Although the three assessments were somewhat insightful, they really just reminded me how vital it is that we manage our health and stress. About 3 years ago my body had a full on crash from a very stressful year abroad. After a flight from Lebanon(where I was living) to London for a layover as I was trying to make it back to the states for a friend’s wedding, I spent 5 days in London having the worst crash physically of my life. I do not recommend this. Basically my body was no longer able to respond to any situations or differentiate between them, but was locked in fight or flight mode, for 24 hours for 5 days. After lots of sedation medication and two friends flying in to help try to get me back to the states for further treatment, I was able to make it back. It has been a long road, but I’m so thankful that I know what I know now about how to listen to my body, make time for rest and exercise, and how to mentally process stressful situations in a more healthy manner. If anything, the Holmes-Rahe stress inventory test reminded me how everyday normal life transitions that we go through contribute to our stress levels and they can add up quickly.
After doing some research, it looks like organizations now more than ever, especially during and after Covid-19, are recognizing the impact employee health and stress can have on overall productivity. Not only that, they see the value in investing in their employees whether providing additional personal days off, having unlimited PTO, offering apps that focus on meditation and mindfulness, having built in stretch breaks or encouraging health through different wellness programs. Some companies like Volkswagen, in an effort to promote a healthy work-life balance for their employees, have implemented that from 6:15 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. their server will not route emails to individual accounts. LinkedIn has scheduled mindfulness zoom calls that employees can join in on during the week to address mental health issues. I think we are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making a cultural wide impact in regards to stress, health and work-life balance. However, I think it is encouraging to see organizations who are offering employees programs and changing the perspective of “the grind” mentality, to one that is more holistic, which will reap benefits not only for these organizations, but also for their employees’ lives overall.
5 ways companies are supporting employees’ Mental Health and Preventing Burnout. LinkedIn. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-engagement/ways-companies-support-mental-health-and-prevent-burnout
How 3 companies are helping employees cope with stress. Workest. (2020, March 30). Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.zenefits.com/workest/how-3-companies-are-helping-employees-cope-with-stress/
Workplace stress: A silent killer of employee health and productivity. RSS. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/workplace-stress-silent-killer-employee-health-productivity
