Stress Management When it Comes to Work
10/15/2008 - Wellness and Diet
Stress at the work place
Studies show that working condition in the workplace is among the top reasons why many people suffer from stress. This is because people are exposed to various factors such as working with other people that have different sets of values and ethics, meeting job demands as well as meeting the expectations of the boss/es.
Being stressed in the workplace is not a new occurrence but it has evolved in years. Maybe because of the changing times, stress in the workplace has become more intense and the people within have become more competitive. In this set up, people or employees who are not used to heavy environment tend to prone to stress attacks more often.
Stress in the workplace happens when there are excessive challenges and demands of work, pressures which hinders people's abilities in handling such circumstances, and the demands and satisfaction has become exhausting and more frustrating. When this happens, there can be physical and emotional changes that can drastically affect not just the employees but the entire nature of the businesses as well.
To avoid these effects in the workplace and in the business, it is best for employees as well as employers to familiarize themselves about the job stressors present. By knowing this, employees can recognize the source of stress and employers can make an action plan to somehow alleviate it.
The most common job stressors include specific work factors such as tedious tasks, excessive loads of work, low pay despite extended hours of work, absurd demands in performance rates, and short rest breaks.
Another would be the physical environment itself especially if the area is overcrowded and noisy, with poor ventilation, and presence of safety and health such as improper placement of equipment and toxic chemicals.
Organizational practices can also be a job stressor especially if there is vague set of expectations and responsibilities, conflict in demands in job, presence of so many bosses, poor decision-making habits, problems in communication lines, and absence of policies that can benefit the employee's family members.
Minor job stressors would include change in workplace that leads employees to have unspoken fear in terms if job tenure, inconsistent turnover of personnel, absence of readiness when it comes to changes in technology or no room for promotion and recognition and interpersonal relationships including distant bosses, office politics, competitiveness of other employees and the like.
Dispelling stress in the workplace
To effectively manage stress in the workplace, employees must:
- Have time to getaway if stress building up;
- Take a break and do some minor activities such as walking or strolling nearby or siting on a park bench near the area and do some exercise or listen to relaxing music;
- Talk it out with a friend or a loved one to help relieve some burden of work;
- Build camaraderie at the workplace to ensure that there will be people who can back you up when the going gets tough;
- Don't be too serious because it will only make the job stressors double in weight; and
- Change job if your stress management ways are not working.
