4.2 Action Required: (Knowledge Application)

This activity is important because, as a manager, you should know the importance of managing employee stress. Companies may help employees reduce stressful demands with programs such as job sharing or sabbaticals. Others may provide resources such as training interventions or wellness programs.

The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your knowledge about stress and coping by reading a case and answering questions.

Case Analysis (Capital One )

How often do you feel like you need to blow off some steam at the end of a pressure-filled day? Imagine if you could walk from your office to a state-of-the-art fitness facility that included basketball, racquetball, lighted tennis courts, and sand volleyball courts. How about softball fields, exercise floors, and equipment for strength training and cardiovascular activities? Add nature-based walking trails and a tai chi garden that you could use whenever you wanted. You could have all these as part of your benefits package if you were an employee of Capital One, one of the fastest-growing and most admired financial services providers in the world today.

Capital One grew from a small spin off division of a larger financial company in 1994 to #112 on the Fortune 500 today. The company has earned numerous honors such as being listed as #17 on the 2017 Fortunep0 Best Companies to Work For)st. Other awards include excellence in LGBT equality, disability equality, and as a G.I. spouse-friendly workplace. Many of the companyàhonors are related to policies that reduce stress, such as onsite medical care, compressed workweeks, virtual meeting training for working at home, and paid time off for volunteering. Consistent with the value it places on the health and well-being of employees, Capital One invested millions of dollars in world-class fitness centers at many of its locations. The company also collected data to assess whether participation rates in those centers were associated with benefits to the company. Results showed that investments in first-class fitness centers and other amenities that create a more positive work environment pay off in increased productivity and reduced health care costs. These findings match scientific research showing that participation in fitness activities reduces stress levels, risk of coronary heart disease, and memory loss.

4.3 Test your knowledge:(Questions)

1.   A stressed employee who goes for a walk on a nature trail in the middle of the workday is using what type of coping mechanism?

2.   Capital One teaches employees how to use virtual meeting software when they are working from home, an example of what type of corporate stress management.