Spotlight                                                   Fear, Stress and Work Terrorism, war, layoffs, an economic downturn, a constricted job market, depleted retirement accounts, skyrocketing healthcare costs and the usual plethora of modern day demands such as juggling employment, parenting, and perhaps geriatric care giving responsibilities; these are the things on many employee minds when they show up to begin their workday.  Remarkably, most American workers, with a characteristic can do attitude, have remained quite productive over the past two years. However, astute employers would do well not to ignore the impact of sustained, enhanced levels of stress. The fact is, more American workers are experiencing more stress related to basic survival concerns than perhaps at any time since World War II. Maybe some of you remember from a management or psychology course, Maslow’s Pyramid in which he summarized human needs in a hierarchy from physical needs (shelter, food, water, exercise) at the base followed by safety needs (protection against danger, threat) and continuing on up to higher order needs such as social competencies, esteem, and self actualization at the pinnacle.  When terrorism, war and poor economic conditions become pervasive concerns, primitive fight-flight reaction patterns associated with basic physical needs and safety concerns are more likely to predominate than is the case during tranquil times. The resulting stress can interfere with many of the higher order functions that are critical components of contemporary work requirements. What to do?  Employers can take a few simple steps to help employees make the transition from stressed preoccupation to productive work. One way is to develop a plan of action should there be a disaster. Such a plan should reflect concern for employees and their families, including steps for dealing with onsite security requirements and protocols for communicating with loved ones. Maximizing employee input into plan development is likely to help employees regain a sense of order and control, as well as to foster appreciation of the companies level of overall concern.  There is also no better time to emphasize health, safety and wellness programs. In addition to tried and true stress management techniques such as exercise and good nutrition innovative stress management trainings can help employees learn to segment their worry time into productive, realistic worry sessions that focus on the actual completion plausible preparations. Naturally, they also need to learn how to turn off the worry and move on. Its important for us all to remember that work can actually become a healthy oasis of focused activity in which employees may regain a sense of motivation, mastery, and competency. Applied Human Science offers specialized training programs that can help both managers and employees handle the multiple sources of stress associated with contemporary life more effectively. To explore a training program, call 1-315-345-7329.