Types of Workplace Stress
Question:
Discuss about the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia.
Workplace stress is referred to the stress that is generated in a workplace as a result of conflict between employees or management. An employee’s control over workflow is directly linked to the level of stress he/she will face at the workplace (Burton, Hobbler, & Scheuer, 2012). While working, it is common to face elements of stress, but, true workplace stress can be harmful to an individual that can cause emotional and physical reactions. There are a number of stress-related illnesses which occurred due to high level of stress such as heart diseases, asthma, diabetes, obesity, depression, headaches, and others. It is necessary that an individual takes proper precautions for effectively dealing with diseases relating to stress. With the growing popularity of globalisation and digitalisation, the number of people facing workplace stress is growing at a substantial rate. Many organisations implement programs for effectively managing the stress level of their employees (Hall, Everett & Hamilton-Mason, 2012). The thesis statement is that workplace stress result in causing a number of illnesses, and it is a serious issue which is necessary to be addressed since it negatively affects the performance of both employees and the company. This essay will focus on analysing the relationship between workplace stress and illnesses. This essay will evaluate how workplace stresses cause illnesses and how organisations can implement effective measure to prevent such illnesses. Further, various recommendations will be provided in the essay which can assist management in effectively managing workplace stress.
Stress on the job can occur due to a number of reasons, and it affects are far reaching which negatively affects both the employer and employees. The requirement of talented and skilled labour is growing continuously, and the economy is on the upswing. In order to retain higher profits, organisations put heavy pressure on their employees to perform better. While demand for skilled employees is increasing, many industries are still suffering from issues such as layoffs, downsizing, bankruptcies, and mergers (Cooper & Marshall, 2013). Employees face issues such as the fear of job loss, increased responsibilities, fewer benefits, work overload, pay cuts, achievement of targets, higher production demands, and more. These factors create an environment of stress at the workplace which causes job stress. There are a number of factors which increases workplace stress and illnesses in employees, such as moral, management style, career concerns, job responsibilities, and working environment. When employees have low morale, they feel powerless and dissatisfied with their job. This result in making them complacent and their productivity suffers from it as well. According to Forbes (2017), top 10 most stressful jobs include broadcaster, taxi driver, public relations executive, senior corporate executives, newspaper reporter, event coordinator, police officer, airline pilot, firefighter, and enlisted military personnel. However, these jobs require high attention and skills of employees that increase their stress level, but other employees working in 9 to 5 shifts are also facing issues relating to workplace stress as well.
Factors Contributing to Workplace Stress
People working as a secretary, editor, middle manager, and waiter also face a high level of stress in the workplace which affects their health condition. Individuals in these careers face issues such as unfair labour practices, inadequate job descriptions, and heavy authority which reduce their moral and increase their stress. Working environment at an office is a key factor of stress; positive culture in the workplace creates positive vibes whereas negative working environment increases the stress level of employees (Backe, Seidler, Latza, Rossnagel & Schumann, 2012). The management style is another factor which causes stress among employees. When officers have poor communication channels between employees and management, workers do not feel a part of the company. If the management failed to include employees’ opinions into the decision-making process, they are more likely to feel discouraged which leads to increasing workplace dispute which is a prime reason that causes stress. Pressure of job responsibilities is a key factor which increases stress among employees. High pressure means heavy workload, long hours and shifts, ignoring workers’ skills, unnecessary routine tasks, heavy workload and others (Wolever et al., 2012). Career concerns such as job insecurity, lack of advancement opportunities, or fear of layoffs increase stress among employees. Some jobs are more dangerous than occurs due to which some employees face traumatic events which result in increasing their stress levels. These factors increase stress in workers which causes illness in employees.
Many people do not realise that other than viruses or bacteria, high-stress levels can also disable a body’s immune system which makes it more susceptible or vulnerable to illnesses. Stress can increase distress in the body by reducing its ability to fight off microscopic invaders or functions properly to avoid them in the first place. There are many types of illnesses which are a result of high stress which is caused due to negative work environment or job pressure. Insomnia is a result of high stress or anxiety because it keeps people awake at night (Talbot et al., 2014). People worry about a number of factors which are related to their jobs such as job insecurity, office dispute, lack of advancement opportunities, or fear of layoffs which keeps them awake at night. Lack of sleep caused due to Insomnia resulted in increasing risk of medical conditions such as stroke, seizures, weak immune system and asthma attack, and increasing mental health disorders such as depression, confusion and anxiety. High stress at work result in increased heart rate and blood flow of employees, and it causes the release of triglycerides and cholesterol in the bloodstream which resulted in increasing heart disease (Kivimaki et al., 2012). In some cases, stress increases the likelihood of obesity or smoking which indirectly increases the risk of heart attacks. People suffering from serious cardiac problems are also required to avoid acute stress since it might cause a heart attack.
Workplace stress can cause eating disorder in employees since they eat something sweet or tasty when they are overwhelmed by stress. While facing stress, thousands of people react by creating a diet of sweet or carbohydrate-laden foods which provide them a quick sugar rush. Eating disorder increases obesity in the employees which increase health risks for employees. Stress also causes a high level of hormone cortisol which increases fat in people that is dangerous for their heart. Eating a high sugar based diet increases the risk of diabetes (Selye, 2013). Stress also worsens disabilities because people are more likely eat unhealthy food and excessive drinking. Stress at workplace makes people hopeless and angry which lead to depression. More than one million people in Australia suffer from depression (Beyond Blue, 2018). People suffering from depression feel chronically sad, and they find it difficult thinking clearly which contributes to stress as well. Like depression, panic attacks and anxiety disorder are caused due to high stress. Employees who are struggling at workplace feel uneasy and experience high level of anxiety that can manifest into fear. Lack of communication in the workplace and lack of assistance from top-level management contributes to increased stress among employees (Beehr, 2014). Anxiety and panic attacks hinder the performance of employees at the workplace and reduce their productivity. Most people avoid taking help from medical professionals in case of mental illnesses which increases their negative impacts.
Effects of Workplace Stress on Health
Physical illnesses caused due to stress include seasonal viruses or the garden variety cold. People who are stressed often have a weak immune system which does not function properly. Consequently, they are more likely to get sick from colds and viruses, and they also suffer longer than other individuals. Many studies have shown that stress can worsen asthma which can be dangerous for people (Mark & Smith, 2012). Pressure from boss or conflict between employees increases the risk of developing asthma in employees. Heavy workload or hostile working environment resulted in increased stress in employees that are common triggers for headaches. The stress caused at workplace increase not just tension headaches but migraines as well which can be detrimental to the health of a person. There are many other illnesses as well which are directly related to workplace stress. For example, high level of stress in employees results in accelerating the ageing process. Studies have shown a relationship between stress and Alzheimer disease (Ganster & Rosen, 2013). People who have Alzheimer disease have to maintain their stress level because high level of workplace stress can trigger the negative symptoms of the disease. Stress also creates gastrointestinal problems in employees. Stress does not cause ulcers; however, it makes them worse. Diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux disease can cause due to high-stress level in the workplace (WebMD, 2018). These diseases prove that workplace stress and illnesses have a strong relationship since a high level of stress causes above mentioned illnesses in employees.
In today’s competitive business world, organisations consider their employees as vital assets which provide them a competitive advantage. Therefore, they focus on implementing appropriate policies for maintaining their stress level in order to reduce illnesses and increase retention levels. For example, Google is one of the leading technology companies which generate its competitive advantage by retaining highly talented employees in the organisation. The company focuses on establishing a positive working environment for its employees that reduce their stress level and encourage them to perform better. The corporation has implemented policies such as free lunch, unlimited sick leaves, time to work on personal projects, free medical check-ups, free tuitions, long maternity leave, vacations, and others (Finkle, 2012). The human resource department also communicates and interact with employees in order to understand the workplace issues face by them which assist in reducing conflicts between employees. These policies assist in reducing workplace stress at Google which result in improve employees’ productivity. Similarly, many other organisations implement policies for improving their workplace environment in order to reduce employees’ stress levels. However, on a global level, there is still lack of awareness in employers regarding employees stress level, and they avoid taking appropriate measures for addressing high-stress level in employees (Schnall, Dobson, Rosskam & Elling, 2018). Effective organisations policies can assist in reducing stress at the workplace which also results in reducing illnesses relating to high-stress levels.
In order to reduce stress at workplace, organisations are required to implement strategic policies that address different issues faced by the employees at the workplace. For example, facilitating an open dialogue between management and employees can result in reducing stress at the workplace because workers can tell managers regarding the issues faced by them and executives can implement effective policies for addressing such issues. Effective communication channels are necessary to be established between employees and management which result in establishing a positive working environment. It is also necessary that employer provide physical and mental health benefits to employees in order to ensure that they are protected against illnesses which caused due to high workplace stress. Regular meditation and exercise programs can also assist employees in dealing with the stress and illnesses relating to it. The company can also establish programs for employee vacation which provide them opportunity to cool off and recharge to deal with high-stress levels effectively. Short breaks in between working hours, flexible schedule and bring diversion to the office also assist in reducing workplace stress and illnesses which caused due to a high level of stress.
Recommendations for Managing Workplace Stress
In conclusion, workplace stress and illnesses are directly related to each other because the high level of stress at workplace increasing the risk of illnesses in employees. Workplace stress is caused due to various factors such as heavy workload, irregular working hours, dispute with co-workers, lack of communication and growth opportunities and others. These factors increase stress level in workers which lead to a number of illnesses. The illnesses directly related to workplace stress include heart disease, asthma, obesity, eating disorder, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and others. It is necessary that organisations implement appropriate policies for addressing these issues in order to ensure that their workers are stress-free and working effectively. Many organisations implement strategic policies for reducing the stress level of employees at the workplace and reducing illnesses related to high stress level. The companies can improve communication between employees and managers, provide physical and mental health benefits, starting exercise and meditation sessions, provide planned vacations, regular breaks from work and establish a flexible working schedule. These policies can assist organisations in reducing workplace stress and illnesses relating to a high-stress level which sustains their and employees future development.
References
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