Stress Management in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Abstract

The consequences of work-related stress (WRS) impact not only the individual but also the workplace, the economy, and society. WRS deals with the stigmatization of topics where stress is perceived as a by-product of responsible work. Stress management interventions should be implemented in enterprises on the organizational and individual levels. The main aim of this study is to summarize the current knowledge about the implementation of stress management in small and medium-sized enterprises and propose desirable recommendations for enterprises that want to incorporate stress management into their internal processes. The research was conducted in 194 small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in 2022 by an electronic structured questionnaire. Knowledge and implementation of stress management, interventions, evaluation processes, work-related stressors, and evidence of work-related stress were subject to investigation. The results show that 86.6% of enterprises implemented at least one stress-management intervention in the past three years. Significantly exceeded interventions at the organizational-level. Enterprises that implement stress management interventions evaluate them in 43.5% of cases. Only 8.2% of them confirmed performing an analysis of the costs of work-related stress.