Stress in the Workplace – Part 1
This is the first of a two part series on the impact of stress in the workplace. This part focuses on the impact to employees. Part two (Q1, 2013) will focus on how employers can help.
How employees can cope
For most of us, a job is a source of income and identity and a place where we spend almost half of our life. According to a recent study featured in Business News Daily, more than 60% of surveyed workers reported high levels of job stress. In the first article of this two-part series, we’ll examine the impact of job stress on employees, and share practical coping techniques. In the next issue of your LifeWorks Advisor e-newsletter, we’ll talk about stress management from the perspective of the employer, and present strategies that contribute to a psychologically-healthy workplace.
Stress is difficult for many people to understand because the reality is that stress is not all bad. We need to generate some tension and stress in order to do our best work – researchers call this positive stress. A manageable level of stress is actually purposeful, serving as a motivator, and providing the energy we need to excel and achieve our goals. A major challenge in today's stress-filled world is to make your stress work for you, instead of against you.
Unfortunately, the habits, attitudes and signs that may alert us to the fact that we are experiencing high levels of stress may be hard to recognize because they have become so familiar to us. When work-life conflict is high, or expectations seem unrealistic and goals unattainable, we may operate in a heightened and chronic state of stress to attempt to wrestle the beast. This level of stress can take its toll on our health, family life and productivity. The negative effects can range from a lack of focus to an inability to sleep, and from anxiety and depression, to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.
Job stress: The symptoms
More than three-quarters of all medical complaints are stress-related, and half of our population suffers from at least one stress symptom regularly. Physical and emotional symptoms are just a few of the ways that your body may be telling you that you’re under stress. The most common symptoms of excessive job stress are:
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- High-blood pressure
- Headaches
- Ulcers
- Heartburn
- Inability to concentrate or relax
- Changes in appetite
- Waning sexual interest
Stress in the workplace may have become a definite problem for you if you:
- Feel hopelessly overloaded at work
- Are unable to leave job problems behind at night or on weekend
- Experience a trapped, immobilized feeling
How to reduce your stress on the job
Whether you’re an executive, a mid-level manager, or a front-line employee, you should care about your mental and emotional well-being, and do what you can to develop or protect a healthful work environment. Today, stress experts agree that individual resilience, coupled with learning strategies for managing stress, can dramatically improve the body's resistance to stress. The following basic stress management tips may help you increase your resistance, lower stress levels and increase job satisfaction:
- Take charge of your situation. To the extent that this is possible, set and re-set priorities. Take care of important and difficult tasks first. Organize your time to be more effective.
- Avoid procrastination. Regardless of what you may believe, people don't do their best work under extreme pressure. Some people convince themselves that they do so they can avoid dealing with their habit of procrastination.
- Take one task at a time. Divide each large project into smaller manageable tasks. Make a list of everything that needs to be done and the approximate time for finishing each task. Prioritize the tasks. Complete the first task, then go on to the next one. Keep the tasks small until you are feeling a sense of accomplishment and control.
- Slow down. Learn to say no. Drop activities that are not crucial.
- Be realistic about what you can change. Set realistic and attainable goals, do what's possible. Accept the rest.
- Recognize danger signs of job stress. Learn the symptoms of job stress and take action as soon as they appear to be getting out of hand.
- Be honest with colleagues. This includes the boss. Make it plain that you feel in a bind. Chances are that others are feeling the same. Don't just complain. Be constructive and make practical suggestions for improvements.
- Share your stress. You may find it helpful to talk about your stress. A friend, family member, co-worker or counsellor can often help you to see your problem in a different light and offer solutions. Knowing when to ask for help may avoid more serious problems later.
- Let your employer help. Many companies help their employees deal with the effects of stress through their Employee Assistance Program (EAP), corporate fitness programs, or special clinics for diet, smoking and alcohol.
- Learn to laugh. Laughter is your body's natural stress-release mechanism. Watch a funny movie or television show, read a humorous book or get together with the funniest person you know.
- Take care of your physical health. Good physical health increases tolerance to stress. Eat and sleep sensibly. Avoid sweets and junk food; too much sugar can cause frequent fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which in turn inhibits your body's ability to cope with stress. Get plenty of exercise. Cut down or eliminate alcohol, tobacco and drugs which alter regular body rhythms of sleep.
- Learn to relax. Find a safety valve, whether it is a sport, hobby, music, reading, or just walking. Use it to create a "bridge" between work and home life.
- Don't neglect your personal life. Work out a schedule that allows you to do justice to both work and personal life.
- Carefully evaluate your job and its relationship to your goals. Does your job maintain or enhance your life goals and desires? If not, it may be time to consider other options.
Stress of the proper type and in the proper amounts can trigger higher productivity and creativeness. The trick is for you to know when you’re under stress, assess what is causing it, and then do something to relieve it so that it becomes more manageable. Finally, remember that one of the primary sources of stress comes from within—from one's own attitudes. Minds are highly suggestible. If you think something is going to be stressful, chances are it will be.