degrading.

Now, a team of researchers at the University of California has discovered that even moderate amounts of physical exercise may protect these important pieces of DNA.

“Telomere length is increasingly considered a biological marker of the accumulated wear and tear of living, integrating genetic influences, lifestyle behaviors and stress,” said Elissa Epel, Ph.D., study co-author.

The team tested their theories on a group of 62 post-menopausal women who were enduring the stress of caring for an ill loved one. They reported their physical activity and perceived stress at the end of each day, then researchers examined the immune cells in blood samples from the participants.

They found that while stress did degrade telomeres in the more sedentary women, the individuals who regularly stayed active retained the integrity of their DNA.

Results of this study suggest that workplace stress may be effectively reduced when a staff is motivated to get active. Employee wellness programs that encourage exercise may help aid employers in achieving a healthier workforce.

In honor of Stress Awareness Month, researchers and experts at HeartMath have compiled five little-known facts about anxiety and how it may affect physical health and decision-making skills.

Even minor stress has the ability to cause a rush of 1,400 biochemical events in the body. This may lead to early age-related decline and impaired cognition, as well as lack of energy and lucidity.

Moreover, stress has the ability to cause ‘cortical inhibition’ in the brains of affected individuals. This diminishes a person’s capacity to reason and make good decisions, and may lead to mistakes in the workplace.

Some people are so stressed that they don’t even realize that they’re stressed. When tension becomes so common that an individual becomes accustomed to feelings of anxiousness, the health effects can build up and lead to a more serious illness.

Fortunately, it’s possible for people to put their bodies and minds at ease through stress management techniques. Research has shown time and again that responses to stress can be diminished by simple solutions.

Additionally, it’s always best to deal with stressors right away. It may be too late to reverse the effects of stress if one waits until the weekend to take the time to relax.

In light of these facts, it may be a good idea for employers to consider implementing employee wellness programs to reduce workplace stress and improve their staff’s health and well-being.

Programs aimed at improving employee health and well-being are common in large corporations. However, a new study suggests that small businesses can reap the benefits as well.

Researchers evaluated the best practices of a small Nebraska company’s wellness program, which included health awareness as well as encouraging personal responsibility, physical activity, a healthy diet and community involvement. Additionally, the company focused on fostering job satisfaction.

The team of researchers from the Health Enhancement Research Organization found that 99 percent of the company’s employees attended health screenings, and many took advantage of the wellness programs provided. Previous evaluations of the small business revealed that it had lower instances of employee tobacco use, reduced workers’ compensation costs and lower-than-average healthcare expenditures.

“These findings clearly indicate the dramatic consequences that small employer wellness programs can have on multiple domains of well-being, such as physical health, emotional health and healthy behaviors of employees,” said James E. Pope M.D., co-author of the study.

Results of the study suggest that the initial investment of implementing an employee wellness program may be worth it – even when the business is small.

The Mayo Clinic reports that chronic stress may lead to mental disorders like depression. Now, a new study suggests that untreated depression may cause a weakened immune system, which can mean an increased risk of a whole slew of diseases.

University of California, San Francisco researchers conducted a clinical trial which reveals that people with major depressive disorder who do not seek treatment may have shortened DNA sections called telomeres. The degradation of these complexes has been linked to an early onset of age-related decline.

“As if feeling depressed is not bad enough, we are finding that long-term depression may be associated with damage to cells in the body, and this may predispose patients to certain physical diseases,” said lead author Owen Wolkowitz, M.D.

Authors note that the good news is that healthy lifestyle interventions – like changes in diet and increase in physical activity – have the ability to strengthen telomeres.

After observing a rise in the number of Caesarean sections over the past 30 years, a Swedish midwife conducted a study to find the cause and discovered that women who are stressed or not getting adequate sleep are at significant risk for the emergency operation.

However, the researcher, Anne-Marie Wangel, reported that women who sought medical intervention for their worries had average chances of a C-section.

“If we had a system to identify these women and offer them special support sessions with a social worker or psychologist, we probably would be able to reduce the number of emergency C-sections,” Wangel said.

The midwife is now developing ways to determine which pregnant women are most at risk for stress and mental disorders.

Since many women continue to work well into their pregnancy, the workplace may be a good environment to begin staving off stress. Organizations that provide employee wellness programs for workers – pregnant or not – may effectively reduce workplace stress and keep their staff happy and healthy.