Stress in the Workplace
In the contemporary work environment, demands and expectations go beyond the workloads and task requirements among employers and employees. Multi-tasking considerably defines the present situation in most of business organizations. When too much pressure is on, it is where stress comes alone. Stress in the workplace becomes a fundamental issue to all managers in all kinds of industry. It is recognized that stress is integral to human life and their underlying activities. Pretrus and Kleiner (2003) noted stress as a consequence of contemporary lifestyle and environment. Statistical figures indicate stress is a bigger problem than people give it credit (Ornelas and Kleiner, 2003). In relation to the workplace, stress is something that creates significant implications not only to members of the workforce but to the condition of the whole company or organization. Bradley and Sutherland (1994) report the presence of strong evidence indicating the adverse effects of stress experienced at work particularly on the wellbeing of individual employees. Stress becomes harmful when it reaches a degree where it negatively affects routine activities. The recognition of stress as a critical element of many activities will somewhat alleviate its perceived and potential effects. Understanding workplace stress – its origin, nature, causes and related aspects is the first step in formulating stress management mechanisms.
This paper looks on the concept of workplace stress. Specifically, it provides discussion on stress and different types of stressors present in the workplace. It also identifies physiological, psychological and behavioural effects of stress. Upon learning the concept of stress in the workplace, this report presents three (3) specific and potential managerial ways to address the alleviation or management of stress. Lastly, evaluation of the applicability of recommendations is made.
Workplace Stress – its origin, nature, causes and related aspects
Today, most modern societies allow people to work at least eight (8) hours daily. Considering the direct involvement of every employee to each task accomplished and the time they need to spend, the possibility of stress occurrence is high. It is practically understood that stress in the workplace is the harmful response of people in relation to physical and emotional conditions inherent to the work and organization itself. The changing organizational culture brought about by existing trends in the global working environment, such as globalization, digitalization and synergy in the workplace, are contributory elements in the growing source of pressure affecting employees and companies alike. While most literatures explore on the negative attributes of stress, Cohen (2002) argued that stress itself is not a bad thing. Given a certain dose, stress is a requirement to motivate people. Stress is a pressure. Life, according to Cohen (2002), is uninteresting and pointless without some pressures. Most – if not all aspects of human life is stressful. The way on how people address the condition depends on whether they see their selves in total control of a situation or be entirely succumbed by it.
The denotative definition of stress in most lexical sources is composed of the following qualities: a state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain. Rees and Redfern (2000) documented the variation of defining the subject of occupational stress. A variety of definitions were evaluated as it is important to understand the nature and causes of stress. According to these two authors, there is no universally accepted definition of the term stress. This belief is attributed to the growing amount of substantial research publications that cater to the disagreement on how the term should be defined. Many authors and researchers (i.e. Hellriegel et al., 1992; Nelson and Quick, 1994; Earnshaw and Cooper, 1996; Aamodt, 1999; Mullins, 1999; Greenberg and Baron, 2000) provided their own definition of occupational stress or workplace stress. For the purpose of this report, the definition of stress provided by Greenberg and Baron (2000) is to be adapted. To them, “stress as a complex pattern of emotional states, physiological reactions, and related thoughts in response to external demands. These external demands are referred to as stressors” (pp. 226). Stress in the workplace is a consequence of modern life of maintaining balance to the demands of work and other individually-directed aspects of living. Technically, these pressures, demands, or strains are called stressors. The response of the individual on stressors is stress. Distress is the detrimental stress that affects overall wellbeing (Rojas and Kleiner, 2001). There are two (2) types of stress: acute and chronic stress (Ornelas and Kleiner, 2003). Acute or immediate stress can be an incident on one occasion that usually comes and goes in a rapid span of time, while chronic or long-term stress is caused by a continuing episode of stressful incidents or ongoing situation. Cohen (2002) narrates that the human body during a stressful moment involves various processes including a sudden rush of adrenaline, heightened muscle tension, faster heart rate, and raised blood pressure. The constancy of these bodily responses associated to stress lead to health complications and other negative results.
In a nutshell, there are three stages of stress (Ornelas and Kleiner, 2003; Cohen, 2002). Alarm is the first stage where the body sets off stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol directly to the bloodstream as response to a complex flow of biochemical occurrences. Resistance is the second stage where there is an increase in physical responses that signals the person to leave or stay and cope up with the situation. Exhaustion is the last stage where complications occur in physical, psychological and behavioural areas such as plagued feeling, fatigue, and worst, susceptibility to various health problems. The common symptoms of stress can be classified in five (5) ways: emotional, physical, behavioural, mental and health. The table below shows the manifestations in every classification.
Classification
manifestations
Emotional
anxiety, nervousness, worries, depression, anger, irritability, guilt, moodiness, loss of enjoyment of life, loneliness, loss of humour, lack of confidence, isolation, and job
dissatisfaction
Physical
feeling restless, feeling uptight, jumpy, high blood pressure, back and neck muscle tension, lack of energy, dry mouth headaches, insomnia, dizziness, loss or increase in appetite and
ringing in the ears
Behavioural
impatience, impulsiveness, hyperactivity, short temper, aggressiveness, alcohol abuse, use of drugs, avoiding difficult situations, loss of sex drive, and overworking
Mental
frequent lapses of memory, constant negative thinking, being very critical of yourself, inability to make decisions, difficulty getting things done, distorted ideas, very rigid attitudes and difficulty concentrating
Health
high blood pressure, higher than usual susceptibility to colds and flu, migraines, irritable bowel symptoms, ulcers, stomach disorders, heart attacks, angina, strokes, asthma and skin rashes
Adapted in Cohen, M 2002, Identifying, understanding, and solutions to stress, Caxton Publication Group, London.
Pretrus and Kleiner (2003) report that the stress predicament is often associated in common areas and activities in the workplace. The presence of job that demands several employees while allowing them limited control over how the job is to be executed is a universal example. Other instances include the general work environment characterized by unsecured and uncomfortable areas and organisational practices that exclude employee participation or input. Unrealistic work goals and completion, interruptions, external environment, competition, abusive and other behavioural problems are common stressors (Rojas and Kleiner, 2001). Similarly, Ornelas and Kleiner (2003) identified the following conditions that potentially considered as source of stress:
- Job Design – The framework and condition of every job is contributory to the occurrence of stress. For instance, contractual, shifting, heavy workload or boring work, low pay, irregular rest breaks, extended work hours, hectic and routine tasks are among the most common troubles that every employee is battling into.
- Management Style – Management structure is influential in terms of stressful experience. This is seen on instances where participation is scarce, communication is poor and family-friendly policies are missing.
- Interpersonal Relationships – Working relationship that lacks common values of support and cooperation among all members of the workforce is obviously stressful.
- Work Roles – In every job position, there are specified roles and responsibilities. Stress occurs when there are added work responsibility and incompatible or uncertain job expectations.
- Career Concerns – Career progression is always personal. When there is job insecurity, less or no opportunity for growth, advancement, or promotion, stress takes in.
- Environment Conditions – The condition of the entire workplace is considerably important where it should be conducive and free from stressors (e.g. noise, air pollution, ergonomic problems, etc.).
Physiological, Psychological and Behavioral Implications of Workplace Stress
According to Lambert and colleagues (2003), a workplace that is dominated by stressor is a “breeding ground for behavioural health problems” (p. 182). Stress generally lowers the efficiency and productivity level of employees to perform their given tasks. Aside from the given manifestations of stress presented in the table above, Preston (1996) identified the physiological, psychological and behavioral effects of stress.
In the organizational perspective, loss of work time, wasted time, reduced decision quality, loss of skilled members of the workforce, management restructuring, sabotage and other damages are potential hazards of stress (Lambert et al., 2002). Pretrus and Kleiner (2003, p. 68) added low business productivity, occupational injuries and illnesses, absenteeism, poor employee morale, and high health care expenditures. Aside form financial cost, stress affects the ability of the business to compete and lowers the opportunity to gain competitive advantage and performance. It is assumed that the individual effects of stress are reflected to the overall condition and performance of the business because of spill-over tendency.
Workplace Stress Management – a 3-way Recommendation and Evaluation
There are stress management interventions and strategies that were already standardised by organizations yet some criticisms are also directed to such (Dewe and O’Driscoll, 2002). Some forms of stress management should be undertaken to alleviate the stress and its negative effects to the goals of both the organization and the individual concerned. Employees should perceive they are going to benefit or they will not voluntarily participate. Organizations must believe the benefits will outweigh the costs or they will not establish any stress management program. This paper proposes a 3-way recommended management way to alleviate workplace stress. It is called AIM and stands for the following:
According to Crampton and colleagues (1995), in order to help organizations alleviate stress within them, they must consider the forms of strategic management. This strategic management is focused on the Human Resource Department (HRD) as a fundamental part of the HR function. A team that is composed of 3-5 members is to be formed and work on assessing the general workplace environment. The major stressors in the workplace must be properly identified and assessed, and the concerned personnel must help their employees identify their major personal sources of stress. Developing goals or the program may not be as effective as possible and the results will be difficult to measure. The goals should be clear, as specific as possible, and measurable. They should focus on attitudinal adjustments, modification of behaviours, and any skills to be acquired. In addition, individuals and organizations must perceive the goals as realistic and attainable. Individualized programs alongside with general stress management interventions must be developed in order to meet the specific needs of the employees. Organizations must also communicate and describe the stress management strategies available to employees and help them develop personalized action plans. The programs should also be implemented in stages. If all aspects of a program are implemented at one time and parts of the program fail, employees will lose faith in the program and in management. This will be another cause of anxiety and stress for the employee.
Crampton and associates (1995) affirmed that there is evidence that stress management programs are not only cost effective but also improve relationships and the overall quality of life within the workplace. Developing effective stress management programs can be complicated and time consuming. However, providing such programs should be viewed as an investment rather than an expense, because they ultimately can make employees healthier and happier and the organization more successful. Projecting this fact, attitudes on stress management intervention is deemed positive (Bradley and Sutherland, 1994). Furthermore, the employees must be assisted in identifying their own stressors and stress tolerance levels. Before learning how to deal with stress, employees first have to identify those stressors which they react to because not everyone responds the same way to the same stressors. To aid this process, organizations might provide health risk appraisals which test for their employees’ levels of stress.
In the implementation of practical stress management interventions and mechanisms, there must be a support by top management. This is the most important precursor of successful implementation. The acknowledgement of the management on the value of employees is very crucial (Pretrus and Kleiner, 2003). There must be effective communication with employees about the benefits of stress management. They should explain what stress is along with the health implications of excess or dysfunctional stress, and employees should be encouraged to lead healthier lives by lowering their stress on the job as well as at home. By encouraging mutual and effective communication with employees about stress issues, the management can collect other information that will further contribute to the existing body of information and deemed useful in future managerial activities and decision making. The organization must help the employees to keep a positive perspective on life and feel a sense of purpose. It is important for employees to feel they are making a valuable contribution to the organization.
In terms of evaluation of the effectiveness of stress management interventions, a feedback system is present at hand. The team should continuously monitor the progress of the specific methods. There is also a need to reconcile with discrepancies so that efficiency is maximized. Communication is still relevant and crucial. The organization must communicate with its employees by providing more information about their jobs and other factors that affect them as well as the changes occurred, if appropriate. Communication help employees feel that they are more in control of their circumstances and can help build consistency and boost employee morale. After identification of setbacks, adjustments are done and eventually implemented. Then, evaluation should start all over again.
Adapted in Shuttleworth, A 2004, “Managing workplace stress: how training can help”, Industrial and Commercial Training, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 61-65.
The figure above is a mock-up of the actual process of implementing AIM as stress management intervention. Further, training is recognized as indispensable attribute to solve stress issues in the workplace (Shuttleworth, 2004). Training should be directed to employees and upper management personnel that have direct association to HR functions.
In sum, stress in the workplace is concurrent to development. It can never be out of the life of businesses, companies and the whole workforce. There are many factors that contribute to workplace stress ranging from emotional, physical, behavioural, mental, and health considerations. The effects of stress are also physiological, psychological and behavioural in forms. These implications can affect individual and business wellbeing and performance. In terms of workplace stress management, communication is crucial, thus the ability of employees to identify the need to cope up with work stressors as well as the support of the management in every stress alleviation program development and implementation are prioritized.
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