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Work-related stress, as defined by the World Health Organisation, is the “response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope”. Stress is a natural human phenomenon which becomes unhealthy when excessive. People respond to stress in different ways but generally, the human body responds to stress by releasing a flight-or-fight hormone.
What are the causes of work-related stress?
The World Health Organization highlights five major causes of stress at work, which include:
- poor (or toxic) work organization
- poor work design
- poor management
- unsatisfactory working conditions and
- lack of support from colleagues and supervisors
Research has also shown that the most stressful types of work are characterized by “excessive demands and pressures that are not matched to workers knowledge and abilities, little opportunity to exercise any choice or control and little support from others”. Other causes of stress in the workplace are gossiping, bullying, poor physical environment and excessive working hours.
How do you detect stress at work?
Various symptoms of work-related stress include fatigue, anger, moodiness, excessive alcohol intake, low productivity accompanied by feelings of underachievement, illness, regular absence, cynicism, headaches, backache, indigestion, weight loss or gain, dypsnea etc.
Dealing with work-related stress:
There are different ways of dealing with the work-related stress, as identified by the Realbuzz team. They stressed that people should effectively manage their time by prioritizing and completing their tasks one step at a time. Take a break every once in a while in order to focus more. Identify those situations that stress you and avoid or find solutions to them. Seek the help of your manager or colleague, exercise regularly, and let out your problems to a trusted colleague, as this helps to free your mind. Stay away from alcohol and smoking as a way of releasing stress; instead, try and eat a well-balanced diet. Celebrate your achievements, and finally, don’t forget to seek further help from a doctor.
- Doris Iloka (Media Intern at Redcare HMO)
