A recent article published by Forbes Magazine emphasizes an often underappreciated point about holding executive jobs: it may yield great benefits, but it also causes significant stress.
Using the example of JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, whose company is currently reeling from recently revealed trading losses totalling billions of dollars, the piece examines how executives can suddenly find themselves dealing with periods of particularly intense stress.
The article also cites a report from health.com investigating the unconventional health risks associated with different professions. Relying on input from healthcare professionals, the site offers a brief analysis of the risks posed to individuals who hold executive positions.
“We know that too many hours at work takes away hours that could be used for health-promoting activities,” explains Dr. L.Casey Chosewood, senior medical officer for the Total Worker Health program at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. “Often senior leaders have these very driven, type-A personalities – something that’s already associated with increased heart disease risk.”
Other types of office workers were also identified as having elevated risk of developing various conditions and diseases such as obesity, back pain, repetitive stress injuries and heart disease.
However, some stressors can be relieved by outsourcing services. For instance, working with corporate recruiters can help significantly reduce the level of stress experienced by your company’s executive team.
Especially if multiple positions are vacant and corporate leaders are simultaneously responsible for picking up the slack and searching for suitable replacements, the stress of keeping so many balls in the air at once can become overwhelming. Exhausted leaders can’t devote their full mental capacity to making important decisions, which can have serious ramifications.
That’s why it makes sense to share the burden with professional recruiters, who bring their experience and full-time focus to the task of finding high-quality candidates for a company’s open positions.
