Case Study

Case Study

Case Study

Introduction

It is fair to say that mental distress is the workplace epidemic of the day.  The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in the number and length of these claims with the related direct cost to employers.  Employees who are off work must be replaced.  Premiums for disability insurance and sick time costs have soared.  Court actions frequently contain claims for mental distress, often based on the stress suffered by an employee before quitting.  Probably the biggest cost is the hidden one:  the lost productivity from stressed-out workers who don't make a claim, but keep working.

 In this paper, several different (but often related) aspects of mental stress in the workplace will be reviewed.  Whether in relation to Worker's Compensation, Occupational Health and Safety, Human Rights, or common law court claims, the employer must take careful note of the issues because, in each case, the basis of the claim is expanding, not contracting.  It is likely that, if unchecked, the incidents will continue to rise, as will the attendant costs (Drake 1999).

 While it is important to consider the issues to understand the potential claims, prevention is the best pro-active approach, and so some strategies for recognizing and avoiding/correcting stress situations will be reviewed as well.

  

A Definition of “Stress”

No one will deny feeling under “stress” from time to time, whether in the context of a family gathering, a marriage, or a workplace.  Everyone faces deadlines and crises, large and small.  Most develop their own methods of handling that stress that suits their personality, and experts tell us that some “healthy stress” is good for us.  We thrive on it, and may be energized and motivated by it. The difficulty arises when the level of stress rises to the point that we are overwhelmed by it, and in those situations, the human body may react negatively, both mentally and physically (McColgan 2003).

 For the purposes of this paper, we can consider that the negative stress felt in a workplace occurs when we can no longer “handle” or be energized by the pressure.  It is the harmful physical and emotional response that occurs when there is conflict between meeting job demands and the control that the employee has over meeting those demands.  When the demands of the job and the effect of the work environment exceed the individual's capacity to adapt, and the person has little control over the situation, workplace stress results. When the requirements of the job are beyond the capabilities, resources or needs of the employee, stress occurs.  In short, the employee can't cope.

  

Sources of Stress

It may be that stresses of the past seem to diminish as our memory fades, but it certainly seems that the demands of the workplace in general have increased dramatically over the last decade or so.   The pace of work has been increased by communication tools like the internet and e-mail.  The opportunity to require longer hours of work was reflected in the Employment Standards Act, ...