What is Stress in the Workplace?
Stress in the workplace is a harmful, physical and emotional response that occurs when there is a conflict between job demands and the amount of control an employee has over having those demands met. Therefore, high demands and low control over a situation leads to workplace stress.
Causes of Workplace Stress
It should be highlighted that some stress is positive and necessary to make us effective in our goals. It is the amount of stress that we take upon, which causes problems. There are some major causes of stress at the workplace:
– Lack of clear-cut communication
– Conflicting or ambiguous goals
– Peer pressure
– The pressure to constantly work at the optimum levels
– Monotonous nature of work
Impact of Workplace Stress
Workplace stress may not necessarily come from one single event. It can have many origins. It can impact both the employees and the organization, some in similar ways and others differently. The amount of stress we have can determine our performance on the job. Workplace stress is caused by factors at the organizational, management and individual levels.
Stress if not managed properly can have a negative impact on employee health and well-being. There are certain areas that can be harmed:
Demands: workloads, work patterns and environment.
Control: how much the person has on his own plate.
Support: encouragement, rewards and line of management and colleague support in the organization.
Change: whether organizational change (small or large) is manageable and communicated well in the organization.
Relationships: to able to avoid conflicts and deal with unacceptable behaviour at the workplace.
Stress is not always bad, at times a little amount of stress at the workplace boosts your productivity and performance, excessive stress can sabotage your performance, impact your physical health and emotional well-being. It can also affect your relationships and life at home.
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