Stress In The Work Place Can Be Good And Bad
One of the main reasons work overload and pressure has increased is that organisations in the developed world are trying to compete with cheap labour in the emerging economies. Ironically workers in the emerging economies are also experiencing greater levels of stress. The cost of stress in the workplace is enormous and is estimated to consume between 5% and 10% of gross national product per annum.
The ability to lower levels of stress in the workplace has been shown to improve employee health and quality of life as well as boosting the bottom line. These are some of the reasons that Employee Assistance programs to reduce stress in the workplace by providing services like anger and time management and learning relationship skill. Some even offer marital counseling, since stress at home often spills over to affect job performance that increases stress in the workplace.
There are many causes of stress in the workplace. Some common causes of stress in the workplace include working long hours, feeling that you are being treated unfairly, not having any acknowledgement or reward for a job well done, and most importantly, increased demands but having little control or decision making latitude of your work activities. This latter combination of factors are the most important contributors to stress in the workplace and have been shown in scientific studies to be associated with higher rates of hypertension and heart attacks.
In addition to other disorders, persistent stress in the workplace due to constant increased demands can also lead to burnout. Burnout from stress in the workplace is likely to be seen in employees who are perfectionists or think they are superhuman. It is also seen in caregivers and EMS personnel who experience frequent episodes of frustration and depression because of stress in the workplace. Symptoms from this severe type of stress in the workplace include persistent and significant depression, fatigue and lack of energy and motivation and markedly diminished sense of humor, satisfaction, self-confidence and ability to concentrate. Brownout is a lesser form of burnout resulting from stress in the workplace.
A lack of job security is also cited as one of the major causes of stress in the workplace and has been a growing problem due to more downsizing, hostile takeovers and mergers. This type of stress in the workplace can affect everyone from data entry clerks and salespersons to supervisors, middle management and top executives.
Stress in the workplace has become an increasingly hot topic over the past few decades and in the workplace it is obviously important to employees, but management seems only concerned with stress for several other reasons.
The primary cause of employee stress in the workplace is money. This drastically diminishes workplace performance. If your employees learn to budget and manage their money the right way they then can focus on their jobs.
Stress at home is always present then you go to work and discover that someone wants your job, your secretary quit, the big boss is coming into town and you have a project that is way overdue. That’s pretty stressful too. What’s more, women and men who are successful in the workplace are usually pretty good at juggling stress and when that begins to break down, then not only does a job become jeopardized but so do the very foundations for which you built your career upon.
Jobs come and go for some, but career-minded individuals who are focused on success tend to stick with their jobs and in order to maintain job security, you must be able to deal with stress effectively. One way to avoid stress in the workplace is to avoid it and another is to be sure you aren’t creating any unnecessary stress.
No matter how bright your career is, ultimately you will endure some pretty stressful situations from time to time. Handling stress in the workplace is tough to do sometimes if you don’t know how to handle stress at home. And stress at home is enough to make for a very difficult work environment which you are responsible for creating if you take the stress into your office.
Respondents who experienced illness at work claimed stress and sleep deprivation were the second and third most common reasons for the illness. Stress and sleep deprivation also were attributed as the second and fourth most common reasons for unproductive hours lost due to illness. High stress was a more frequent cause of presenteeism for female health and safety professionals than for males; presenteeism increased as age increased; and employees who worked more than 40 hours a week experienced more stress. Finally, absenteeism is correlated to presenteeism. If an employee is absent due to illness, it is likely that employee also is less productive while at work.
Based on the results, it is recommended that workplace health promotion and education programs consider specific sub-groups of employee categories, such as age, gender, health status, smoking status and hours worked per week. This way, employers can customize stress reduction programs based on employee specific needs.
Personal struggles with work. Serious stress in the workplace is also caused by an employee not fitting in a job, fear of unemployment, sidelining or demotion and attempts to strike a healthy balance between work and family or leisure. Boredom is also a major problem in the workplace. People in different kinds of workplaces suffer from different kinds and levels of stress. Ranking highest in severity and occurrence is inadequate salary and lack of opportunity for advancement.
