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Work-related stress

This article summarises:

 

·         the possible causes of work related stress and how it could affect you

·         what you can do about it.

 

What is work related stress?

 

According to the Health and Safety Executive,

 

‘Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand made on them’.

 

Work related stress can be a serious problem, both for the individuals who go through it and for the organisations they work for. If it is prolonged or intense, it can lead to illness, either physical or psychological.

 

Most jobs involve a degree of pressure, such as:

 

·         meeting deadlines and targets

·         dealing with demanding clients.

 

In fact, pressure helps to keep you motivated and often helps you to perform better.

 

However, constant, excessive work-related stress is bad for the workforce and for the organisation as a whole. Tell tale signs include:

 

·         low staff morale

·         low company loyalty

·         high staff turnover

·         high sickness absence

·         lowering of quality standards

·         dissatisfied customers.

The Stress Page on the Health and Safety Executive website (May 2007) indicates that stress caused by excessive pressure at work  "undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill". The site http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/

suggests ways to to understand the causes of stress at work, and to identify and solve problems in the workplace".

 

What factors can lead to stress?

You may feel that:

 

  • you have no control or influence over your own work
  • your boss normally expects you to take work home
  • you need to work overtime to get through your work load
  • you are alienated because there’s no consultation between management and staff
  • there’s a culture of blame in your organisation when problems arise
  • your workload is unmanageable, your deadlines are unrealistic and you will never meet your targets
  • you have too little to do, you have no challenges, or your work is too boring or repetitive
  • there are conflicting demands between home and work. 

You may be in an organisation where:

 

  • there is confusion over individual roles and corporate objectives
  • there’s no relevant training
  • however hard you work nobody recognises good job performance or rewards you for it
  • there are personality conflicts: bullying, racial or sexual harassment
  • you don’t know how secure your job is or what prospects you have
  • your workplace is noisy or overcrowded. 

The more of the factors you recognise from the list above, the more you may be at risk of suffering work related stress.

 

How do you recognise the signs of stress?

Some of the common warning signs include:

 

  • feeling anxious
  • having mood swings
  • indecisiveness
  • having low self confidence or self esteem
  • being irritable or even tearful
  • having physical symptoms such as headache, chest pain, stomach trouble, skin problems, muscle tension or panic attacks
  • changes in your eating or sleeping patterns
  • feeling tired and lacking energy
  • being unable to concentrate
  • forgetting things. 

How can you learn to cope with stress?

 

Steps you can take:

  • learn to recognise the warning signs of work-related stress  
  • approach your employer if you are starting to experience work-related stress
  • recognise that there are times when everyone needs the help and support of other people so don’t be afraid of asking
  • try to work out the real causes of your stress
  • channel your energies into finding a practical solution to the problem instead of worrying about it.

 Review your lifestyle and change it for the better by:

 

  • learning to relax
  • watching your diet and making sure you drink plenty of water
  • cutting down (or cutting out) caffeine and alcohol
  • trying to avoid smoking and self prescribed drugs
  • exercising regularly
  • managing your time better
  • learning to say no and meaning it. 

What can your employer do?

 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has produced a guidance pack to enable employers and employees to develop solutions to work place stress problems: Real Solutions, Real People.

 

In autumn 2004, the HSE also launched a framework of standards for managing the risks from work related stress. It identifies six key areas or risk factors for employees:

 

·         demands: your workload, the hours you have to work and what your workplace is like

·         control: how much say you have about the way you do your job

·         support: who can help and the kind of help you can get

·         relationships: you can be confident that your employer tries to promote fair working practices and will take seriously any complaint you have

·         role: you know where you stand and where to go if things go wrong

·         change: you get consulted at times of organisational change and you can influence how things work out.

 

Where there is an indication that stress may be causing ill health, Health and Safety regulations require employers with more than five employees to carry out a risk assessment on the effects of stress. This entails:

 

  • looking for particular sources of pressure which increase stress
  • deciding who is at risk
  • deciding how to tackle the problems. 

This helps the employer to put in place measures which:

 

  • prevent work-place stress
  • identify the sources and levels of stress within the organisation
  • measure the effects on health and performance
  • enable practical steps to tackle them such as structural changes or training programmes
  • address issues such as  communication, consultation and confidentiality
  • support employees who experience stress
  • support staff returning to work after absence due to work related stress. 

Useful Websites

 

www.hse.gov.uk/stress

www.workstress.net/whatis.htm

www.hebs.scot.nhs.uk/workpositive/index.cfm

www.isma.org.uk/