The U.S. in recession
Posted On: Sunday, Dec. 28 2008 08:20 AM
By Don Bolding
Killeen Daily HeraldLocal people can count their lucky stars that the stabilizing force of Fort Hood makes the rickety runaway roller coaster of the economy a lot less scary. It doesn't mean no one has anything to worry about, but the worry itself can be worse than the real conditions and produce effects of its own that outlast whatever started it.
People tend to fret more about keeping their jobs because the dry gulch of unemployment is deeper. That's far less of a problem here than in other parts of the country, but it's still real, with unemployment running about 1 percent higher than it was this time last year, and the gulch is deeper yet because any savings that are vulnerable to market forces have taken a nosedive.
According to Wellness Corporate Solutions, a Maryland consulting firm, people going through hard economic times tend to react by intensifying unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking and snacking on junk foods. Especially after layoffs, "People who remain behind are under tremendous stress because of job insecurity and increased workload," company founder Fiona Gathright said in a news release.
She advocated establishing comprehensive corporate wellness programs to increase employees' awareness of their own behavior, to show them that the company knows and cares, and to head off problems of increased health care costs and diminished health and efficiency that will remain after the recession is over. Companies that have paid attention to this will be in better competitive positions once the economy turns around.
Jerry Haisler, director of the Central Texas Workforce Center in Killeen and board chairman of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce, says the economy is producing some problems here. "We're somewhat insulated from the worst problems. The worst we've seen has been the Alcoa closing in Rockdale, plus a few lesser layoffs. But you might see increased caution in filling jobs, perhaps only filling five positions when 10 hires were originally planned.
"Some companies are cutting hours, so people are looking for extra jobs. We don't suffer the problems of really stricken areas where people really act aggressive toward officials and toward each other trying to protect themselves. But we still have worries over how to pay for Christmas and over dwindling savings."
He said the work force center is not in the business of assessing people's mental and physical states.
When a problem is really clear, they might make a suggestion or referral for treatment, but the center's job is to match people with jobs and to provide employability assessments and training.
But they do urge companies to be forthright with employees about any dangers to keep relationships healthy.
"It's understandable that companies want to play close to their chest because they're worried about their public image, but they need to squelch rumors and be forthright with their employees about what's apt to happen," Haisler said. "A lot of the problem here is that people will hear things in the breakroom, and the rumors get more sensational as they make the rounds. That alienates employees from management. Good conferences keep people from getting crazy.
"Where mass layoffs are prevalent, you see a different set of anxious behavior, including denial and anger, but you get something like it where people keep hearing bad news, even if only a small percentage are really affected. People take sick leave a lot, and sometimes they really get sick.
"But what we're seeing generally is the usual ups and downs in business cycles. It's not that we're entirely unaffected by national events, but the climate here remains positive."
From his point of view, there's no widespread crisis in health damaging the work force, but Dr. John Joseph, in family medicine with Scott & White, said he's treating a lot more people for anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, headaches and abdominal complaints. Before Christmas, these ailments were aggravated by hard times during the holidays, but even given that, the numbers are worse than usual.
He agreed with Gathright that people do tend to drink, smoke and snack more in times like these, and they tend to hide and escape with television and video games and lack motivation to make positive changes. And just as the work force centers are not in the health business, he said he couldn't offer much advice on employer/employee relations, but from a mental health standpoint, he agreed with Haisler that employers should be frank and honest with their people about their companies' prospects.
"The perception of social problems gets worse when rumors float around and get magnified," Joseph said.
"Also, people here have friends and relatives elsewhere in the country, and when they hear about problems in an area that's harder hit, their view of the whole country gets darker."
He said he's seeing more unwillingness to get help beyond quick fixes and says insurance cutbacks that hit mental health services first are partly to blame.
"But what people can do for themselves is get out and exercise and socialize. Spend more time with friends and family. And volunteer. The sense that you're doing some good makes you feel useful."
Contact Don Bolding at
dbolding@kdhnews.com or call (254) 501-7557.