Managing workplace stress: A Canadian Delphi study among human resource managers

Abstract

The human and finacial costs of stress in the workplace have been extensively documented in the literature. The present study used a two-round Delphi methodology with 17 human resource managers from 17 medium-sized and large Canadian organizations. The main purposes of the study were to predict future policy and programme directions as well as expected benefits and constraints on organizations during the 1990s. This panel of experts predicated even greater stress in the workplace in large part due to greater (global) competition and greater resource constraints on organizations for programmes and services for their employees as well as management resistance to such directions. Organization will be challenged to identify cost effective means to prevent or, at least, to amelorate stress. Several practical ideas were generated by the panel for organizations to consider.

Key Words:

• Delphi
• Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
• Workplace stress