{"id":14822,"date":"2022-01-30T22:09:28","date_gmt":"2022-01-30T22:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ovadiahearthealth.com\/old-site\/?p=14822"},"modified":"2022-03-11T06:37:48","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T06:37:48","slug":"the-impact-of-the-pandemic-on-workplace-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ovadiahearthealth.com\/old-site\/2022\/01\/30\/the-impact-of-the-pandemic-on-workplace-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"The impact of the pandemic on workplace stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

The climate of the last two years has been incredibly stressful for everyone, and it\u2019s hard to think of anyone whose life hasn\u2019t been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in some way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the conversation has been on the impact of the virus itself: how many cases, how many deaths, government responses, and how best to protect ourselves from serious outcomes. All of this is understandable, but one area has been largely overlooked: the effect of the pandemic on heart health.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stress has long been known to have a <\/span>significant negative impact on heart health<\/span><\/a>. Ordinarily, advice would be to eliminate sources of stress where possible and to practice stress management techniques.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is helpful advice for those interested in heart disease prevention, but the ongoing nature of the pandemic means many stress-relieving activities have become more difficult or even impossible. With travel restrictions, lockdowns, and restrictions, it\u2019s been difficult or impossible to take vacations, meet friends, or treat yourself to a spa day. And that\u2019s not to mention the additional stress caused by the pandemic itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

On top of this, there\u2019s the impact of working from home.\u00a0 For many people, the workplace is a community and an <\/span>essential support network<\/span><\/a>, both of which are incredibly valuable in controlling stress. Lockdowns and other measures can increase stress and decrease support, which is a recipe for disaster.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, I\u2019ll explain the impact of stress on the workplace and the different ways you can work to reduce stress during the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

The impact of stress<\/b><\/h2>\n

Stress has an impact on many areas of our lives, including health, behavior and our ability to work effectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the workplace, stress affects not only individuals, but also the ability of your business to function correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a survey conducted in 2021, as much as <\/span>a third of adults reported suffering from a significant increase in stress due to the pandemic<\/span><\/a>. The potential loss of the workplace community does not, however, reduce the importance of the support that companies can offer in reducing employee stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

The current climate emphasizes the importance of understanding the effects stress can have on employees, and why you should support them.<\/span><\/p>\n

How stress affects performance<\/b><\/p>\n

Stress can have a huge impact on someone’s ability to perform at work and, left unchecked, can cause a significant dip in productivity. Research has shown that stress can <\/span>\u2018cut an employee\u2019s productivity by up to 77 percent.\u2019<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This means that the extreme stress caused by the pandemic could be significantly impacting your business\u2019 ability to operate at a time when <\/span>a huge number of businesses are already suffering and many are having to close.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Stress impacts your employees in a number of ways, including:<\/span><\/p>\n