When employee stress levels increased from 112 facto-in December from 112 facto-points* last March to 198 in December, Milwaukee samplers The Chanting Group was quick to take action.
“We gave mandated that all employees must achieve a level of 75 facto-points by March 1,” says Human Resources VP Veronica Hallinger. “Failure to achieve these results will result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.”
To help employees achieve the goal, the company is requiring them to attend daily three-hour anti-stress workshops during January and February. The sessions, 42 in all, employ techniques like repetitive breathing, slowed blinking, and focusing on not hitting colleagues.
While the classes are taking up a great deal of work time, Hallinger acknowledges, the company has taken steps to ensure the staff isn’t overwhelmed. “We have made a number of accommodations,” she says, “including keeping the office open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so team members cannot use the classes as an excuse to fall behind in their regular assignments.”
Hallinger says the The Chanting Group is confident it will achieve the 75 facto-points by March 1. In the event it does not, plans are in place to guarantee the goal a month later.
“If three hours a day doesn’t work,” she says, “we have six hour sessions ready to go.”
* Developed by renowned attitude engineer Miles Stoll, facto points have been the standard business stress measuring tool since 2013, when they replaced the previous method of counting the number of employees who burst into tears each day and dividing by 6.7.
