Gas prices have impact

Gas prices have certainly impacted every family’s budget. But gas prices also might be affecting your productivity at work.

Rising gas prices and tight budgets increase stress levels, which, in turn, reduce your ability to focus on the job, according to Wayne Hochwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Management at Florida State University’s College of Business.

“People concerned with the effects of gas prices were significantly less attentive on the job, less excited about going to work, less passionate and conscientious and more tense,” Hochwarter said. “These people also reported more ‘blues’ on the job. Employees were simply unable to detach themselves from the stress caused by escalating gas prices as they walked through the doors at work.”

A survey distributed to 800 full-time employees revealed that higher gas prices have not only caused a distraction on the job, they have also caused people to change plans and make different life decisions.

More specifically, 52 percent have reconsidered taking vacations; 45 percent have had to cut back on credit-card payments; and 30 percent have considered the consequences of going without food, clothing and medicine.

Even more, many survey respondents said that gas prices have caused them to fall behind financially, and about one-third said they would quit their job for one closer to home simply to save money at the pump.

So, if you feel that the stress of a tight budget is impacting your ability to focus at work, you’re not alone. Families across the country are affected by gas prices, and this impact can extend far beyond the wallet and into the workplace.