Job Stress is the single greatest source of stress in the world
today and it’s maiming and killing people in large numbers. The
shifting patterns of work brought on by globalization and
outsourcing have left many people struggling with feeling
overworked, underpaid and undervalued.
Many people think that outsourcing to countries like India and
China has left American and western European workers
screwed while benefiting Indian and Chinese workers tremendously.
But a closer look tells a different story.
Indians working long hours answering telephone calls from
America and Europe show signs of chronic Job Stress: Heart
Disease, Insomnia, Musculoskeletal Pain and Injury, Depression
and serious Family Problems.
It’s even worse in China. Some Chinese factory workers do
boring, monotonous work for 16 hours a day for little money.
Working under firm deadlines and on high speed assembly
lines—they lose or break about 40,000 fingers annually. And many
of these fingers belong to kids. Chinese factories doing work
for American and European countries often abuse their workers.
Bottom line—work has lost its soul for many people, including
many high paid Americans. Work with soul is work with a
meaningful and a loving connection to life and to others. Such
work used to be quite common. Not any more.
Everything now is moving in the direction of speed and profit
and big time Job Stress—Job Stress that’s ruining the health and
family life of more and more people.
Not good news. But there are solutions.
How about you? How’s your Job? You stressed out?