Pulse November/December 2020 | Page 60

PULSE POINTS
BY JOSH CORMAN

How Stress Complicates the Return to Work

PLEASE PARDON THE OVERWHELMING obviousness of the following statement : the coronavirus pandemic has been stressful . The amount and type of stress it has brought into our individual lives may differ , but recent data from both ISPA and the American Psychological Association suggests that higher levels of stress could be adding to the spa industry ’ s workforce concerns .
In ISPA ’ s August Snapshot Survey , spa respondents were asked to name their greatest workforce-related challenge . Often , those respondents cited difficulty getting therapists and service providers to return to work as their biggest challenge . Many noted that employees ’ hesitancy to return might be traced to one of three key areas of stress :
l Health-related stress ( anxiety regarding COVID-19 , caring for an elderly or immunocompromised loved one , etc .)
l Family-related stress ( caring for children , managing virtual learning , etc .) l
Financial stress ( fewer work hours available , losing additional unemployment benefits , etc .)
Parents Hit Hardest by Stress
The commonly cited factors above align closely with figures published by the American Psychological Association ( APA ) in their broad-ranging monthly studies about stress in 2020 .
According to the APA , two in three Americans ( 66 %) say that contracting coronavirus remains a significant source of stress in their lives . The pandemic , however , is not the only factor in rising stress levels , at least not in the United States . Seventy percent of those surveyed cited the economy as a significant source of stress , up from 46 percent in August 2019 . In general , Americans are more likely to report feeling frustrated ( 40 %), scared ( 24 %) and angry ( 18 %) than they were when the APA began its studies back in April .
One group that has been particularly affected by the
48 PULSE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020