Work stress

Introduction

Work stress is recognised worldwide as a major challenge to workers' health and the well-being of their organisations. Stressed workers are more likely to be unhealthy, poorly motivated, less productive, and less safe at work. Consequently, their organisations are less likely to be successful in a competitive market.

Stress can stem from pressures at home and work. Employers cannot usually protect workers from stress arising outside of work, but they can protect them from work-related stress. Effective management and well-organized work environments are the best forms of stress prevention. If employees are already stressed, managers should be aware and know how to help.

This article primarily addresses everyday work stress rather than stress caused by sudden, traumatic events or post-traumatic stress disorder management. It covers:

·???????? What work stress is (and is not)

·???????? The risk management approach to work stress

·???????? How to assess work for stress-related health risks

·???????? How to prevent or reduce work stress

·???????? How to support people suffering from stress

·???????? Organisational policies and culture required to promote these actions

The goals of best practice stress management are to prevent stress or, where employees are already experiencing stress, to prevent it from causing serious harm to their health or the health of their organisation. In many countries, legislation obliges employers to care for the health and safety of their workers, including managing stress-related hazards. Employers should familiarize themselves with relevant laws in their country.

What is Work Stress?

Work-related stress is the response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that do not match their knowledge and abilities, challenging their ability to cope. Stress occurs in a wide range of work circumstances but is often exacerbated when employees feel unsupported by supervisors and colleagues or lack control over their work.

Pressure

There is often confusion between pressure or challenge and stress. Pressure at the workplace is unavoidable due to the demands of the contemporary work environment. Pressure perceived as acceptable can keep workers alert, motivated, and able to work, and learn, depending on available resources and personal characteristics. However, excessive or unmanageable pressure leads to stress, damaging workers' health and business performance.

Inadequacy

Stress results from a mismatch between the demands and pressures on a person and their knowledge and abilities, challenging their ability to cope with work. This includes situations where work pressures exceed the worker's ability to cope and where the worker's knowledge and abilities are underutilised. A healthy job is one where the pressures on employees are appropriate in relation to their abilities and resources, the amount of control they have over their work, and the support they receive from people who matter to them. A healthy working environment is one with an absence of harmful conditions and an abundance of health-promoting ones. This may include continuous assessment of health risks, provision of appropriate health information and training, and availability of organisational support practices and structures.

What Causes Work Stress?

Poor work design, management, and unsatisfactory working conditions can lead to stress. These factors result in insufficient support from others or a lack of control over work and its pressures. Research shows that the most stressful type of work involves excessive demands and pressures not matched to workers' knowledge and abilities, limited opportunities to exercise control, and little support from others. Conversely, matching demands and pressures to workers' knowledge and abilities reduces the likelihood of stress. The more support workers receive and the more control they have over their work, the less likely they are to experience stress.

Content of Job

The content of the job itself can be a source of strain, with repetitive tasks offering little stimulation or purpose. Similarly, a lack of variety or the presence of unpleasant duties can quickly chip away at employee morale.

Workloads

Workload and work pace are another major battleground for stress. Feeling overwhelmed by an excessive amount of work or, conversely, having insufficient tasks to stay engaged can be equally detrimental. Time pressures only exacerbate this issue, creating a constant sense of urgency and anxiety. The very structure of work hours can also contribute. Rigid schedules, long hours that intrude on personal life, and unpredictable workdays all disrupt the delicate balance between work and home, leading to stress and exhaustion.

Lack of control

Beyond the immediate tasks and schedules, a lack of control within the organisation can be a significant stressor. Employees who feel excluded from decision-making or have no control over their work methods, pace, or even their work environment experience a sense of powerlessness. This lack of control extends to career development and compensation. Job insecurity, a dearth of promotion opportunities, and unfair performance evaluations all contribute to feelings of dissatisfaction and stress. Similarly, a mismatch between an employee's skills and the job requirements can breed frustration and a sense of inadequacy.

The Effects of Work Stress on Individuals

Stress affects individuals differently. It can lead to unusual and dysfunctional behaviour at work, contributing to poor physical and mental health. Extreme or long-term stress may lead to psychological problems and psychiatric disorders, resulting in absence from work and potentially preventing the worker from returning to work.

Under stress, people struggle to maintain a healthy balance between work and non-work life and may engage in unhealthy activities like smoking, drinking, and drug abuse. Stress can also weaken the immune system, impairing the ability to fight infections.

Affected individuals may:

·???????? Become distressed and irritable

·???????? Have trouble relaxing or concentrating

·???????? Struggle with logical thinking and decision-making

·???????? Enjoy work less and feel less committed

·???????? Feel tired, depressed, and anxious

·???????? Have difficulty sleeping

·???????? Experience physical problems like heart disease, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, headaches, and musculoskeletal disorders

The Effects of Work Stress on Organisations

If key staff or many workers are affected, work stress can challenge an organisation's healthiness and performance. Unhealthy organisations do not get the best from their workers, which can affect their performance in competitive markets and even their survival.

Work stress can impact organisations by:

·???????? Increasing absenteeism

·???????? Decreasing commitment to work

·???????? Raising staff turnover

·???????? Impairing performance and productivity

·???????? Increasing unsafe working practices and accident rates

·???????? Boosting complaints from clients and customers

·???????? Adversely affecting staff recruitment

·???????? Raising liability to legal claims by stressed workers

·???????? Damaging the organisation's internal and external image

Risk Assessment and Management: What You Can Do About It

Employers should have a policy for managing worker health that includes work stress, with appropriate arrangements for risk assessment, timely reaction, and rehabilitation. Organisational strategies for managing existing work stress should focus on combating risks at the source.

Managing work stress effectively involves a risk management approach, assessing possible risks in the work environment that may cause hazards to harm employees. A hazard is an event or situation with potential harm, referring to physical or psychological health deterioration. Stress causes are hazards related to work design and management and working conditions, managed similarly to other hazards.

Assessing work-related stress risks involves answering these questions:

·???????? Is there a problem? Could work stress affect workers' health?

·???????? How can the stress problem be solved?

·???????? Is the whole system being monitored?

These questions aim to identify work practices or circumstances causing demand-resource imbalances. Identifying and assessing these imbalances, and taking steps to reduce stress at the group level, is crucial. Avoid asking employees leading questions like "are you stressed?" Instead, explore existing risks to employees' health and choose the best approach for your work group. Record your chosen action and reasons.

Approaches to exploring existing risks:

·???????? Ask employees directly about their work problems and potential health impacts

·???????? Ask employees to describe the best and worst aspects of their job and any excessive pressure

·???????? Use detailed questions based on stress causes to identify specific problems

·???????? Tailor questions to specific work contexts for useful action design

·???????? Monitor sickness absence, staff turnover, performance, accidents, and mistakes for excesses, changes, and patterns.

These information sources can identify potential problems where pressure-resource imbalances exist and alert you to at-risk work and groups.

Essential Steps in Risk Management

Risk management is a problem-solving approach to health and safety problems, providing continuous improvement in work conditions and workers' health. It involves five actions:

·???????? Analyzing the situation and assessing risk

·???????? Designing an action plan to reduce work stress risk

·???????? Implementing the action plan

·???????? Evaluating the implementation

·???????? Learning and taking further action based on evaluation results

Solving Work Stress Problems

Strategies for solving work stress include work redesign, stress management training, improving ergonomics and environmental design, and enhancing management practices. Key strategies involve:

·???????? Changing work demands and environment

·???????? Ensuring appropriate knowledge and abilities

·???????? Increasing employee control and support

·???????? Providing stress management training

Caring for Troubled Employees

Tertiary prevention involves identifying and managing workers suffering from stress. This includes observing signs of stress, discussing problems with employees, and planning interventions (training, counselling, job redesign). Accurate records should be kept to track progress and evaluate interventions.

Organisational Culture

Organisational culture significantly influences stress management success. It encompasses attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours within the organisation. Employers and managers must understand and possibly change the organisational culture to improve stress management.

Resources for Managing Work Stress

Employers should utilize internal resources (occupational health services, HR management, training departments) and seek external professional help for complex cases. Identifying at-risk groups within the organisation is crucial.

Concluding Remarks

Work stress is a real challenge that requires continuous monitoring and proactive management. Successful employers promote healthy work environments and provide leadership in managing work stress.