Two interesting research finding on Stress at Workplace -
The first study pertains to a recent research study done by Michael
Ford1, family-supportive workplaces and the influence of supervisors
-- good or bad -- on employee health.
While work scored above everything when it came
to the biggest stressor in life, Supervisors at workplace were found to have
maximum contribution to the same. A bad and an abusive supervisor can add a
great deal of stress in an employee’s life.
This
stress for sure spills over to personal life and has negative impact on
marriage, kids, food choices, lifestyle, health hazards like obesity and
cardiovascular diseases. It can even hamper the lives of the family members.
A supervisor
who simply listens to the employees and can provide emotional support to them
at times of need is a huge support at workplace but also a rarity.
Another
research done by Prof. Randolph Barker2 and his five member research
team at Virginia Commonwealth University’s business school found that letting
employees bring their dogs at workplace substantially reduces their stress and
also makes them feel more satisfied about their work. Dogs may be a great buffer
to the impact of workplace stress and can inspire greater personal interactions
among employees.
I never
knew ‘Dogs’ could have such an impact on stress-levels at workplace.
Dogs are
no simple creatures. Take dog’s waging tail for instance. Dogs wag their tail
to communicate strong emotions like agitation, annoyance, displeasure or
happiness. A person gets bitten by a dog when he makes mistakes in interpreting
the waging tail.
So make no mistake, there is a science to a dog’s tail especially
when it wags! Love or hate, follow the Dog!!!
1. Prof. Michael Ford is an assistant professor of
psychology at the University at Albany-State University of New York, and his
research was funded by U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, and presented in a Conference on ‘Work,
Stress and Health 2013: Protecting and Promoting Total Worker Health’ ( May
16-19, 2013, Los Angeles).
2. Prof. Barker’s research was published in the
International Journal of Workplace health Management in 2012.
