Workplace Stress and Technology
This article concerns a study of home and office workers and how theirlives and professional careers are impacted by technology and stress.Their study confirms that workplace stress has increased as technologicaladvances have increased, and indicates that workers are now allowingworkplace stress to invade their personal lives. The survey notes,"Technology is a double-edged sword that enhances workplace productivity atthe cost of increasing stress on workers" ("Technology," 1999). The goodnews regarding technology is that most workers (55 percent) feel moreproductive at work. However, the down side is that most of those workersalso feel more stressed at work (51 percent) due to technical glitches inemail, crashed computers losing documents, and voicemail. These workersseem overwhelmed with the technological advances invading most Americanworkplaces. While technology may make workers more productive, it alsoincreases their "need to know" knowledgebase, and can create additionalworkflow and management problems. Clearly, part of the stress is learningto operate and maintain a continual flow of new systems and procedures, andpart of the stress is managing problems that occur with technology w
If stresscontinues unabated, the worker will lose productivity, and this could leadto poor performance and more job stress. This is a dangerous position for mostorganizations, for increased stress can lead to costly injuries and illnessif left unchecked. There aremany other ways to reduce stress too, and some workplaces are encouragingtheir employees to de-stress by exercising during work hours, includingchildcare as a part of the benefit package, offering flex-time and moreholidays, and even bringing in a massage therapist periodically whoperforms free massages for all employees. Kensington's survey discovered "54 percent of workersfeel that trying to maintain a work-life balance is a great source ofadditional stress at work" ("Technology," 1999). If they can never truly removethemselves from their responsibilities at work, there is a much higherprevalence of stress and stress related injury in organizations that cannotallow their employees enough "down time" to rejuvenate and "de-stress"themselves. Sadly, the survey reveals that despite their adverse feelingsof stress at and outside of work, most employees feel there is "nothingthat can be done about stress -- that it's something people have to getused to" ("Technology," 1999). It is not only the ethicalthing to do; it is the moral thing to do. Many technological organizations promote a feeling of urgency intheir workforce that demands workers spend far longer than a "normal"workweek to complete their assignments, with some workers commonly working50-60 hour weeks, or even more. Another source of stress is attempting to maintain a balance betweenwork and home life. Ethically,the role of the employer is clear. The news is not all bad however. This ismore than a health issue; it is an ethical issue, for what is theemployer's ultimate role in stress' If they are literally making theirworkforce sick from stress, they have a moral and ethical obligation toreduce the stress on their workers while reducing health-related costs intheir company. Author and stress expert OdettePollar note, "'There are many things one can do to avoid unnecessary stressat work. What ethical issues are inherent with workplace stress' Clearly,there is the psychological issue of stress on the worker.
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Acceptance Essays
