By HealthCues

Stress in the workplace is created due to many different factors. Some factors contributing to workplace stress include organizational culture and lack of employer support. By making strides to improve in these areas, employers can provide employees with a work environment that is more productive overall.

Organizational Culture

What is organizational culture? Organizational culture reflects the identity of an organization and is the culmination of values, practices, behaviors, and forms of communication that the members of an organization share (Wood, 2017). Some components of organizational culture include vocabulary, stories, rites and rituals. Positive organizational culture has the ability to create a strong and supportive community. Negative organizational culture, however, has the potential to create a stressful work environment. When practices such as using positive language in the workplace and community traditions are implemented, a less stressful organizational culture will emerge.

Lack of Employer Support

As humans, we have an innate desire to feel supported. This can look like being supported emotionally, physically, spiritually and even professionally. When employees feel valued and supported by their employers, they are more likely to place that same value on the company. Thus, improving employee morale, retention, and productivity while decreasing the amount of stress in a workplace.

How can employers support their employees?

One way that employers can support employees is by providing supplemental health insurance. Supplementary benefits are additional insurance policies that fill the gaps left by basic medical coverage in the event that a person is involved in an accident or becomes critically ill. Companies can show their support for their employees by providing supplementary benefits.

Additionally, employers can show their support to their employees by providing them with preventative healthcare plans. Preventative healthcare includes regular doctor visits and access to screenings to prevent or detect critical illnesses. Preventative healthcare is a potentially life-saving service; providing this service to employees increases a company’s overall sense of support.

In conclusion, organizational culture and employer support are essential when it comes to creating a less stressful atmosphere within the workplace. Employers can show their employees support by offering access to supplemental health insurance and preventative healthcare. When employees do not have to worry about how they will pay for these additional healthcare services, stress in the workplace decreases, resulting in increased company morale and overall productivity.