Yet some forms of stress are less “institutionalized,” and therefore easier to manage on an individual level. Small changes in daily habits and activities can bring about substantial improvements in these kinds of workplace stress levels.

Lowering stress in the workplace can enhance both physical and emotional health, while also improving job performance and personal career satisfaction.

In our recent article on managing workplace stress, we discussed Tip # 1 (Recognizing signs of excessive job-related stress) and Tip # 2 (Taking care of yourself). Hare are some additional steps workers can take to lower their personal stress in the workplace:

Tip 3: Reduce job stress by prioritizing and organizing

When workplace stress threatens to overwhelm your job, take some basic steps to regain control over the situation.

Time management

• Balance your schedule. Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. All work with no leisure or recovery time is a recipe for certain burnout. Seek a balance between work and family life, social activities and individual pursuits, daily responsibilities and personal downtime.
• Don’t over-commit yourself. Avoid scheduling back-to-back activities or cramming too much into one day. We often underestimate how long certain tasks and commitments can take. If you find that you have too much on your plate, drop tasks that aren’t completely necessary to the bottom of the list – or eliminate them entirely!
• Try to leave earlier in the morning. Even 10-15 minutes can make the difference between frantically rushing to your desk and having time to ease into your day. Don’t increase your stress levels by running late.
• Plan regular breaks. Make sure to take brief breaks throughout the day to walk around, stretch, or clear your mind.  Try to move away from your desk or work station for lunch. Stepping away – even for a short window – can relax and recharge you, making you more, not less, productive.

Task management tips for reducing job stress

• Prioritize tasks. Make a list of essential tasks, and tackle them in order of importance. Complete the high-priority items first. If you must complete something particularly unpleasant, get it over with early. The remainder of your day will be more pleasant as a result.
• Break projects into smaller pieces. If a big project seems overwhelming, create a step-by-step plan. Rather than attempting to tackled everything at once, focus on one manageable step at a time.
• Delegate responsibility. You don’t have to do it all yourself. If other people can take care of the task, why not ask them? Let go of your desire to control or oversee every step. This will eliminate unnecessary stress in the process.
• Stay open to Compromising. When you ask a co-worker to contribute differently to a task, change a deadline, or alter their behavior at work, be willing to do so yourself. In many cases, if both parties bend a little, you’ll find a productive middle ground that reduces the stress levels for everyone involved.

Tip 4: Reduce job stress by breaking bad habits

As we become better at managing job stress and improving work relationships, we gain more control over our ability to think clearly and act appropriately. This allows us to break habits that add stress to our work lives – and can even change negative thought patterns concerning things that increase stress levels.

Identify self-defeating behaviors

Many of us make job stress worse through negative thoughts and habits. If you can reverse these self-defeating habits, you’ll find other sources of stress (such as manager-imposed stress) easier to handle.

• Resist perfectionism. No project, decision or scenario is ever ideal, so striving for perfection on every front will just add needless stress to your day. When you set unattainable goals for yourself or take on too much, you set yourself up for disappointment. Aim to do a good, solid job; no one can ask for more than that.
• Clean up your act. If you tend to run late, set your clocks a few minutes fast or simply give yourself extra time. If your desk is cluttered, file and throw away the mess; simply knowing where everything saves time and reduces stress. Make to-do lists and cross off items as you accomplish them. Plan your day and stick to the schedule — you’ll feel less overwhelmed.
• Reverse your negative thinking. If you see the downside of every situation, you’ll becomes drained in no time. Try to see positive aspects in your work, avoid co-workers with negative attitudes, and reward yourself for small accomplishments (even when no one else does!)
• Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Some things in our jobs and simply beyond our control— especially the behavior of others. Rather than fretting over them, focus on the things you can control, such as the manner in which you respond to problems.

Five Ways to Dispel Stress

• Take a few minutes away. When stress at work is building, give yourself a quick break and remove yourself from the stressful situation. Take a quick walk outside if possible, or spend a few minutes breathing deeply or stretching in another room. Physical activity or just finding a quiet place to “regroup” can quickly reduce stress.
• Talk with someone. In some situations, simply sharing your thoughts with someone who is both supportive and empathetic can be a great way to let off steam and diffuse your negative emotions.
• Connect with others at work. Developing friendships and relationships with co-workers can help protect you from the negative effects of stress. Remember to reciprocate by listening to them in turn, and offer support when they need it.
• Find humor in the situation. When used appropriately, humor is an effective – and enjoyable – way to diffuse stress in your job. Try to avoid taking things too seriously if a problem does not warrant it, and lighten the mood by sharing a joke or funny story.

However, there are also smaller and more easily-managed causes of stress. The good news here is that managing workplace stress does not always require extensive changes. Sometimes improvements can start by focusing on the one thing that’s most squarely within your control: you.

The ability to reduce stress in the workplace can not only enhance physical and emotional health, but can also make the difference between success or failure in a career. Emotions can be contagious, and therefore stress can affect the nature and quality of your interactions with other workers. The better you become at managing your stress, the more positive effects you’ll have on others, and the less co-workers’ stress will negatively impact you.

Learn to manage job stress

There are many steps workers can take to reduce personal stress levels in the workplace.

Tip 1: Recognize signs of excessive job-related stress

When workers feel overwhelmed on the job, they often lose confidence or become irritable or withdrawn. This can compromise your job performance, and even make your work seem less rewarding. Ignoring the warning signs of job-related stress generally leads to bigger problems like chronic stress accompanied by physical and emotional health problems.

Common Symptoms of excessive workplace stress

• Feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed
• Apathy, loss of interest in work
• Trouble sleeping
• Fatigue

• Difficulty in concentrating
• Alcohol or drug use as a coping strategy

• Muscle tension or headaches
• Stomach problems
• Social withdrawal

 Tip 2: Take care of yourself 

When job-related stress interferes with your ability to adequately perform at work, manage your personal life, or negatively affects your health, it’s time to take action. Start by paying attention to your physical and emotional health. When your personal needs are fully addressed, you’ll feel more resilient and be in a better position to overcome stress without feeling overwhelmed.

Even minor changes can lift your mood, increase energy, and make you feel like you’re back in control. Here are some common stress-management techniques:

Get moving

Aerobic activities that raise your heart rate are highly effective for elevating mood, increasing energy, honing your focus, and relaxing the mind and body. For effective stress relief, try to complete at least 30 minutes of heart-pounding activity daily. If it’s easier to fit into your schedule, break the activity into shorter segments throughout the day.

Make food choices that keep you going

Low blood sugar can cause anxiety and irritability, while overeating can make us lethargic. Try eating small but frequent meals during the day to maintain an even blood sugar level and avoid mood swings.

Drink alcohol in moderation

While alcohol can temporarily reduce anxiety, overconsumption can cause anxiety as it wears off. Drinking to relieve job stress can also lead to alcohol abuse and dependence in the long run.

Get adequate sleep

Not only can stress and worry lead to insomnia, but insufficient sleep can make workers vulnerable to even more stress. When we’re well-rested, it’s easier to maintain emotional balance, a key factor in coping with workplace stress.

For more information on reducing workplace stress, check back with us for the second part of this article. Stay tuned for tips #3 and #4 …

The University College London team based findings on more than 7,000 civil service employees whose health has been monitored since 1985. They suggest that doctors should now be asking patients about working hours.

Lead researcher of the story, Professor Mika Kivimäki said: “Considering that including a measurement of working hours in a GP interview is so simple and useful, our research presents a strong case that it should become standard practice. This study might make us think twice about the old adage ‘hard work won’t kill you.’”

Professor Stephen Holgate of the Medical Research Council added that the study “could also be a wake-up call for people who overwork themselves, especially if they already have other risk factors.”

Over the course of the 11-year study, 192 of participants had a heart attack.  Those who out in 11 hours of work or more per day were more than 50% as likely to have a heart attack than those who worked shorter hours.

And factoring working hours into well-established heart risk factors (like high blood pressure), made the predictions far more accurate. Studies are now needed to see if encouraging employers to cut back on working hours (or getting employers to soften their demands) will improve heart health.

“Tackling lifestyles that are detrimental to health is a key area for the MRC, and this research reminds us that it’s not just diet and exercise we need to think about,” said Professor Holgate.

Experts suspect a number of underlying factors may be at play, such as undetected high blood pressure, stress, anxiety or depression, and being a driven, aggressive or irritable personality.

The study also raises related issues traditionally managed by employment attorneys, such as unpaid overtime hours, wage and hour violations, wrongful termination and workplace discrimination. An experienced Employment Attorney at Emery Reddy can help with any of these issues. In addition, workers who have submitted an L&I Claim with the Department of Labor and Industries, and need help with their workers compensation case, should consult an L&I Lawyer at Emery Reddy.

Workers at Republic Services/Allied Waste  – the second largest solid waste and recycling company in the U.S. – found picket lines outside the facilities when they arrived at work in Seattle, Bellevue, Lynnwood and Kent early on Friday morning.

Striking members of Teamster Local Union 991 had traveled all the way from Mobile, AL t the Northwest to expand picket lines to Republic’s Seattle-area facilities. Members of Teamsters Joint Council 28, as well as community supporters, also put up sympathy pickets.  250 workers at these facilities–refused to cross the lines.

Sanitation Worker Strike

On Thursday night, March 22, all 24 Republic Services workers in Mobile went on strike. They are protesting Republic’s repeated labor law violations. In February, Republic negotiators agreed to a contract, only to then back out when they decided they wanted to pay less for family health care coverage.

Within a few hours of Mobile workers going on strike, Republic Services workers in Columbus Ohio and Buffalo N.Y. refused to cross sympathy picket lines in support of strikers in Mobile. Trash and recycling work in those two cities was effectively shut down from Friday through Monday. Sympathy picket lines are currently spreading to other Republic facilities across the nation, where the Teamsters have nearly 150 contracts.

In 2011, Republic Services/Allied Waste reported $8.2 billion in revenues, with profits of $589 million – a 15% increase per share since 2010.

“Republic claims it can’t afford to provide quality, reasonably priced health care for its employees,” said Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division Director Robert Morales. “Yet the employees are the ones who risk their lives every day to protect the public health and rake in profits for the company.”

“I’ve worked at Republic for 16 years,” said striking worker Steve Burroughs. “I don’t want to strike, but these top 1 percent corporations have done nothing but harass and intimidate us. As a worker, I’m part of the 99 percent in America and I can’t stand by any more while our jobs are destroyed.”

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/RepublicServicesTeamsters and follow https://twitter.com/repubteamsters.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.

Other metrics confirmed the upward trend.  The Thomson Reuters consumer sentiment index climbed to 76.2, the highest level in more than a year. Even with gasoline at nearly $4 per gallon, Americans reported more optimism about the economy this March than at any other time over the past year. “Fears that the economy was going to slow substantially this quarter were overdone. The economy is doing fairly well, given the headwinds from Europe, rising gasoline prices,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics in Pennsylvania.

The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index rose 5.19 points, (or 0.4%), while the Dow Jones industrial average rose 66.22 points (0.5%). The S&P 500, which is a general measure of the entire market, closed this part three months showing a 12% gain, while the Dow blue-chip index had an 8% gain, the best first quarter in 14 years for both.

The Nasdaq was up almost 19 percent for the year, which would be its best first quarter since 1991.

According to analysts, with confidence remaining strong, consumer spending should stay up in the first half of 2012 and mitigate the impact that slowing factory activity is having on the economy.  A report on Friday indicated that growth in factory activity in the Midwest softened in March, with employment and new orders pulling back from high recent projections.

Analysts also pointed out that the economy expanded at a 3% rate in the final three months of 2011 as businesses restocked their inventories; however, the inventory buildup has most likely run its course and is not expected to help this quarter. When adjusted for inflation, spending increased 0.5 percent, the largest gain since September.

Increased consumer spending suggests that American households were adjusting to the spike in gasoline prices. March prices average about $4 a gallon, and have risen 62 cents since the start of the year.

A 0.2 percent rise in income helped account for some of the recent spending increase, but consumers also saved less. The amount of disposable income that put aside for savings dropped to 3.7 percent, the lowest rate since August 2009.  “While households want to spend and will raid their bank accounts to support that habit, unless income gains start improving, consumption will have to slow,” said Joel L. Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pa.

Despite good overall news on the economy, many Washington workers continue to struggle with unemployment and other difficulties in the workplace such as wrongful termination and work injuries. If you have suffered a workplace injury, experienced workplace discrimination or have received a notice of requirement from L&I to attend an Independent Medical Examination, please contact an Employment Attorney or L&I Lawyer at Emery Reddy for help with your case.

Hazards common to cleanup and recovery work can include illness from exposure to contaminated water or food, downed electrical wires, carbon monoxide and electrical hazards from generators, slip and fall hazards, being caught in unprotected excavations or confined spaces, burns, lacerations, back and neck injuries, exposure to hazardous materials, and being injured by traffic or heavy equipment.

Workers and employers participating in storm or tornado recovery efforts can call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA to speak with representatives in their areas who offer on-site assistance. Fact sheets, quick cards and other educational materials on workplace safety and personal protective equipment are available on the agency’s Tornado Recovery Web page at http://www.osha.gov/dts/weather/tornado/index.html.

While tornadoes are almost unheard of in Washington State, we have our fair share of heavy storms each winter, and many Washington workers find themselves in harm’s way during the recovery efforts. If you are suffering from a work injury, need help recovering your workers compensation benefits from the Department of Labor and Industries, or want to appeal a denied L&I claim, contact an Employment attorney at Emery Reddy today. Our experienced L&I Attorneys and Seattle Workers Compensation Lawyers  can also help workers who have been required to complete an independent medical exam, or who have other difficulties with their L&I claim.

Last month the private sector added 216,000 jobs, according to the ADP National Employment Report. This exceeded economists’ predictions for a gain of 208,000.  “After two years of expansion without much gain in employment, we’re finally hitting the point where firms need to begin adding people in order to meet increased orders,” said Steve Blitz, senior economist at ITG Investment Research in New York. “There are still risks ahead, but if you could just stop the clock right where we are now, you’ve got a recovery that is gathering some momentum; it appears to be self-reinforcing.”

The Federal Reserve watches unit labor costs closely for signs of inflation, and noted that these rose at an annual rate of 2.8% in the fourth quarter, revised sharply up from the 1.2% pace reported Labor Department last month. Third-quarter wage growth increased to a 3.9% pace from the previously reported drop of 2.1%.

Workers received more promising news than they’ve seen in some time: hourly earnings (adjusted for inflation) rose at a 2.8% rate in the fourth quarter, revised from the previously reported increase of 1.0%. This marked the most substantial gain since the second quarter of 2010.

Wednesday’s data also revealed that consumer credit expanded sharply in January for the 5^th consecutive month as Americans borrowed money to purchase cars and pay for education.  However, separate reports on housing suggested that this sector remained in a slump. Home prices fell another percent in January, the sixth straight month of declines as sales of distressed properties took a toll.

Despite the promising trends, many American continue to suffer from unemployment or underemployment. There have also been a number of troubling stories in recent news regarding wrongful termination, denied L&I claims, unsound practices during the independent medical exam, and other difficulties that workers face in navigating the Department of Labor and Industries. If you need expert help to appeal a rejected L&I claim or recover your full workers compensation benefits from Washington’s L&I, contact a Seattle Employment attorney or an L&I Lawyer at Emery Reddy.

At a carwash in an industrial district of Queens, NY, immigrants and other workers are preparing to open the next front in New York City’s labor battles.

Carwash employees are often paid him less than the minimum wage, and are routinely cheated out of overtime pay. Moreover, workers are not given protective gear even though they use caustic cleaners that burn their eyes and sinuses. Community organizers report that these kinds of wage and overtime violations are widespread among carwashes.

So during the past few weeks, and under the guidance of immigrant advocates, New York carwash employee Adan Nicolas has been briefing his co-workers in basic labor law and in the fundamentals of organizing. Away from bosses, similar conversations have been taking place at carwashes around New York City.

“We’re all ready to fight for our rights and have a dignified place to work, and not to be abused like we are today,” Mr. Nicolas said.

In the coming days a partnership of community and labor organizations plans to introduce a citywide campaign to reform the carwash industry. Union advocates hope to seize this momentum by unionizing carwash workers throughout the city.

“This is a real partnership between community organizations and organized labor to try to tackle these problematic working conditions,” said Andrew Friedman, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, an advocacy group that is leading the coalition with New York Communities for Change, another advocacy group, and support from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

A related campaign in Los Angeles succeeded in collective bargaining agreements between several carwash companies and their workers.

Yet the New York campaign will be an uphill battle. About 1,600 carwash workers are scattered across 200+ locations, and many of those are under individual ownership. This means that each company would need to undergo a separate organizing effort. In addition, many workers are undocumented immigrants who may be reluctant to speak out for fear of being fired (wrongful termination) or being identified by immigration authorities.

Carwash managers and owners claim that they pay and treat their employees fairly, and have pledged to fight the unionizing effort.  “We’re going by the law,” said the manager at Queensboro Car Wash in Long Island City, who declined to give his name.

This claim, however, is disputed by the organizing coalition (known as “Wash New York”), which interviewed 90 carwash workers from carwashes all around New York City, and learned that two-thirds reported to make less than the state-mandated minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

A typical schedule for carwash workers is at least a 60-hour workweek; yet a majority receives no overtime pay as required by law when employees put in more than 40 hours. Those who did get overtime pay often earned far less than the required time-and-a-half rate. Moreover, rest breaks and lunches went unpaid or were extremely brief.

According to the labor organizers, not a single worker in the survey had received paid sick days, and only one reported that he had been offered a health plan.

Equally troubling is the lack of workplace safety. Most workers claimed that they are not given appropriate protective equipment or training for handling the caustic cleaning products used at carwashes. Some workers even use chemicals that burn holes through their clothing, the organizers said.

Mr. Nicolas admitted his misgivings about possible repercussions – including being fired – but he added that the effort was “worth it because we’re suffering so much injustice.”

Assessments of the industry by “Wash New York” strongly correspond to findings from a state investigation in 2008.  That year, 60 state inspectors visited 84 carwashes in New York and reported $6.5 million in underpayments to 1,380 workers.  The vast majority of New York City carwashes (up to 80%) had violated minimum wage and overtime laws.  State labor commissioner Patricia Smith called the industry “a disgrace.”

That investigation resulted in millions of dollars in fines, litigation and promises of compliance by owners.

Then in 2010, the department announced a settlement of $2 million with the owners of an Upper Manhattan carwash that had failed to pay minimum and overtime wages.

Facing the recent rumbling of organization among workers, owners themselves are now mobilizing to resist the unionization effort. “We would never sign with the union,” said the manager at Whitestone Car Wash in Queens. “I like things the way they are.”

If you are involved in a wage or overtime dispute, contact a Seattle Employment Attorney at Emery Reddy. We also represent clients who need a Labor & Industries Attorney or Workers’ Compensation Lawyer.

Starting in January of 2013, certain providers that practice medicine in Washington state will be required to participate in the network in order to treat injured workers beyond the initial emergency-room or office visit. This will include L&I doctors, chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, and optometrists.

Beth Dupre, Assistant Director for Insurance Services, explained that L&I “wants every great health-care provider in the state to be part of our network. Your patients are counting on your participation. I urge you to apply early, so we can have credentialing completed before the network launches.”

Standards and guidelines for joining the network are detailed in the new L&I rules, which became effective on February 3, 2012.

Providers have the option of applying at www.JoinTheNetwork.Lni.wa.gov. Over the coming year, L&I plans to reach out to current L&I providers and encourage them to apply. New providers can apply to the network at any time.

Providers currently treating patients with L&I claims must re-apply; this includes health professionals already participating in the Centers for Occupational Health and Education (COHE).

Different kinds of medical providers (including out-of-state providers) will be able to continue treating injured workers with an L&I Claim until they are contacted about joining the network at a later date.

After the network officially begins to operate, injured workers will have the option of seeing non-network providers, but only for their initial visit. After this, the injured worker must select a network provider for subsequent care. An L&I Attorney can help workers locate a network provider.

Workers having trouble collecting injury benefits from L&I are encouraged to contact a Seattle Workers Compensation Attorney.  We can also provide you with crucial advice if the Department of Labor and Industries has required you to complete an Independent Medical Examination.

OSHA’s Houston Area Office held a safety inspection this past September following worker complaints and reports from employment attorneys that numerous employees had nearly suffered amputation incidents while operating machinery. OSHA’s investigation determined that not only did the company fail to have an energy control program in place, but its machines were also left plugged into electrical power sources prior to maintenance and servicing. This poses a serious threat of workplace injury or death.

The willful violation citation was issued for failure to create, document and adopt an energy control program. A willful violation is one that is committed with deliberate, knowing or voluntary disregard for the established legal requirements, or with simple disregard for workplace safety and employee health.

The serious violations include failure to provide required machine guarding on sprockets and chains; failure to cover floor holes and openings; and neglecting to properly mark exit doors. A serious violation arises when there is significant probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard of which the employer is aware.

The other violations that do not fall into the “serious” category involve poor recordkeeping of injuries and illnesses on the OSHA log. An “other-than-serious violation” is one that relates to job safety, but would not itself likely cause death or serious physical harm.

In a statement released by the director of OSHA’s Houston South Area Office, Mark Briggs said that “This company exposed its workers to injuries, including possible amputation hazards, by failing to develop, document and utilize an energy control program during the maintenance and servicing of machinery. Employer disregard for worker safety will not be tolerated.”

The company has two weeks from receipt of the citations to either comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742), the agency’s Houston South office at 281-286-0583 or its Houston North office at 281-591-2438.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s workforce by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

The Department of Labor and Industries website also has useful information on workplace safety and L&I Claims.  If you are struggling to recover benefits from a workers compensation case, or want to appeal a rejected L&I claim, contact the L&I lawyers at Emery Reddy for help.