News

You've heard the post-layoff pep talk.

"We must work harder than ever to keep afloat during these dark economic times," your CEO boomed in his most alarmist tone.

But what he likely hasn't said is how you're going to do the jobs of two people and do them well enough to keep the one you're so grateful to have.

Layoffs and cost cuts have forced Canadian workplaces to tighten deadlines and many companies are trying to do the same amount of work with fewer hands. Unfortunately, heavier workloads can come with undesirable aftershocks - heightened stress and anxiety levels, insecurity and confusion about new job responsibilities brought on by recession-

ary restructuring. That extra stress and confusion is not only frying our brains, it's tearing into productivity and taking a negative toll on employee health, experts say.

"Research shows that increased workloads and time demands are huge in terms of stress on the employee and stress has many negative effects on just about any health condition," says Leah Van Ooyen, manager of workplace health and wellness for Connex Health in Burlington, Ont. Stress not only increases risk of developing cancer and cardiovascular disease, it can also depress your immune system, she adds. "Even just experiencing stress can drive productivity down if people feel overwhelmed."

Stressed and overworked employees are also less likely to eat proper, healthful meals or get enough sleep at night, she says. Gym memberships go unused and precious time with family and friends is often stolen as employees clock extra hours, mainly uncompensated thanks to cuts to overtime pay.

"On some level, we're losing just basically the joy of having a life," says Darryl Grigg, a registered psychologist and partner of Newman & Grigg Psychological and Consulting Services in Vancouver.

"We definitely see the impact on relationships and that's a bad effect."

Stress and fatigue can segue to worse ailments and can speed up physical decline, research has shown. A recent Finnish study concluded that working long hours can lead to increased dementia risk.

In a 2005 study of workplace injuries and illnesses related to the long hours employees clock, Allard Dembe, a researcher at the Ohio State University College of Public Health, found that the longer people work, the higher their risk for injury and illness. That includes everything from a trip and fall to depression and hypertension. Employees who worked evening or late-night shifts also had a higher risk of getting hurt or sick, he said.

"People just get fatigued and they're tired and their vigilance goes down," he says. His study also cited research linking overtime and long working hours with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, fatigue, stress, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, chronic infections, diabetes, general health complaints and all-cause mortality.

Too often, health becomes a casualty and employers have to do their part to manage their expectations, says Rod Phillips, CEO of Shepell-fgi, a large Canadian consultancy which focuses on workplace health and productivity.

"One thing organizations need to try to do is understand what they're not going to be able to do because they have fewer people and reallocate and reorganize," he says.

Last week, Sheppel-fgi published a report warning of the havoc employee stress can wreak on a company trying to remain relevant during tough times. It found that stress puts a heavy burden on employee assistance programs which have seen increased demand in recent months, especially for financial services.

But on a manager to employee level, poor communication is often at fault for overburdened workloads. Since the economy hasn't been crippled the same way since the Second World War, companies don't have the collective wisdom of having weathered a recession this severe, Mr. Phillips adds. They don't know how to deal with the thing itself, never mind how an employee might be feeling about their place in it. This can add to frustrations on both levels. Employees must speak up when things get overwhelming and managers have to realize what is humanly possible and what is not, he says.

But those with even a bit of experience driving companies through the recessions of the 1980s and early 1990s are wise to the ill effects economic stress can foster in employees, says Colin Bennett, president and CEO of Certified Management Accountants Canada-British Columbia, whohas led trucking companies through previous recessions.

"The remaining people are now saying 'How are we supposed to do the work if half of us have been cut off?' " he says. "Remaining people and the management of the company [must] get together and say 'Let's talk openly about how we can operate this business more effectively so that we're ready to come out of this recession in a strong and positive way.' "

Keeping stress and an overwhelming workload off your plate requires harnessing control when there appears to be none, says Nancy van Boxmeer, a workplace health-promotion consultant contracted by the University of Toronto's Centre for Health Promotion. Create a cycle of time off or breaks that allow you to recover and refocus on what needs to be done, she says. Sharing ideas with your boss on how you can do your job more effectively will also help bring a sense of control.

"If they can actively contribute to being part of the solution ... and think, 'How can I own part of this?,' they're more likely to get through this and feel better about it."