Human Resources: Workplace stress

In an effort to tackle the problem of work related stress, the British Government has initiated a strategy to coincide with National Stress Awareness Day.

The scheme involves 80 organisations from central and local government and the health, education and financial services sectors.
Advisers from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) will be on hand to advise participants on ways of reducing stress and evaluation human resource and change management issues.

According to Acas chief executive John Taylor, 13 million work days are lost due to stress.

I used to work for a business consultancy that was very much in to "new age" working environment. Incense sticks, candles and crystal were everywhere. A photo of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe hung on one wall as he was considered our spirit guide. Each morning we started the day with a laugh in. We were required to sit around a table listening to a tape of laughter - and join in. In addition, each morning we would draw "Angel cards" and have to tell the others "how I feel today".

By the time you lit all the candles, incense sticks, worked out what you were going to say, participated in forced laughter, we were so short of bloody time we were nervous wrecks by lunchtime. Add to that the fact that the guy who owned the company was a disorganised nervous wreck who made everybody jumpy, it wasn't really a great success.

Mind you it did have it's advantages. I will never forget the look on the face of a down-to-earth, mature aged client from Texas, who walked into the office to be confronted by the sight of 10 females sitting cross legged on an Indian rug, getting in touch with the Goddess Within.