Employers Work to Cut Job Stress : Workplace: Some major O.C. companies have programs to boost morale of employees concerned about recession and career opportunities.

Personnel consultants say it is natural for employees to carry recession-related stress to the office or factory, contributing to low morale and reduced productivity.

But some Orange County companies have instituted programs to deal with employee concerns about their personal finances and career opportunities.

McDonnell Douglas Travel Corp. in Irvine and Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc. in Cypress each had several employee programs in place before the recession began in mid-1990. Those programs, company officials said, have made it easier for employees to cope during these difficult economic times.

As the Persian Gulf War raged on in early 1991, rumors of terrorist attacks on leisure travelers, especially those from the United States, caused thousands of people to delay or cancel trips.

As a result, sales were down at McDonnell Douglas Travel, which was forced to lay off 25 to 30 workers.

“Travel came to a grinding halt,” said Jay Arnold, vice president of administration. “Everyone was too busy watching CNN and not traveling.”

Fears and uncertainties caused by the personnel cutbacks, however, were quickly mollified, Arnold said, because of two existing human resources programs at the travel company.

An employee awareness committee, made up of six employees from different departments, had been started more than a year earlier, Arnold said. That committee acts as the voice of the employees, and passes along worker concerns about company policy in a structured way.

In addition, Arnold said, he conducts monthly employee meetings, where he takes the “hot seat,” listening to suggestions and answering questions.

“You never know what’s going to come out of those meetings,” Arnold said. “But it’s good. The more feedback you get, the better off you are as a company.”

It was at just such a meeting that Arnold was able to explain to his subordinates the reason for the layoffs last year and quell any fears they had about further cuts.

He said employee morale after the cuts was not measurably lower, probably because of the ongoing programs that gave employees a voice in the company.

A 1990 survey at the travel concern, created six years ago by the St. Louis-based aircraft manufacturer of the same name, showed that 98% of the employees felt “responsible for quality of service” and 99% “take personal pride in work.”

Arnold said a new survey is being planned, but no date is set. The company will compare responses to get a clearer picture of how employee morale has fared through the recession.

“We spend a lot of time with our employees,” Arnold said. “They know what our vision is and are a part of it. If our (reservations) agents are happy, and they push that tone (of voice) through the telephone, we become a better company.”

Earlier this year, the employees at Mitsubishi Motors of America Inc. were among those targeted by a spate of anti-Japanese sentiment spurred by the recession and disparaging statements by Japanese business and political leaders about the American work ethic.

But the pressure of working for a Japanese-owned company during that period did not affect work performance “to any great extent,” said Mike Weinberg, director of employee relations.

“We are always trying to be good citizens in the community and make contributions,” he said. Efforts include canned food drives and sponsoring local sporting events. Events are staffed by employees.

“Those kinds of things make employees feel a part of the company,” Weinberg said.

Despite slow auto sales, employee spirits have been up and turnover down at Mitsubishi, Weinberg said. He acknowledged that the low turnover rate is partially attributable to the fact that jobs are scarce and fewer workers are switching jobs during the recession.

But, Weinberg said, morale is helped by employee-management communication through monthly employee meetings, a three-member employee committee (similar to the McDonnell Douglas committee), an internal monthly newsletter that keeps employees informed about sales and earnings, and a program that offers advancement training.

The training courses and on-the-job instruction teach employees the skills needed for promotions they may be interested in, Weinberg said. The program also includes career counseling.

The programs have “created a general feeling that (employees) have control over their jobs,” Weinberg said. “We want our employees to be involved as much as possible so we can really benefit from their expertise.”