Workplace Stress Culture Is Not Normal: Here's What We All Need To Do

My first panic attack came when the seriously understaffed production company I worked for began requiring an average of 60 hours of overtime a month, often paying me weeks and sometimes months late. I was overworked, underpaid, behind on bills, physically exhausted, and suffering from work-related injuries—all the while while striving to enjoy every moment of life after overcoming a cancer diagnosis. Others at my company were also experiencing heart palpitations, weight gain, insomnia, and even aggressive psoriasis from the overload of work and lack of financial instability.

The Health and Safety Executive claims that 6.5 million sick days are taken every year as a result of stress, costing the United States $200 billion annually. And I am not suggesting that every company needs to put herbal tea in the break room and offer free yoga classes on Fridays (because this is putting a Band-Aid on the larger problem of chronic stress culture), but employers can help reduce workplace stress—and studies have shown that employers, too, can benefit from having happier, healthier, and more productive employees.

One change that employers need to establish and employees need to demand is the establishment of work-life boundaries. I grew up with my mother working for a neighbor and family friend, so the boundaries were constantly crossed with calls coming to our home phone and her cellphone all day, every day—including weekends and every vacation for the last two decades. According to a new study by the U.S. Travel Association's Project Time Off, one in four Americans report being contacted by a colleague during vacation, and one in five by their boss. Technological advancement may bring opportunity, but it can also erase personal time and space.

People in other countries are horrified to learn that American companies are not legally required to provide any paid time off to employees—including sick leave and vacation—while other countries average about one month a year. Numerous studies have shown what serious health problems stem from stress, so employers need to take responsibility for their employees that will spend the majority of their day and sometimes life dedicated to the company, by endeavoring to decrease the amount of stress they experience each day.

It's time to stop accepting stress as a daily experience and being busy as a part of life because I promise you, if you become seriously ill, you will regret every minute you spent stressing about work instead of loving your family, friends, and, most importantly, yourself. If your work-life is encroaching on your private life, talk to your employer about ways to improve a balance—you can start by simply turning your phone on silent.