In the groundbreaking book Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: An Updated Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping, author and neuroscientist Robert M. Sapolsky uses current medical research to show just how damaging a constant level of stress can become on one’s health. Pulling data from human and animal studies, Sapolsky argues that humans are better designed to take shorter bursts of stress---such as when a zebra experiences the anxiety of outrunning a lion. His book implicates the modern-day barrage of unending stress-inducers as a cause for such things as memory loss and growth retardation, and even more serious physical conditions as diabetes, heart disease and multiple sclerosis.

 

Rick Gilkey, associate professor in the practice of organization and management at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and an associate professor of psychiatry at Emory University’s School of Medicine, says there is much to be learned from Sapolsky’s findings. Now, with more recent research backing up the author’s contention, Gilkey notes that employers may need to rethink their management style, particularly when high levels of multitasking are required of employees. Gilkey adds that when multitasking is a cause of extreme levels of continuing stress, the worker’s performance and, ultimately, their physical and mental health can be at risk.

Gilkey refers to a medical study from the American Psychological Association (APA), noting that people who multitask are less effective in their numerous tasks on the job than those who focus on one project at a time. Specifically, researchers at the APA found that the participants studied “lost time when they had to switch from one task to another, and time costs increased with the complexity of the tasks, so it took significantly longer to switch between more complex tasks.” The research goes on to note that “time costs also were greater when subjects switched to tasks that were relatively unfamiliar.”

Essentially, says Gilkey, humans are organized in much the same way that they have been for millions of years. “Our old stress response, to escape the clutches of an animal, for example, simply isn’t meant to be triggered continually. However, in a difficult meeting, an employee may face a constant and high amount of stress.” He notes that an adrenal surge is triggered by the brain at this point, and brings about a surge of energy. This very physical response to the situation can be damaging over time, as Gilkey notes that there is short-term memory loss brought about as a result of damage to the brain’s hippocampus.

Dr. John Sladky, a professor of pediatrics and neurology at Emory’s School of Medicine and the chief of neurology at Emory Children's Center, notes that in visual scans of the brain, the amount of activity diminishes when multitasking comes into play. “A summary of more recent research would indicate that the brain doesn’t multitask very well, and unlike a computer that allocates an equal amount of energy for each task, the brain’s energy expenditure capability is limited. Simply put, energy for each task is finite.”

 

Interestingly enough, the researchers at the National Institutes of Health are tackling the issue of multitasking through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), one of its more than two-dozen research institutes and centers that comprise the government body. Jordan Grafman, chief of the cognitive neuroscience section at NINDS, defines multitasking as working on “a number of different tasks within a short time period.” These tasks can be interwoven in an overlapping fashion, by handling a bit of one job and then going back to handle a bit of another, or certain tasks can be completed at the same time, such as participating on a conference call while answering email.

 

Grafman’s research includes work on charting the area of the brain---the anterior frontal cortex---responsible for multitasking behavior. This area of the brain is also one of the most evolved, he notes. Grafman adds that multitasking appears to be a uniquely human ability. “There are individual differences, and an astute manager may pick out who to assign these sorts of tasks to, and those not as well equipped to handle it.” However, everyone seems to reach some sort of boiling over point---and that’s why an employer needs to be constantly aware of his or her employee’s capabilities and current work situation.

 

More importantly, Grafman’s work indicates that performance declines when people do multiple tasks. Then, he notes, “a manager would need to ask themselves if they can accept the standard of work being produced. If the standard is low, then it doesn’t matter as much. But if you’re worried about performance, then this may not be the answer. We all have limits.” Grafman adds that the stress induced by high levels of multitasking, or even other major causes of stress, can “cause a chain reaction in the brain to kill off neurons.” Short-term memory loss is a common result. “It is basically short term and it is reversible if not under the stress. But if the stress is persistent, it can be problematic.”

Despite the findings, rethinking the way we work may not be as easy as it sounds. Gilkey sees multitasking as a “symptom of our current lifestyle. We over commit and over stimulate. The way we live in this country is conducive to stress on all levels.” People take cell calls at their kid’s soccer game, or drag the laptop on a boat trip. We drive and talk on the phone, or listen to the TV, while surfing the Internet. Employees are now expected to be constantly “on” for work, whether that means responding to email on the weekends or scanning the Blackberry as they peck away at the computer. Vacation time is often interrupted by calls “from the office.”

And, with U.S. employees working many more hours than in the past, says Gilkey, the pressure to produce is even greater than ever. “We need to create boundaries in time and space. Our ancestors were much better at this separation. They kept the Sabbath, or made clearer physical boundaries of home and hearth. Now, work appears to be infinite, and it expands and fills up personal time.” Often, he says, people are simply afraid to say “no” to their boss, and others have gotten into the expected company behavior.

The outcome of multitasking and other work problems are taking an increasing toll on U.S. employees. Mary Graham, a senior policy adviser for the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), says her group is fielding more and more calls from employers and employer assistance programs about the levels of stress at work. The NMHA is a nonprofit advocacy, education, research and service organization addressing issues involving mental health and mental illness. Graham sees multitasking as just a part of the problem. But considering the complaints, just why aren’t employers getting it?

 

Graham says that today’s companies are simply leaner and meaner than they use to be, and that employees are feeling the burden of larger workloads. “Employees are taking on bigger roles as companies downsize and merge. The outcome is more irritability in the workplace, trouble making decisions and concentrating.” Of course, she notes it is difficult to separate the issue of multitasking from other stress inducers on the job (from family pressures, to fear of losing one’s job and more), but she does indicate it as one source of concern.

Gilkey agrees with Graham that the reduction in staff at many U.S. companies means that fewer individuals are now expected to do more of the work. He adds that the current “push for shareholder value is also one of the drivers in this effort to produce more on the job. The boss is under pressure too, and it just goes down the chain of command. If you have the capacity to be available 24 hours a day, from email to Internet, or cell, than there are certain expectations that come along with it.” A company like Hewlett-Packard, says Gilkey, with its policy of forcing employees to take their vacation time without the cell or laptop along with them, remains one of the few businesses promoting the need for downtime.

The NMHA’s Graham believes there are other solutions to the multitasking dilemma. “Some employees appear to thrive when multitasking. It is all driven by personality. It’s important for the manager to get feedback from the staff member, and to see how they like to work.” Emory’s Dr. Sladky adds that managers can also help the situation by stressing more sequential tasking. “It is much more efficient than multitasking. The physiological behavior of the brain suggests that multitasking isn’t the best way.”

Dr. Sladky uses the example of how when a person listens intently to an auditory message, the individual often responds by closing their eyes. “This may be a reflex instinct.” That blocking out behavior might indicate that singling in on one specific task is simply what we were designed to do. “We have to design a better workday. There are multiple demands on time and attention, but sequential tasking can help.”

If employers haven’t taken the issue to heart by now, says Benjamin Druss, the Rosalynn Carter chair of mental health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, then they should think in terms of their pocketbook. (According to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, health care expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress.) Dr. Druss adds, “Unchecked stress evolves into more serious conditions, including depression, and it can have a greater impact on the workplace, affecting productivity, healthcare costs, and ultimately the bottom line.”