Workplace Issues: One of the Causes of Stress

Work is sometimes referred to as “the sum of our existence.” Work is why we get up early in the morning and go home late at night. It is what consumes most of our energies. We need to have jobs, to avoid idleness, have sense of purpose, and to survive in today's world. Work utilizes our talents, supports our family's needs and wants. However, work is also where we tend to be stressed out, with related issues making us feel weak, and in some cases, it gives us some anxiety panic attacks.

It is mostly at the office we spend our waking hours. It is there that the potential for conflict is high. You get to meet difficult people, you have an “impossible” and difficult boss, and you might encounter someone trying to make a move on the same position you've been eying for the past six months. Temptations abound in the office.

The long hours, the threats of being laid-off and workplace bullying can cause harmful emotional and physical responses. These things can happen whenever there is a conflict between job demands and work relationship with other people. In retrospect, the high demands of a particular job and the knowledge that we don't have any control over the situation often leads to stress.

Stress produces strain, disrupts equilibrium, and it can be said to be the source of many number of emotional, physical, economic and social problems. The stress from our work could be from countless hours in overtime, cutbacks on our privileges, and the pressure to perform to an exacting standard. Prolonged workplace stress leads to absenteeism, sickness, dissatisfaction, make one irritable, rash with their decisions and reduced job efficiency.

The National Institute For Occupational Mental Health report cites the following about workplace stress:

1.         25% view their jobs as the number one causes of stress in their lives

2.         Three-fourths of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago

3.         26% of workers said they were “felt burned out often” by their job

4.         Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial problems

SYMPTOMS OF WORKPLACE STRESS

-           Aching muscles

-           Restless sleep

-           Fatigue

-           Loss of appetite

-           Irritability

-           Low morale

-           Headache

-           Upset stomach

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Follow the tips below to manage workplace stress.

1.         Exercise – can be done in a gym, office or at home

2.         Proper Planning – schedule your jobs, business trips and other matters, however leave room for adjustments

3.         Balance – find time to focus on and strike a balance between your work,  personal and family life

4.         Social Network – surround yourself with reliable friends you can lean on

5.         Positive Outlook – let work-related issues cease to bother you 

Stress hampers productivity. Therefore employers should introduce stress management programs to teach their workers the nature and sources of stress as well as the effects on their overall health. Issues management should also be part of the program.