Abstract
This paper examines stress in the workplace and examines secondary literature to recommend methods of reducing and preventing stress. The literature used provided great insight into the causes and effects of occupational stress and its affects on organizations collectively. The recommendations and techniques discovered were very interesting and provided detail pertaining to stress management.
Introduction
Most people experience stress on a daily basis however, occupational stress is one issue that is rarely discussed. A lot of people may not want to admit that their job is causing them stress or their work environment is a somewhat nerve wrecking experience for them. Although rarely admitted or talked about workplace stress is an issue that must be addressed avidly by HR Personnel and Managers. It is pertinent that this be discussed because it is stress and anxiety that creates barriers to escalating productivity and high motivation among employees.
This paper will focus on a number of things. Topics to be discussed include;
1. A general discussions of stress and anxiety.
- This section will focus on the definitions of Stress and Occupational Stress and
talk about stressors and their outcomes according to secondary literature.
2. Moderators of Occupational Stress.
- This section will discuss forms of moderators for Workplace Stress such as social
support and coping skills
3. Recommendations for stress reduction in the workplace.
- This topic will discuss the Employee Assistance Program and Organizational Change.
The Job Stress Reduction Process of reducing and preventing stress and anxiety in the workplace will be described.
The objective of this paper is to examine stress and anxiety in the working environment and provide recommendations as to how this issue could perhaps become a smaller problem in some workplaces. Through certain techniques this situation could become less of a hindrance and perhaps even somewhat non-existent in some working environments where stress is only visible in small amounts. Stress and anxiety will be researched collectively but more specifically how to prevent excessive levels. Promotion of programs to implement strategies to help alleviate this concern will also be discussed.
Overview of Stress
What is Stress? "Stress - The confusion created when one's mind overrides the body's basic desire to choke the hell out of someone who so desperately deserves it" (Author unknown). There are many biological, engineering and physiological definitions of stress but, the definition above is the most simplified and applicable in today's fast moving business world.
Shuttleworth, A., (2004). Managing workplace stress: how training can help. Industrial and Commercial Training, 36 (2), 61 – 65.
Lazarus, R.S. (1991). Psychological Stress in the Workplace. In P.L.Perrewe (Ed.). Handbook on job stress, Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 6, 1-13.
Three out of every four American workers describe their work as stressful. According to the Holmes-Rahe Life Events Scale, which rates levels of stress, many of the most stressful events in life are related to the workplace. Some examples are firings, business readjustments and changes in financial status, altered responsibilities, a switch to a different line of work, trouble with the boss, changes in work hours or conditions, retirement and vacations. Workplace stress costs American employers an estimated $200 billion per year in lower productivity, absenteeism, staff turnover, workers' compensation, medical insurance and other stress-related expenses. However, stress may not always be a bad thing. It can stimulate creativity and productivity. The natural pattern of human behavior is to experience a stress-causing event or situation, react to it with increased tension and then return to a normal, relaxed state. The problem occurs when stress is so overwhelming or constant that this pattern is broken. This overwhelming feeling is usually caused by some lack of communication.
Health care workers experience adverse effects from occupational stress. This type of stress is detrimental to the workers, patients, and the hospital itself. To respond to this ongoing problem, stress felt by workers should be reported, and treatment should be provided by the hospital. This will help reduce or ultimately eliminate occupational stress by deducing the sources that are causing or contributing to the stress, and by offering treatment options, it will alleviate the burden felt by workers. Hospital policy should enstate a mandatory session where they can discuss signs of occupational stress and the available treatment options. This will go a long way towards creating positive work environments, and interactions. This hospital policy,
It is imperative that people who work in a highly stressful job or people who live in highly stressful environments learn some simple relaxation techniques in order to manage the stress in their lives. Have you found yourself overcome by stress in your life? Well there are things that you can do extraneously to relieve stress one is a hobby, others are exercise routines, become apart of self help groups or see a therapist. All of the aforementioned things can help a person take control of their life. The first course of action is to identify the causes of stress before a person can successfully learn to manage the stress that maybe consuming their every thought and being. Managing stress is essential to living a healthy life, noted clinical psychologists and lay persons alike have all loosely used the phrase “stress can kill.” The irony of that phrase is that the inability to manage stress can and does kill.
Stress is a problem not only for employees but the organization as well. In further studies, U.Treven, S.Treven and Zizek (2011) stated, “Stress at work can be a real problem to the organization as well as its workers” (p.46). If an employee is under stress his/her ability to work productively decreases. The consequences that occur from not meeting company standards increase the stress and pressure already existing with the employee. In related to health, statistics shows that 50 to 70% of diseases found in today’s economy are stress
In Murphy and Shoeborn’s paper, Stress Management in Work Settings, practical information in presented regarding the application of a stress management program within the workplace, along with guidance for creating a “comprehensive stress management program which encourages each individual to become more self-responsible and self-determining, and suggests that the overall program must focus on dynamics within the organization as well as within the individual” (Murphy & Shoenborn, 1987). In addition, Murphy and Shoenborn state that to develop an effective stress management program; several steps as indicated in must be applied as outlined in Figure 3
Workplace stress and burnout is one of the leading problems in healthcare workers today. Stress is a mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Healthcare leaders today have to meet so many demanding needs and responsibilities. We ask why does stress and burnout play such an important role in today’s society. There are many reasons why it plays an important role in our everyday work and life. There have been studies on ways to detect, prevent, and decrease stress and burnout.
The preventive strategies used to minimize the long term stress and eventual burnout would be experienced by the employee are- usage of vocation time and increasing the fun activities in the working environment. Such as- arranging friendly staff meetings in different restaurant each time, specific day celebrated as dress down day, reducing reassigning and rescheduling the challenging works, providing temporary help when necessary, reducing the over time, and providing compensatory time off are beneficial strategies along with promoting staff to attend stress management workshops.
Work place or occupational stress refers to any form of restrain that is experienced when there is no match between job demands and the output of the worker. The article ‘Occupational stress’ aims at showing ways in which stress people get from their work place affect them and what causes the stress. This condition may encompass many conditions that include maladaptive behavior, psychological disorders, cognitive impairment, as well as emotional strain. These conditions lead to poor performances at work, injuries, or biological reactions that in turn may compromise the health of the employee.
Stress is defined as “any circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten one’s well-being and thereby tax one’s coping abilities” (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 72). Stress is a natural event that exists literally in all areas of one’s life. It can be embedded in the environment, culture, or perception of an event or idea. Stress is a constant burden, and can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. However stress can also provide beneficial effects; it can satisfy one’s need for stimulation and challenge, promote personal growth, and can provide an individual with the tools to cope with, and be less affected by tomorrow’s stress (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 93).
In conclusion, workers should balancing theirs relax time and work time unless employee cannot avoid stress. This will help us to reduce the chance to get stressed and forget in 21st century’s problem. Stress in the workplace is caused by work and workload. Employees are harmed emotionally and physically by workplace stress. There are two factors of stress in the workplace which are internal and external. When you are relaxing at home, just forget the problems at work. This is the only time you have to relax and being peaceful. Lastly, stress always brings negative attitude and affects your health, so relax as long as you can.
In order to find a solution to the issue of stress in the workplace, it is important to first understand what stress is. Stress is a difficult issue to solve because everyone experiences stress differently. According to the National Institute of mental health, stress can be defined as the brain’s response to any demand (“Fact Sheet on Stress”). When there is any sort of change going on, it usually triggers the stress response. Since people are always dealing with certain changes in their lives, they are always dealing with some type of stress. One of the biggest growing issues with stress is stress in the workplace. According to Northweste...
First, stress is defined as an unpleasant state of emotional and physiological arousal that people experience in situations that they perceive as dangerous or threatening to their well being (Patel, 14). Stress is a universal feeling to everyone but the word stress means different things to different people. Some people define stress as events or situations that cause them to feel tension, pressure or negative emotions such as anxiety or anger (Patel, 15). Other people may view stress as a process involving a person’s interpretation and response to a threatening event. In any case, stress has many facets of how one perceives and responds to the certain predicament that is ailing them.
Long – term stress can even require the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety, and depression; it can be a main cause of moodiness and frustration. Many of us are aware of the physical symptoms of stress-muscle pain, rapid breathing or an increased pulse. At the same time, they also suffer from emotional of stress which can be like roller coaster of highs or lows. emotional effects rang from emotional overeating to a feeling of being overwhelmed and pressure. stress impact many other components, which leads to difficulties in making decisions, loss sense humor, poorer concentration, negative thinking. As can be seen, stress nearly brings serious effects to people. Apart from the effects above, it can be the main reason which creates your decreased productivity at work. stress makes people less control their pace work, which leads to dissatisfaction. about 40% employees said that they are burned out because of work-related stress and loss $300 billion each year in the workplace . In addition, your relationship with people around also become worsens because of your stress. In fact, stress makes people puzzled and their life can undergo a considerable