Got stressed-out employees? Don’t bother lightening their load; don’t send them home early; don’t give them more control over their work. Hell, don’t even hire the “office masseuse” for a gratuitous 30-min visit.
Just feed them gum.
You can’t make this stuff up. From a spam press release:
“Time pressures, deadlines, office politics and bosses are the main causes of stress in the office, according to a new workplace wellness survey conducted by Eclipse® gum and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp). Looking for a solution? Now, according to new research, chewing gum may be the simple tool your readers can turn to for day-to-day relief from on-the-job stress.
… Managing Up: According to the i4cp survey, 65 percent of respondents don’t feel their organization is effective in helping them manage stress, leaving the responsibility on the individual. To beat office tension, the Eclipse Big-E-Pak is especially convenient, as it contains 60 pellets and sits right on the desk.”
[Emphasis added but the associated giggling may not have come through.]