New Report Busts 'Stress Means Success' Myth

NEW YORK, March 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers who consistently curse their packed diaries, late nights at the office, and back-to-back meetings could actually be the least productive - not the most successful - employees in an organization, according to a new report.

A new study, compiled by international employee health and performance experts Global Corporate Challenge (GCC), compared self-reported productivity between stressed and non-stressed employees and found that only 63% of stressed workers reported above average productivity*, while 87% of their non-stressed counterparts felt that their productivity levels were above average.   

The stirring results challenge the misconception that stress is often a natural (or even positive) marker of successful, driven employees. They accompany a number of eye-opening findings from the report, the latest in the performance leader's series of GCC Insights papers, based on aggregate data drawn from employees in 185 countries.

In addition to the correlation between stress and productivity, the paper revealed that one in every three employees (36%) reported feeling above average stress, with a further 39% reporting moderate levels of workplace stress. Women also reported feeling more stressed than men, both from work and home sources.

GCC's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Batman, said, "In an increasingly complex and demanding workplace, stress at work has become the modern back pain - commonly present, little understood, full of misconceptions and often unrecognized or talked about."

Dr. Batman said stigma still surrounds mental health and highlighted the need to increase awareness. "There's still a lot of educating to be done when it comes to tackling psychological problems like stress, anxiety and depression," he added. "This paper not only gives insight into these problems, it also provides a simple and effective solution and demonstrates the effectiveness of the GCC in helping both employees and businesses become more resilient.''

More than 1.5 million employees and some of the world's most recognized brands have benefited from the GCC's international health program over the past 12 years, which means GCC Insights reports are based on some of the largest and most diverse employee samples available.

This GCC Insights paper also provides practical advice about how employers can identify and tackle stress - largely a hidden and often stigmatized workplace issue - and highlights how the right approach to physical and mental health results in a more resilient and productive workforce.  

Glenn Riseley - Founder and President of the GCC - said, "Workplace stress is an issue that is increasingly becoming a 'whole-body problem,' it's having a chronic and escalating impact on performance across every employee population.

"Equipping employees to cope and respond to pressure in a positive way is one of the most important things an organization can do."

The full GCC Insights report, 'Stress - the hidden threat in every workplace', is available on request. Please email [email protected]. 

*Statistics derived from participants who completed GCC 2014's pre-event, mid-event and post-event online survey.

Media enquiries

For more information, contact Glenn Riseley, Founder and President at +61 418 567 561 or [email protected]

About GCC INSIGHTS

GCC Insights draws upon the latest aggregated health information and outcomes shared by the 1.5 million employees that have successfully completed the GCC's award-winning health and performance program.

These insights from 4,500 of the world's leading companies across 185 countries, combined with the latest independent research in the fields of human performance, provide employers with new perspectives and practical recommendations to improve the health and performance of their workforce.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150305/179765

SOURCE GCC

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