Stress in the Workplace
The research topic under discussion is Stress at Workplace. Stress comes with different definitions, one of which is that stress is a 'physical, chemical or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension.' Emotional stress relates to job burnout, tension and strain and many scholars have called it a psychological process and linked it with the individual and the situation that he is in (American Psychological Association, 2009). The global economy has become very competitive and demands a lot of work from the employees which puts a lot of pressure on them. These increased expansions and demands of the traditional workplace have put a lot more pressure on the workers (Lokk & Arnetz, 1997; Soylu and Campbell, 2012).
The International Labor Organization and World Health Organization have recognized many different effects of stress that are harmful to the person. These effects include physical problems, psychological problems, withdrawal behaviors, lack of self-awareness etc. (Harrison 2000). The yearly costs that absenteeism causes due to stress have been estimated around 300 billion dollars (American Psychological Association Practice Organization, 2010). 550 million days of work are lost yearly due to the emotional and physical stress in the U.S. (American Psychological Association Practice Organization, 2010). Many researchers argue that the different levels of emotional stress when reach the excessive stage, results in the origination of many mental and physical problems (Herbert, 1997). Emotional stress is defined as external and internal forces between an individual and his environment which mentally or physically impair him or her (Jacqueline, 2008). Physical problems like scoliosis and fibromyalgia create pain for the person who has to stand or sit for long periods. Typing during work is a serious physical problem as the posture one sits while typing strains the tendons, muscles and bones. Physical stress has been defined as an 'external force in a person's environment that manifests a permanent or temporary physical problem' (American Psychological Association Practice Organization, 2010; Soylu and Campbell, 2012).
There have been several incidents of stress reported among the workers in the past years and it has had a huge impact on the companies whose workers are suffering from stress. The firms are starting to make urgent business strategies in order to overcome the problem (Swanson, 2000). In 2007, a survey by the American workers showed that workers were experiencing a lot of physical symptoms due to stress at work (International Labor Organization, 2009; Soylu and Campbell, 2012). The statistics of American Psychological Association state the main source of stress in people's lives is due to work. 15% of the people surveyed ranked stress at work to be the main problem in their lives (Rosch, 2001). The unbalance economy and low incomes is also one of the problems of stress at work (Michie, 2002).
The work stressors range from unclear expectations at work to noisy stations and time pressure. One of the most important sources of work stress is the unbalance between personal life and work which adds to stress. Women suffer mostly from this because they also have to look after their children and home (Yerks, Robert & John, 1908). People suffering from stress at work are more likely to be absent from their job. As a consequence of this, the people suffering from stress face many health problems and their costs of healthcare doubles. The cost of illnesses range from 200 to 300 billion dollars annually (American Psychological Association Practice Organization, 2010). A lot of workers are starting to realize the consequences of stress and taking actions for it now. As time passes, stress is going to increase and so will the healthcare costs so the organizations are working hard on developing strategies that prevents stress at work (American Psychological Association, 2008).
Management Dilemma
Management dilemma is linked with combating stress and keeping negative attitude away. The stress signs can be clearly seen in the behaviors of the people. Severe problems resulting from stress can be in the areas of feeling like fatigue, irritability, depression, anxiety etc. behavior like unmotivated, tearful, aggressive, being withdrawn etc. thinking like problem solving, difficulties in concentration etc. Or physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, palpitations etc. (Pfeifer, 2008) With persistence of stress, changes in immunological functioning, autonomic, cardiovascular and neuroendocrine which will lead to physical and mental illnesses like heart diseases, depression and anxiety etc. (Tudu & Pathak, 2013).
The resources which will help to meet the demands and pressures that are faced at work involve the personal traits like coping skills and improving the situation of work by creating a good environment (Lluminari, Inc. 2004) These resources can be increased by investing in training,...
G., interrupted when speaking) Someone interfered with your work activities (Kowalski, Harmon, Yorks & Kowalski, 2003, p. 39) One can see from this list that there is a significant development of aggression, in relatively mild forms that probably occurs across the board, to some degree in every business environment. Workplace aggression, between low level employees as well as between supervisors and employees is clearly a significant cause of workplace stress as well
The person no longer finds it possible to perform their job or manage their personal life. Withdrawal from others, anger, grief and rage are some of the emotions felt. There are often suicidal or homicidal thoughts and over-reaction to minor events, agitation, frequent accidents, carelessness, forgetfulness and paranoia are the emotions. The victim has muscle tremors, loss of appetite and feels extreme chronic fatigue. At this point, only significant
9. Supporting organizational teams provides employees with a medium to discuss concerns and problems as well as an opportunity to help discharge emotional pressure. Sharing in a group serves as a catharsis and stress release system. 10. Guarantying employees have the freedom to work effectively as well as ensuring they sense their work contributes to a greater purpose decreases workplace stress (Raitano and Kleiner). Secondary Prevention When implementing secondary prevention method, the organization
For instance, stress due to the change of working systems is a problem caused by the employer. Therefore, it is the employer's duty to ensure that employee learn and adapt to the new systems or machines and be able to work stress-free to meet the demands for production from the company management. The employer should ensure that an employee has just enough work for the day and not an overloaded
…Occupational Stress and Scientific MonitoringLiterature Review2.1 IntroductionThe definition of the term �occupational stress� is derived from the definition of its two constituent words. In this context, occupational refers to anything that is related to the workplace while stress is defined as a natural body reaction from physical, mental or emotional strain in an individual. Thus, occupational stress can be defined as any mechanism by which the body attempts to adapt
Stress Management in the Caregiver Setting An increasing body of evidence points to the intensity of the labor involved in caring, and the impact it has on the caregiver in a healthcare setting. Whether lay or professional, it seems that the potential for suffering among caregivers is enormous. When a person reaches a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion, burnout occurs, and it appears to affect both lay and professional
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