Preventing stress at work
Is work stressing you out? Longer hours and new roles can strain the best of us, but when you introduce constantly changing technology and job insecurity as well, many people reach breaking point.
Today, the workplace demands mean having to deal with new ways of communication which did not exist over a decade ago. The modern office is now fed with data by fax and email and many staff also have to be constantly available on a mobile phone. While the rewards may be greater, so too is the stress. An inability to relax or take a break, can result in burnout.
Symptoms
The impact of stress can often be cloaked in other symptoms, for example, physical ailments. If you have trouble sleeping, feel run down, eat irregularly or have lost a lot of your enjoyment in recent times, the chances are that you could be suffering from stress.
A certain amount of stress is good and is required for us all to perform well. Actors often talk of being physically-ill before a major performance. Going into a job interview or speaking in front of a large group is never easy and also causes stress. However, it is the manageable stress that helps the performance in these circumstances.
Occupational stress is on the increase worldwide. Over 30% of Americans experience enough daily stress to impact their performance at home or work. According to the US Center for Disease Control, more than half of all deaths up to the age of 65 are the result of stressful lifestyles.
Causes of stress
The most commonly reported causes of occupational stress, according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, include:
- Inadequate time to complete the job properly
- No clear job description or chain of command
- No recognition or reward for doing well
- No way to voice complaints
- Too much responsibility with too little authority
- Unco-operative fellow workers
- Job insecurity
- Prejudice in the workplace
- Unpleasant or hazardous working conditions
- No opportunity to use personal talent and ability effectively
If ignored, workplace stress can have a knock-on effect on personal relationships, and on the family. Workplace stress can lead to stress spilling over into all aspects of life. The International Stress Management Association asked workers in England which situations or activities they found stressful. Their answers, below, show how a proportion of employees even become stressed about shopping and taking holidays.
- Rush Hour Travel - 45%
- Work - 34%
- Managing the balance between work and home - 31%
- Children's future - 31%
- Financial planning - 29%
- Paying household bills - 26%
- Shopping - 26%
- New technology - 20%
- Domestic relationships - 19%
- Housework - 16%
- Holiday trips - 14%
Stressful occupations
In Ireland, the majority of workers in every industrial sector claim to be stressed. According to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions 90% of voluntary sector workers consider their job to be stressful. Teachers (88%) and workers in the health service (82%) also report high levels of stress. Construction workers have the lowest levels of stress at 63%. So basically, no matter what job you do, the likelihood is that it stresses you. Of course, different people handle stress differently and so one individual may perform poorly under stress while another views it as driving them on to work even better.
The Dublin County Stress Clinic is located in St John of God Hospital in Stillorgan, South Dublin and sees the extreme side of stress in the workplace. Over 100 patients arrive here each year for help as they are suffering the physical and psychological effects of severe occupational stress. Patients are usually referred to the clinic's director, Dr Abbie Lane, after a GP has examined them for a physical complaint. Stress is often the root cause of such inexplicable pain.
"Around two-thirds of the people we see would have had a full physical examination before they attend here", says Dr Lane. "They may have neck pain, back pain, jaw pain from grinding their teeth. Many of these people are in genuine chronic pain".
Dr Lane says she is often surprised at how so many of her patients have managed to function for so long, under such physical and psychological pain. By the time they have been referred to the clinic, these patients have recognised their stress problem but have been unable to deal with it.
Many employers may feel that a stress audit is a waste of time or money, but in fact the opposite is the case. Stress costs European employers up to 10% of Gross National Product in terms of lost productivity and insurance claims.
Fergus Whelan, the Industrial Officer with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, fears that companies are not doing enough to limit stress as they pursue profit by any means possible.
"When economic success is sought through leaner organisations, multi-skilling, work intensification and increased productivity, instances of noxious stress will increase", he says. "As work grows ever more demanding, workplace stress will make people ill unless we decide that workplace stress is as unacceptable and preventable as other occupational illnesses".
Preventing stress
So if stress is a hazard for everyone, what can we do to manage our stress levels, if not avoid it entirely?
- Eating healthily is essential to keep up energy levels. Fruit and vegetables release energy slowly, ensuring that the body does not become dangerously low on blood sugar. It is at these times of feeling low or depleted that people are most likely to become stressed by the demands placed on them.
- A good night's sleep can also be protective. Shift workers usually experience higher levels of stress than workers in other jobs because their circadian rhythms, the body's sleep cycle is constantly interrupted.
- Taking regular exercise is also important, and not only because a healthy body aids a healthy mind. The endorphins released during exercise actually help us feel better. The little euphoria of a successful jog or work-out can counteract many of the effects of stress.
- Finding a way to relax and let the pressures of work ebb away is crucial for avoiding stress. Having someone to confide your worries in, whether they be a partner, friend, family member or pet, also helps to ease the pressure.
