NewHavenBIZ

34 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a r c h 2 0 2 0 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m To help workers cope with mounting levels of stress and anxiety, employers seek creative new approaches By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo Calm Together F O C U S : H E A LT H C A R E By Natalie Missakian A raina Martinez settles into a portable massage chair, closes her eyes and lets her work worries melt away. As soothing music plays in the background, a therapist gently kneads the muscles in her back, neck and shoulders. is is no weekend spa getaway or lunch-break physical therapy appointment. It is a Monday aernoon. In the middle of the workday. And Martinez, supervisor of central scheduling at Griffin Hospital in Derby, is on the clock. "It's a nice little relaxing few minutes where you don't have to think about anything," says Martinez, 37, who briefly stepped away from her job to get a free chair massage, courtesy of her employer. "It's nice to have that little break during the day." In the past, workplace wellness programs focused mostly on improving employees' physical health. Programs to help workers lose weight, stop smoking or manage cholesterol were commonplace. But rarely did companies devote resources to helping their workers cope with stressful jobs and lives. at's starting to change. While Griffin has been offering on-site chair massage, meditation and other perks to promote mindfulness and relaxation for decades, other employers are now following suit. Recognizing the toll that anxiety and high-stress jobs can take on employee health — and productivity — companies are introducing everything from yoga classes and meditation rooms to designated napping spaces, sleep monitoring apps, bring-your- pet-to-work policies and even on-site mental health counseling. Others are providing their workers with access to ping pong tables, bocce courts and walking trails to encourage fun activities and help them blow off steam. New Haven's biggest employer, Yale New Haven Health System, began offering "serenity stations" last year under a pilot program that aims to mitigate both the physical and mental demands of work in the medical field. e stations, which can be requested and set up in any department, include stress- relievers like chair massage, guided meditation and reiki, which is a healing touch therapy. "Employees have responded really well to it," Lindsay Marone, YNHH's supervisor of well-being programs, told New Haven BIZ. "e services have been shown to reduce [their] overall fatigue, stress and anxiety." Growing health concern Nationwide, employees are reporting more job-related stress and anxiety than ever before. More than 8o percent of U.S. workers report experiencing work-related stress, costing businesses as much as $300 billion annually, according to statistics compiled by the American Institute of Stress. e World Health Organization shone a spotlight on the problem last year when it officially recognized burnout as an "occupational phenomenon" caused by "chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully Puppy love: A dog day afternoon for workers at District New Haven, where canine companions are always welcome.

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