Under Pressure

Employee stress can kill your company’s productivity and profits. Here are some strategies to keep it under control.

Stress, as nearly everyone knows these days, can be a killer. When not dealt with properly, it can lead to everything from headaches, an upset stomach, and insomnia to, on a more serious level, chronic colds and infections, high blood pressure, heart disease, and even forms of cancer.

While that may seem like bad news, it only gets worse when you consider the effect that employee stress has on companies. According to a study by the Northwestern Life Insurance firm, seven out of every 10 U.S. workers say that job stress causes frequent health problems and makes them less productive. Forty-six percent of the study’s respondents reported their job was very stressful, 34 percent had thought of quitting their jobs, and 14 percent actually left because of stress. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that workers who must take time off work because of stress, anxiety, or a related disorder will be off the job for about 20 days. And the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine notes that health care expenditures are nearly 50 percent greater for workers who report high levels of stress.

In short, it’s a big problem—and one that goes straight to your bottom line. What can you do about it?

Signals and sources

First, it pays to understand a little about stress and its role in the body. Stress is actually a deep-seated human survival mechanism; a tense situation triggers the stress response, which prepares us to confront or flee a possible danger. Stress also can be divided into two basic categories: acute and chronic. Acute stress prepares to fight-or-flee response, and is generally short term (a few hours or, in some situations, a few weeks). In contrast, chronic stress lasts much longer, and is the culprit behind stress-related health problems.

What are some warning signals that employees are suffering from chronic stress? Good question. It’s not always easy to see the signs, as each person is different and will react to stressors in a unique way. That said, you can start with the two classic symptoms: absenteeism and diminished productivity. Beyond those, employees with chronic stress can be depressed or moody. They may have low energy, show increased aggression, display quick tempers, and be prone to a greater-than-normal amount of errors.

As for what causes stress in the workplace, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, the federal agency responsible for research and recommendations for the prevention of work-related illness and injury prevention) has outlined a number of working conditions that can lead to chronic stress problems:

Task design—heavy workloads, infrequent rest breaks, and long hours
Management issues—poor communication in the organization and a lack of family-friendly policies
Interpersonal relationships—an unsupportive social environment
Work roles—conflicting or uncertain job expectations, too much responsibility
Career concerns—job insecurity, lack of opportunity for advancement or promotion
Environmental/physical conditions—crowding, noise, air pollution, or ergonomic problems.

Prevention

NIOSH defines a “healthy organization” as one with low rates of illness, injury, and disability in its workforce and which is also competitive in the marketplace. The agency also notes that such companies usually share some combination of these characteristics:

Recognition of employees for good work performance
Opportunities for career development
An organizational culture that values the individual worker
Management actions that are consistent with organizational values.

So, with all that in mind, here are some ways to de-stress your workplace and help build a physically—and fiscally—healthy company:

Provide options such as flex-time, telecommuting, and child care services, which can all help employees find a balance between their work and personal lives.
Hold stress-management workshops and seminars for employees.
Provide access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), which offer confidential, short-term, counseling services that can help employees cope with stressors. By some estimates, nearly half of all large U.S. companies now provide some type of stress-management training and EAPs for their workforces.
Set realistic goals and priorities for employees.
Encourage effective time-management techniques. Feeling rushed and playing catch-up are major sources of stress.
Allow employees to feel included in the company’s decision-making processes. Doing so can make them feel that their participation and insights are valuable to the operation.
Take time to listen to employee concerns. Again, the key is to make employees feel that they are valuable parts of the organization.
Display fairness—employees who perceive their managers to be fair and evenhanded will be less stressed.
Offer skill-based training opportunities for employees and, if possible, help them see that their current position has career potential.
Persuade employees to get into a wellness program, whether personal or company-sponsored. This could involve joining an exercise program, eating right, and avoiding unhealthy activities.

www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/WL00064 --offers a workplace stress self-assessment, along with a link to the Mayo Clinic’s Stress Center
http://stress.about.com/od/stressbasics --a compendium of information on stress and stress management
www.mindtools.com/smpage.html --another collection of stress-management information and resources
www.helpguide.org/mental/burnout_signs_symptoms.htm --a thorough guide to the symptoms and prevention of burnout.

News, notes, and information from all over.

Thanks in part to a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC) has established a new Institute for Computer Security and Forensics. The institute is a two-year initiative to train key IT staff from nonprofit organizations in techniques to secure computer/technology systems, and to train law enforcement and criminal justice systems staff in information security, computer forensics, and procedures for digital investigations. MCTC is also offering new degree programs in computer security and forensics beginning this fall.

Is your operation RoHS compliant? Not if it’s like the majority of manufacturers around the country. That’s the result of a new study of manufacturing firms which tracks the implementation of the EU directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical or electronic equipment sold or used in the European Union after July 1, 2006. (The substances are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers.) According to Arena Solutions, a Foster City, Calif., provider of product lifecycle management software, 83 percent of the study’s respondents couldn’t demonstrate compliance or due diligence for RoHS based on their documentation-management capabilities. In addition, 59 percent of respondents reported that they lack a good understanding of RoHS regulations or how to demonstrate compliance and due diligence, and 60 percent of respondents are not confident that they can track all parts and materials in their products or that they can verify compliance independently of any regulatory requirement. To see the full study results and a free online assessment tool, go to www.arenasolutions.com/internal_campaigns/active_campaigns/
rohs_poll_webinar/701000000004i4a_banner/poll.html.

Big change on the state’s kefir-manufacturing scene: Lifeway Foods of Morton Grove, Ill., has acquired Sauk Centre-based Helios Nutrition. For the short term at least, Helios-brand kefir will continue to be manufactured under Lifeway’s direction from Helios’ 25,000-square-foot facility in Sauk Centre, and all Helios employees, including CEO George Economy, will be retained.

Eden Prairie-based Ontrack Data Recovery has opened a full-service recovery laboratory and cleanroom facility in Moscow. The Russian facility is the company’s second office in the Central and Eastern European region (along with Katowice, Poland), and continues its recent expansion efforts on that continent. Ontrack also recently acquired Ibas Holdings ASA, a Norwegian provider of data recovery, data erasure, and computer forensics services, and now has facilities in more than 20 countries.

Closer to home TÜV America Inc., a global testing and certification services firm, has opened a new state-of-the-art environmental testing facility at its Twin Cities location in New Brighton. The new laboratory, which features equipment that can perform dynamic, climatic, and package testing to national, international and industry-based standards, is targeted at manufacturers of aerospace, defense, medical, IT, and automotive industry products.

Renewable and alternative energy news from around the state:

Several counties around Minnesota are looking to get in on the state’s burgeoning wind-powered energy market. The Metropolitan Counties Energy Task Force (www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/metro.html) a consortium of officials from Anoka, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, and Washington Counties, has begun working on a plan with a goal of delivering 120 to 150 megawatts of wind power energy from rural Minnesota to the Twin Cities metro area. The group recently visited several wind farms and alternative fuel-industry facilities around southern Minnesota. Costs for developing the plan are estimated at up to $300 million.
An article in the Mesabi Daily News noted that Mountain Iron has been working to position itself as a potential site for a new wind turbine-blade manufacturing plant. The Mountain Iron City Council also recently approved accepting $500,000 for infrastructure to create a renewable energy park (the funds will come from the state bonding bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature last spring).
The Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co. has broken ground on a new biomass gasification operation at the ethanol plant’s facility west of Benson. According to the company, the plant will produce gas on site using corn stover (part of the plant remaining after the grain harvest), distillers dried grains, corn, wheat straw, and wood wastes.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider using Minnesota as a test site for FlexTek E-85 fuel conversion kits (fuel converters that can be installed on vehicles, allowing users to choose between fueling up with ethanol, gasoline, or a mixture of both.) The governor also has noted that he wants to offer tax breaks for low- and moderate-income families who want to convert their vehicles to run on ethanol.

Faribault-based Sage Electrochromics recently announced that its electronically tintable SageGlass product will be the focus of a “learning lab” at Twin Lakes Elementary School in Elk River. Students at the new, $18 million school, which is scheduled to open in 2007, will conduct energy- and temperature-related comparisons between their SageGlass-equipped science center and other classrooms with conventional windows and shading. The school features numerous applications of SageGlass, along with a variety of other energy-saving features.

A pair of Twin Cities-area companies recently celebrated significant milestones:

Last month, Oakdale-based Imation celebrated it’s 10 th anniversary. The firm got its start as a spinoff of 3M’s floppy disk, storage tape, and imaging division.
White Bear Lake-based Wilson Tool International is celebrating its 40 th year in business The 700-employee company, which has facilities in Swindon, England, and Shanghai, China, supplies tools to the sheet metal punching, bending, and stamping markets.

Artesyn Technologies, a Redwood Falls manufacturing firm that makes embedded power systems, has announced that it will shut down by the end of this year. The plant, which employs approximately 240 people, was purchased by St. Louis-based electronics maker Emerson Electric Co. earlier this year.

For the second year in a row, Stellent Inc., an Eden Prairie-based provider of content management solutions, has been named to Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine’s “Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100,” the publication’s annual list of the leading supply and demand chain solution providers. According to the magazine, Stellent’s inclusion on the list was due in part to its Imaging and Business Process Management offering.

A monthly roundup of tips, data, and ideas from around the state.

Free DIY, part 1

A pair of Twin Cities companies, Minneapolis-based VISI, and St. Paul-based MindTouch, have launched ViaWiki, a free new hosted Web creation and collaboration program that allows anyone to create and edit Web pages using a Web browser. Located at www.viawiki.com, the tool allows users to complete a variety of applications, including creating a corporate Intranet, conducting online brainstorming sessions, and updating documents and proposals. According to the companies, Viawiki is user-friendly enough that even non-techies can quickly master its nuances.

Free DIY, part 2

Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service has been rapidly gaining market share in recent years, thanks in part to its typically low cost and efficiency advantages. For users not ready to fully embrace VoIP, a company called K7 is offering a way to test the waters. The company’s K7 Unified Messaging gives users a free voicemail/fax mail box that is not attached to any of your actual phone numbers, and which allows you to receive faxes and voice messages the same way you receive your e-mail (voice messages and fax messages are sent as email attachments and can be viewed with the click of a mouse). For more information go to www.k7.net.

Free DIY, part 3

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal turned up yet another useful—and free—Web-based application. This one is Pando, a program that allows users to send and receive large e-mail attachments (up to 1 gigabyte). Available in both Windows and Mac versions. Check it out at www.pando.com.

Up to the task?

Are your IT people management material? According to a new national study of 1,400 CIOs, 50 percent of all respondents say they are actively preparing their IT staffers for leadership roles at their companies. Respondents who answered “yes” also were asked to specify how they were prepping their people to become managers. The answers:

Mentoring programs 43%

Management training 42%

Soft-skills training 35%

Succession-planning programs 19%

Other training/continuing education 1%

See the full survey at: www.rht.com.

Green computers

Looking to go green on your next computer purchase? The EPA wants to help. The federal agency has identified more than 60 desktop computers, laptops, and monitors that meet the requirements of its new EPEAT standard for environmentally friendly and high-performance computers. The EPA notes that, compared to traditional computer equipment, all EPEAT-registered computers have reduced levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury, and that they are more energy efficient and are easier to upgrade and recycle. See the entire EPEAT database at www.epeat.net.

Global supply chain market in growth mode

A recent study on supply chain management predicts that the global market will expand rapidly in the next few years. The report, “Supply Chain Management Worldwide Outlook: Market Analysis and Forecast through 2010,” by the Dedham, Mass.-based ARC Advisory Group, predicts that the market will grow from $5.5 billion in 2005 to more than $8.3 billion by 2010. One factor behind the expansion: growth in manufacturing applications such as collaborative production management which link manufacturing operations with business objectives and synchronize supply chain operations. For more information, go to: www.arcweb.com/res/scm.

MTI events and training update

August is a busy month here at MTI—we’re putting on a number of exciting and informative seminars and events at various locations throughout Minnesota. Mulling over a move from a traditional to a Lean Manufacturing environment? Check out our Lean 101 Workshop—www.minnesotatechnology.org/training/events/
shoppingCart.asp?shoppingCartId=29470—on August 15 in Rochester. Want to find out about the latest technologies that can help your company accelerate its growth? Our Technology Awareness Forum, “Emerging Technologies: Innovating for Growth” (www.minnesotatechnology.org/training/
events/forum.asp?forumId=215) might be right for you. You can view the full lineup of August events here: www.minnesotatechnology.org/training/index.asp#August. Or check out the full 2006 calendar here: www.minnesotatechnology.org/training/events/index.asp.

RFID tag for harsh environments

Swiss RFID supplier Sokymat SA has unveiled the IN Tag, a new RFID tag designed specifically for harsh industrial and outdoor environments. The company notes that the tag can be used in high thermal or mechanical stress conditions such as hot water cleaning processes. It also can withstand peak temperatures of up to 284 F for several hours, and is resistant to most standard industrial chemicals. For more information, see: www.sokymat.com. (Note: MTI and the Minnesota High Tech Association will put on an RFID-specific Technology Awareness Forum, “RFID: The Evolution of this Revolution,” on Oct. 18, 2006. For more information on it, go to www.minnesotatechnology.org/training/
events/forum.asp?forumId=217.)

Self-healing chips?

This is either a truly revolutionary breakthrough or something straight out of science fiction. Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC), a nonprofit university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, recently announced the creation of semiconductor chips that can self-diagnose and essentially heal themselves. The aim is to create defect-tolerant chips that will increase the life of products by autonomously detecting flaws and fixing them with online collaboration software. While the research is still in its early stages, SRC representatives and others notes that the discovery could lead to faster, less expensive, and, yes, more reliable chips.

Guiding light

On a slightly lower-tech, but perhaps no less important tack, Deerfield, Ill.-based Woodhead Industries Inc. has introduced the Woodhead Bench Light, which is designed to provide a reliable source of direct overhead illumination for such industrial task lighting applications as production lines, assembly tables, welding cells, and tool room workbenches. The light, which is 57 inches long and has a narrow, 2- by 3-inch-wide profile, also features an extruded aluminum housing, an impact-resistant polycarbonate lens, and an adjustable PVC cable support system. For more information, go to www.woodhead.com.

New help for cramped legs

And, finally, on an even lower-tech note, McNaughton Inc. has unveiled a new product that will no doubt be of interest to airplane-weary business travelers: the Inflatable Knee Pillow. The soft-flocked, inflatable, contoured pillow fits between a user’s knees to provide support for the lower back, hips, and knees. As the company notes, the product differs from ordinary knee pillows as it can be inflated to a desired firmness level and then quickly deflated for storage purposes. For additional information or to order, visit www.mcnaughtoninc.com.