No one works well under adverse conditions.
It’ s important to create an environment wherein employees are provided the tools to help them manage stress as well as avoid work-related injuries.
“ With rising medical costs, not only for individuals but also for companies, employers should take a preventative approach toward creating a healthy workplace,” says Shane Evans, president and founder of Massage Heights Corporate LLC, a day spa franchise company with headquarters based in San Antonio, Texas.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention( CDC), productivity losses due to absenteeism cost employers US $ 225.8 billion annually in the United States( or US $ 1,685 per employee). Based on the Labour Force Survey in the United Kingdom, stress accounted for 37 percent of all workrelated ill health cases and 45 percent of all working days lost due to poor health in 2015 and 2016. The study further indicated that employees in public service industries( such as health-care workers) show higher levels for stress compared to all other occupations.
The findings highlight a great need for providing a safe workplace in a spa environment, where employees are expected to genuinely care for guests.“ The spa specifically is a place of healing, relaxation and rejuvenation, so we put processes in place to ensure the wellbeing and health of not only our guests, but our employees too,” says Jacquee Thompson, spa manager at SiSpa at Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa in Pompano Beach, Florida.
STRESSED OUT While it’ s unlikely to completely remove stress factors at work, it can be reduced by providing employees the resources and support they need, especially during stressful times.“ The biggest symptom is disengagement in the workplace. This shows up in absenteeism, lack of focus, and agitation with co-workers and supervisors,” says Jean Kolb, owner of Jean Kolb Well By Choice, LLC.“ You can’ t function at your highest performance when you are mentally or emotionally stressed. Business owners have to recognize the symptoms early so they can be addressed prior to an employee becoming disengaged.”
According to TouchAmerica Inc. CEO Stewart Griffith, a few of the symptoms of a stressed-out employee include reduced productivity, high irritability, increased
Staff well-being is top priority at SiSpa at Fort Lauderdale Marriott.
Targeted treatments aren’ t just for your guests. Massage Heights invites their therapists to indulge in regular massage to relieve tension and avoid injury.
January / February 2017 ■ PULSE 37