My work stress is increasing, causing me to sleep poorly and worry constantly. I’m not very optimistic that things can change. As a Catholic, should I just resign myself to the stress and offer it up?

There’s a popular perception that, if we integrate Christian principles into the way we run our careers and businesses, our careers and businesses will be less successful or less effective than they otherwise could have been.

Allow me to challenge the assumptions behind this perception.

Could it be that integrating Christian principles is not just being a “nice” worker, but rather the best and most successful worker we can be? And that, the more successful we are at melding our faith with our tasks, the less stressed we will feel?

According to a 2004 study by Lluminari (online at lluminari.com), doctors and health experts found that workplace stress doubles the rate of heart and cardiovascular problems, doubles the rate of substance abuse, doubles or triples the rate of infectious diseases, quintuples the rate of certain cancers, triples the rate of back pain and doubles or triples the rate of injuries.

Other studies have shown that workplace stress makes people more susceptible to flu, colds and stomach ailments. It can even lead to weight problems, as high-anxiety employees reach for “comfort” foods — that is, junk food high in fats and sugars. And all therapists and counselors know that unchecked anxiety often leads to depression.

Here’s some surprising data. An Australian trade-union study discovered that the single most common source of workplace stress is “bullying, bossy and intimidating behavior from employers.” What were the bully bosses doing? Giving too much criticism, showing too much anger, doing too much micro-managing and (cough) pressuring (sniffle) employees to come to work (aa-choo!) when sick (gesundheit!).

Work & Family Connection (workfamily.com) quotes the book Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People to Stay by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans in describing the types of things bosses do to drive good people away. Here are some of the top offenders, with references to the Catechism addressing each:

" Belittling subordinates in front of their co-workers (See Catechism, Nos. 2477-2279).

" Lying (Nos. 2482-2486).

" Making condescending or demeaning remarks (No. 2464).

" Humiliating or embarrassing others (No. 2477).

" Micromanaging (No. 1883).

Could you imagine the Catechism of the Catholic Church being an insert in companies’ employee handbooks? It’s worth considering since the Catholic faith has an answer to such stress-increasing bully-tactics by bosses who stress out and eventually drive out employees.

This gets us back to Christian principles of always communicating in charity with respect and dignity. It further illustrates that the efforts of the Church to revitalize humanism are critical and practical for the growth and prosperity of businesses in our culture.

As the Catechism says: “There is no solution to the social question apart from the Gospel” (No. 1896).

Art Bennett is director of

Alpha Omega Clinic (aoccs.org).