Studies indicate workplace stress is on the rise with increasing pressure to perform, toxic work environments, and the demands brought on by technological advances and job insecurity. Workplace stress occurs when the demands of the job are perceived to exceed the available internal and external resources the employee needs to perform.

• Causes of stress:
  • heavy workloads
  • office politics
  • role ambiguity
  • lack of management support
  • effort-reward imbalance
  • home-work imbalance
• Workplace stress is often associated with physical health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, and muscle tension; and psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and burnout. All of which may contribute to overall career frustration. Workplace stress costs organizations over $300 billion annually in lost productivity due to absenteeism, turnover and healthcare expenditures.
• A 2009 survey by the American Psychological Association indicated that 69% of employees reported that work was a significant source of stress for them and substantially interfered with their responsibilities at home. Studies indicate that across occupational categories (blue-collar, white-collar, and helping professions) the social environment of the organization played a significant role in predicting depression and burnout. Characteristics of such included negative work relationships, interpersonal conflicts, lack of peer support, and social isolation.
• There are several proven strategies that can be implemented to reduce workplace stress and its associated consequences:
  • Reduce workplace stressorssuch as work overload, job insecurity, and limited resources: Provide reasonable work demands and manageable work schedules. Increase employee control over the nature and timing of their work performance as well as decision-making within the organization. Enhance social support in the workplace; support from both supervisors and colleagues has been shown to be effective in reducing workplace stress.
  • Offer stress management programs that enhance employees’ coping strategies: Programs designed to teach employees how to implement effective coping strategies in the face of workplace stress, including time management, conflict resolution, mindfulness meditation, relaxation and yoga, have been found to be effective.

• Work & stress:
  • When work is stimulating: rewarding, challenging, to feel stretched
  • When stimulation turns to stress: to feel pressure building up, to feel overwhelmed by work, to be under stress, stress-induced illness, stresses and strains (pressures), to become stressed out because of overwork, to have a nervous breakdown, to be burned out, burnout
  • Downshifting / rebalancing: to find ways to de-stress, to get away from the rat race or the treadmill, to look for unstressful lifestyles, to have a better quality of life, more quality time with children, these people are downshifters
• In a recent survey:
  • a., 95 % of homeworkers said they have a better work-life balance or home-work balance than when they were in-company because they can spend more time with their families and on leisure activities
  • b., 82 % said that they have more autonomy and independence: they are able to organize their work and their time how they want. But in the same survey homeworkers also complained that:
  • c., there is no boundary between work on the one hand and personal life on the other – the two overlap (73 %)
  • d., they feel lonely and isolated because they are out of contact with others and don’t have colleagues around them (57 %)

 Video 1: Kelly McGonigal: How To Make Your Stress Your Friend?

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