Stress researcher warns that avoiding stress harms resilience, especially for younger workers
Executive summary: Volker Busch, a stress researcher and head of a stress clinic, told Handelsblatt that avoiding stress is detrimental, especially for younger people, and that facing stress helps build resilience. The comment underscores the growing relevance of psychological resilience in the workplace, influencing how companies design wellness and training programmes.
Who is involved: Volker Busch (stress researcher), Handelsblatt (publisher), younger employees and business leaders seeking resilience strategies.
Likely next: Employers may expand resilience‑focused training, insurers could adjust wellness offerings, and policymakers might review occupational health guidelines on stress exposure.
The Handelsblatt interview with Volker Busch highlights a counter‑intuitive view that deliberately confronting stress can build psychological resilience. He notes that younger employees often try to eliminate stress altogether, which may impair their ability to cope with pressure. The piece adds to ongoing corporate debates about mental health, wellbeing programmes and productivity.
Timeline
- — Interview: „Ich rate niemandem dazu, Stress zu vermeiden“ (Handelsblatt)
- — Resilienz: Die Tricks der Top-Manager für Stress und Krisen: „In diesem Moment wird Ihre Leistung bis zu 25 Prozent besser“ (Handelsblatt)
Analysis — what this means
Likely next events
- Corporate wellness programmes to add stress‑exposure modules
- Increased bookings for resilience workshops targeting managers
- Potential EU OSHA guidance on psychosocial risk management
Sectors affected
- Corporate wellness
- Human resources
- Occupational health
Historical parallels
- Early 2000s burnout prevention programmes in finance
- Google’s Search Inside Yourself mindfulness initiative
- Post‑2008 corporate stress‑testing after financial crisis
Key entities
Sources
- Interview: „Ich rate niemandem dazu, Stress zu vermeiden“ — Handelsblatt
- Resilienz: Die Tricks der Top-Manager für Stress und Krisen: „In diesem Moment wird Ihre Leistung bis zu 25 Prozent besser“ — Handelsblatt
Related cases
- Neuroscientist warns that trying to eliminate stress completely can harm young workers and undermine workplace health
- German CEOs employ resilience tactics that can boost performance by up to 25% amid mounting pressures
- Brain researcher warns that avoiding stress harms especially young people, urging a healthier relationship with pressure
- Executive resilience techniques can boost managerial performance by up to 25% under stress
- Tips for stress‑free vacations aim to improve employee wellbeing and sustain post‑vacation productivity
- Top managers' stress‑resilience tactics can boost performance by up to 25% in crises