A
report issued by the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1999 on stress in the work-
place concluded that 40 percent of workers consider their
job very or extremely stressful. In another study, the Attitudes
in the American Workplace VII survey sponsored by the Marlin
Company and conducted by Harris Interactive in 2001, a third of
workers said their jobs were harming their physical and emotional
health; 42 percent said job pressures were interfering with their
personal relationships. In this study, 50 percent of workers claimed
they and their fellow workers had a more demanding workload
than they had a year ago, and nearly that percentage said they have
too much work to do and/or too many unreasonable deadlines.
Interestingly, 73 percent said that they would not want their boss’s
job. A Gallup survey conducted in 2006 confirmed that at least
four out of ten Americans who are employed full time or part time
say they frequently experience stress. This survey also found that
61 percent of full-time workers say they do not have enough time
to do the things they want to do.
Tough and unrelenting workloads, compounded by unexpected
demands from other sources, can create a feeling of stress and
frustration, negatively impacting our attitude, productivity, and
even our health. Clearly, these pressures have an important impact
on our lives. If we were better able to manage job and life pres-
sures, we would not feel such stress and be subject to its influence.
By using an organizational scheme that captures our personal and
work tasks, defines the steps of those tasks, and defines our priori-
ties, we can take much better control of our lives.