12 Warning Signs That You're Stressed Out at work.

1. Your stomach hurts; your headaches; you catch colds frequently.

2. You feel emotionally numb.

3. You snap at people: colleagues, your spouse, your kids.

4. People tell you they're worried about you.

5. You feel that if you take on one more task, you're going to blow.

6. You feel like quitting your job. Often.

7. You feel helpless, circumstances seem out of control.

8. You know that whatever you do, things are bound to go wrong.

9. And you know that when they do, you'll be the only one who cares.

10. You feel guilty about taking a holiday.

11. You know the problem: it's everybody else.

12. You can't stop thinking about your work.

Stress and related illness has been estimated at costing the UK economy as much as ￡4bn a year. The spiraling level of workplace stress is losing the UK an estimated 1,554,256 working days every year at a cost of ￡1.24bn. In total this is currently responsible for about 10% of all absences.

Research conducted for national stress awareness day, as far back as 2005, shows that almost two-thirds of the UK workforce is suffering from the effects of stress at work. Two-thirds of these people believe that stress is reducing their job satisfaction, and more than a third stated it was reducing their productivity.

28% said that it is damaging their relationships with work colleagues,

20% are suffering from damaged personal relationships. Of those that suffer from stress-related conditions

14% have had to receive medical treatment for the symptoms caused by stressful lives and jobs.

The latest Natwest research echoes the findings of a recent report by the Work Foundation that found working women face particular problems because they face a disproportionate burden of household chores as well as their careers. Europe-wide, a report by market analysts Datamonitor has found that some 12 million people are opting for a cut in salary or working fewer hours to relieve the stress of the workplace, while 2 million have given up high-pressure jobs altogether. Keen to reclaim their quality of life 24% of workers state they would take a pay cut if it meant less stress. At the same time a separate survey of 5000 UK employers reveals that 82% feel ‘vulnerable and at risk’ from being sued by their employees for causing stress, discrimination, or for bullying. Personnel today magazine reported that, of 700 managers, 80% believed stress was damaging the UK’s competitiveness and 60% says it is the major contributing factor towards high staff turnover levels. Stress is in epidemic proportions in the Western world. Over two-thirds of office visits to GPs are for stress-related illness.

It is a major contributing factor to many health illnesses and aggravates other conditions that are normally well-controlled. A report by mental health charity MIND has shown that more than 5 million people complain of extreme stress in the workplace and along with other mental health problems it is becoming Britain's biggest social problem. The survey shows that employees are being put at risk of serious mental breakdowns, with most managers unaware of how to deal with it

Companies can be sued for causing unnecessary stress at work HR must take a leading role in combating stress Workplace stress is an epidemic that employers can no longer ignore, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says. New regulations to reduce stress, implemented in December, require employees to increase support, give staff control, ease, and improve the quality of life in the workplace.

Stress costs businesses so much in terms of high staff turnover, a demotivated workforce, increased sickness and absence, poor performance and an increase in customer complaints that these new guidelines should be seen as an incentive to improve their business by investing in their staff.

Although companies can be sued for causing unnecessary stress at work under the current Health and Safety at Work Act, the HSE has yet to bring a prosecution under the Act because a clear definition of workplace stress has not previously existed.

New guidelines on work-related stress in the UK become law later this year but over half of employers have never even heard of them. The new Management Standards drawn up by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are intended to reduce stress levels in UK workplaces. When they start to be enforced, a certain percentage of a company’s staff will have to agree that their employer has met certain standards or they will fail an assessment. But according to a study by consultants over half (55 percent) of organisations said that they had no idea that the HSE guidelines even existed, while of those that were aware of them, a quarter said they had taken no action to put them into practice. Almost eight out of ten were also failing to HSE advice on combating stress in the workplace. The HSE has identified six sources of stress that will come under the regulatory microscope: demands of the job, control over how to work, support from colleagues and management, working relationships, clarity of role and organisational change.

According to the new Management Standards, employers must take responsibility for stress caused by work and the working environment and adopt an attitude of 'prevention rather than cure'. Employers must ensure staff are not made ill by their work. "Misconceptions about stress need to be challenged to make people aware that it is not a weakness on behalf of the employee, but a serious occupational health condition.

The results show that line managers need more information and support, with 34 percent failing to even acknowledge stress as an issue. The problem also has roots at the top of organisations, with almost a third of those questioned suggested that senior managers weren't committed to addressing the problem. Other major causes of stress include unreasonable demands placed on individuals (42 percent), poor relationships at work (35 percent), staff having no say in where or when they work (25 percent) a lack of support and training (24 percent) and poorly-defined job roles (20 percent).

Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said HR must start challenging management failings to deal with workplace stress. He added that employers should look closely at the causes of stress, rather than reacting after it occurs. "HR has to make a business case for better control of stress," he said. "Tackling stress is about good management. Line managers have to be competent and aware as stress is now a major HR issue." The code will introduce a legal basis against which companies can be assessed for their efforts to reduce stress to manageable levels in six areas. It also sets a level for each area below which the company will be deemed to have failed the assessment.

The standards have been piloted in 24 firms, including major employers such as Sainsbury's and Lloyds TSB.

Demands: 85 percent of employees must say that they can cope with the demands of their jobs.

Control: 85 percent must consider they have an adequate say over how they do their work.

Support: 85 percent must say they get adequate support from colleagues and superiors.

Relationships: 65 percent must say they are not subjected to unacceptable behaviour such as bullying.

Role: 65 percent must say they understand their role and responsibilities.

Change: 65 percent must say they are involved in organisational changes.

The six elements have been devised in light of a study of 10,000 UK civil servants that found staff could deal with high-pressure work environments provided they had a high degree of control over their working lives and good social support. The major role, that lack of control over work and lack of participation in decision-making plays in stress-related illness has been borne out by a number of other studies in recent years.

Bill Callaghan, the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, said: "We know there is considerable pressure in the modern workplace but there is a difference between the buzz people get from doing a busy and challenging job and an unreasonable pressure, which can harm to health, lead to absence and put additional strain on their colleagues trying to cope in an even more pressured environment. "Handing [companies] a tool to help them develop good practice makes sense and the earlier the better. I know this is not going to be easy but grasping this nettle can make for a successful business and a happier workforce."

It is important for companies to have a healthy work environment and workforce. With these new regulations, it is not only a matter of good business sense but also a legal matter of the utmost importance. A stress-free workplace should be created with minimum expense to the workers, or their routines, with their full integration in developing and maintaining these great places to work. An environment that is optimally stimulating but not overwhelming. Thriving on stress

The key is to develop strategies that allow an individual to have an optimal experience at work. Peak performance is achieved when a person is suitably stimulated but not overwhelmed by the workload or what is expected from them.

Reduce Stress to manageable levels in six areas "Handing [companies] a tool to help them develop good practice makes sense” Susan Anderson, the CBI's head of HR policy, said stress was becoming a major cause of absence, especially among white-collar workers.

UNDERSTAND THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE

This fundamental physiologic response forms the foundation of modern-day stress medicine. The "fight or flight response" is our body's primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to "fight" or "flee" from perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival. When we experience excessive stress—whether from internal worry or external circumstances—a bodily reaction is triggered, called the "fight or flight" response. Originally discovered by the great Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon, this response is hard-wired into our brains and represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect us from bodily harm. This response actually corresponds to an area of our brain called the hypothalamus, which—when stimulated—initiates a sequence of nerve cell firing and chemical release that prepares our body for running or fighting. When a situation is perceived as threatening the body responds.

The stimulation of adrenaline from the adrenal glands as well as other ‘stress’ hormones. These are then circulated around the body via the bloodstream. On reaching the heart, lungs, muscles etc.. changes are made to focus all energy on the fight (deal with a threat) or flight (run away from threat). This can result in increased heart rate, heightened sensual awareness, shallow and rapid breathing, muscles tense up, increase in sweat, bladder relaxes, thought race, may experience pins and needles, stomach feels knotted. Now imagine if a person is constantly in the fight-or-flight mode of living. Their body and mind are in constant pressure making work, comprehension and all activities that much more difficult. On top of this, the body’s natural healing system and immune system get depressed.

What is the RELAXATION response?”

The relaxation response, discovered by the inspirational author and Harvard cardiologist, Herbert Benson, M.D., represents a hard-wired antidote to the fight or flight response. It corresponds to a physical portion of the brain (located in the hypothalamus) which—when triggered—sends out neurochemicals that almost precisely counteract the hypervigilant response of the fight or flight response.

When we follow the simple steps necessary to elicit the relaxation response, we can predictably measure its benefits on the body.

These include:

a decrease in blood pressure,

diminished respiratory rate,

lower pulse rate,

increase in alpha brain waves (associated with relaxation), and in many cases, an improved sense of mental and spiritual well-being.

This improves performance. Because the relaxation response is hard-wired, we do not need to believe it will work, any more than we need to believe our leg will jump when the doctor taps our patellar tendon with a little red hammer.

The relaxation response is a physiological response, and as such, there are many ways to elicit it, just as there are many ways to increase our pulse rate. It is a learned response. There are a variety of different methods of inducing this response. They share the common goal of countering the physiological aspects of the stress reaction. All the relaxation techniques involve long and exacting training. Proper training leads to a gradual reduction in time and effort required to relax. When properly pursued, these techniques produce a state of relaxation quickly and on demand. Learning the relaxation response is one of the most important gifts available to all people. It increases resourcefulness, energy levels, happiness, productivity, and above all health.