Few employers in Asia take measures to lessen stress—survey

MANILA, Philippines—Except in China, stress has been ranked as the No.1 lifestyle risk factor—higher than physical inactivity and obesity—by all employers it surveyed in Asia and the Pacific,  the professional services company Towers Watson said Wednesday.

However, only a third of the companies polled cited “improving the emotional and mental health of employees” among their priorities in developing health and productivity programs. Also, only one in four (26 percent) of employers in Asia currently offer stress  management programs, according to the results of the 2013/2014 Towers Watson Staying@Work Survey.

The said survey was conducted between May and July 2013 in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia among a total of 892 employers. In Asia, the survey had 372 respondents from the Philippines, China, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

“While stress can energize workers to meet challenging goals, it can also overwhelm them and interrupt business performance,” Rajeshree Parekh, Asia Pacific director for global health and group benefits at Towers Watson, said in a press statement released in Manila.

“Stress has a strong link to physical health, emotional health, personal purpose and community — all contributing factors to workplace performance. But when employers do not fully recognize what causes stress, they risk diverting time and resources to fixing the wrong problems and, at the same time, alienating employees,” Parekh added.

According to the results of the survey, the top three actions taken by employers to tackle stress include education and awareness campaigns, which were implemented by 41 percent of the respondents; flexible working options (40 percent); and stress management interventions such as yoga and tai chi workshops (38 percent).

Many employers, however, continue to take no action, according to Towers Watson. Fourteen percent of Asia Pacific employers said they have implemented none of the programs suggested in the survey.

“This is not only a lack of action issue but also Asian employers have yet to go beyond low-cost/no-cost actions. The top three steps taken are all relatively low-investment, both in terms of time and resources,” Parekh said.

“Employers would do well to look at longer-term options such as promoting an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which requires more planning and resources upfront, but would lead to a greater payoff in the long run,” he added.

Meanwhile, companies that have well designed health and productivity programs are said to have developed a “holistic workplace culture of health,” wherein employees are responsible for their own health and understand its importance. Such programs have already been proven to pay off, Towers Watson added.

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