Stress, according to the UK Government, is 'the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them'. Notice the distinction between 'stress' and 'pressure'. Pressure is applied to someone; some pressure is positive and motivates, and other pressure, especially if excessive, may cause stress. Everyone is different and one person's source of motivation may be another person's source of stress.
Work-related stress is recognised by the UK Government as a serious issue that employers should address. There are many causes of stress, not all of which are work-related. However, stress originating from outside the workplace cannot simply be compartmentalised and ignored by employers; whatever the causes of stress, it will affect performance - the worker's performance may have been impaired and some damage, in the form of negative affects on other workers or the achievement of business objectives, may have already been done.
Stress manifests itself in physically, emotionally, behaviourally and mentally.
Physically, stress may manifests itself as a rapid pulse, a pounding heart, increased blood-pressure, sweat, headaches, backaches, restlessness, insomnia, fatigue, shortness of breath, gritted teeth/clenched jaw, a diminished appetite, and skin rashes.
Emotional, stress may manifests itself as anxiety, depression, feelings of inadequacy, anger over small issues, guilt, feeling there's not enough time, feeling driven but decreased drive, frustration, boredom, diminished energy for caring, no time for joy or laughter, and sadness.
Behaviourally, stress may manifests itself as irritability, absent-mindedness, over-reaction, aggression, passiveness, apathy, taking longer, more accidents/mistakes, dealing too much with trivia, more food, coffee, alcohol/drugs, smoking, losing interest in food, and relationship problems.
Mentally, stress may manifests itself as difficulty in making decisions, difficulty in concentrating, diminished memory, loss of self-confidence, racing thoughts, irrational fear or panic, denying feelings, and impaired creativity.
The main sources of work-related stress are working conditions, work overload, role conflict, role ambiguity, excessive demands of work, interpersonal conflicts, poor communications, conflicting loyalties, fears of change, commuting or travelling to work, personal circumstances, and boredom.
Workplace situations that are particularly likely to create role problems are where the employee is responsible for the work of others, is expected to be creative under time pressures, is responsible for co-ordination between different groups or across departmental boundaries, is forced to work with difficult people, and is uncertain about his future with the employer.
Employers can contribute to reducing employees' stress levels by organising the conditions and requirements of the workplace and jobs in such a way as to minimise the sources of stress. Employers may take measures that include ensuring there is a pleasant working environment, making certain that all staff have training in time management and delegation, having regular open communication so that opportunities to discuss problems and worries are readily available, developing a strong feedback system to ensure that problems with workloads and deadlines are quickly identified, ensuring that there are sufficient resources available to allow employees to do their job effectively without being under excessive pressure from demands and deadlines, being aware of the particular problems of change and the anxiety it causes, and developing a management ethos which encourages listening to and understanding staff as individuals with their own responses to pressure.
Employees can also contribute to reducing their own stress levels by admitting to themselves that stress is a problem, testing the reality of their worries and concerns, managing time effectively, taking regular breaks, being realistic, talking about problems, relaxing and exercising, not letting work dominate life, and taking holidays regularly.
Article Directory : http://www.articlecube.com
