Introduction
Workplace stress is becoming increasingly common, with the majority of people experiencing stress at work. However, a significant number of organizations fail to acknowledge and deal with workplace stressors properly. If left unmanaged, work stress could have detrimental effects on one’s health and general welfare. Work stress often arises from the mismatch between an employee’s knowledge and skills and the ability to meet job demands. Other stressors include Lack of autonomy, role ambiguity, strained relationships at work, uneasy physical working conditions, job insecurity, harassment, discrimination, and an unbalanced work-life schedule. Prolonged exposure to these stressors can have detrimental effects on one’s bodily and mental wellbeing, such as heart disease, musculoskeletal conditions, anxiety, depression, burnout, and suicide.
The impact of workplace stress
Long-term stress at work, such as work overload, can have grave adverse effects on one’s physical health. High cortisol levels from prolonged work stress weaken the immune system and make people more prone to sickness (Maulik, 2017). In addition, it raises heart rate, blood pressure, and tension, which increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular disease. Stress-related muscle tension can cause headaches, neck and back discomfort, and digestive problems. Over time, aging and cellular functioning are compromised due to the continuous barrage of stress chemicals.
Similarly, extended work stress can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety, irritability, depression, and burnout. Under continuous stress, one’s capacity for concentration, memory, and decision-making diminishes (Maulik, 2017). Stress-related sleep disturbance has a negative impact on one’s health and can cause fatigue and brain fog. Prolonged work stress often has a negative impact on relationships, both personally and at work. Patience, empathy, and social interaction are all diminished. For instance, they become easily irritated by minor arguments or irrelevant situations at the workplace, leading to a toxic working environment.
Persistent stress lowers individual productivity and efficiency on the job. Employees who are under Stress are more likely to use sick days, miss work, and make mistakes at work. Prolonged stress impairs motivation, creativity, focus, and problem-solving skills. Morale, work pleasure, and dedication to the company all drastically decline. Some employees use unhealthy coping strategies, including binge eating, smoking, or drinking. Some people try to escape stress by abandoning their responsibilities or quitting the company. Therefore, organizations need to improve their employees’ productivity and efficacy.
Widespread workplace stress causes significant employee turnover, poor performance, subpar customer service, and a decline in innovation. Healthcare costs often grow due to stress-related mental and physical health concerns. Disengaged and agitated workers negatively impact team dynamics and managers. Prolonged work stress at all levels produces a toxic culture that is detrimental to the success and wellbeing of the business (Maulik, 2017). Organizations that need to put up measures to mitigate work stressors end up spending much money on less productive activities such as healthcare issues, which reduces the effectiveness of research and innovation in the company.
Factors that lead to workplace stress neglect by organizations
While there are clear negative impacts of workplace stress, many organizations often fail to identify and manage stress causes adequately. A lack of awareness of the grave effects of extended workplace stress leads to neglect in identifying stressors in a company (McLarty et al., 2021). For instance, leadership might not offer instruction on identifying mental health problems linked to stress and burnout. Inadequate training and Lack of experience among managers prevent them from from recognizing the warning indicators of underlying stress, such as poor performance or absenteeism. Despite being assumed to be everyday aspects of a job, excessive effort and stress can lead to detrimental effects on employees and their organizations.
Inaccurate stress assessment also leads to organizational neglect. For instance, failure to regularly conduct surveys to assess the level of stress, health, and satisfaction among employees leads to neglect (McLarty et al., 2021). Also, it becomes pretty simple to ignore stress when vital data points are missing. Similarly, failure to track productivity decline, accidents, employee grievances, and turnover rates can hide the stress problem from management. Organizations are unable to link such problems to unmanaged workplace stress in the absence of appropriate metrics.
Neglecting stress identification is made possible by a compliance attitude that prioritizes output metrics over employee wellbeing. For instance, the relentless pursuit of quarterly sales targets at the expense of unreasonable workloads. Stress is increased by strict management methods and rigid targets that cannot be met (McLarty et al., 2021). However, leadership frequently overlooks the human costs if the numbers are met. The net effect of such a mindset is overworked and unhappy employees, which can result in detrimental mental health issues among employees, leading to a toxic workplace environment.
Additionally, concerns about costs related to identifying and managing stress can lead to organizational stress neglect. Investment is needed for initiatives like wellness programs, surveys, and training. There is a cost associated with offering sabbaticals or adding employees to lighten workloads. To maintain tight budgets and high revenues, some leaders need to pay more attention to the problem. This is frequently a mistake, though, since mismanaged stress may have a significant negative impact, such as loss of talent and lost productivity.
The detection of work stress is also neglected when there is a lack of engaged leadership. It trickles down when upper management needs to set an example of good health and work-life balance. Organizational stress management will not be a top priority for leaders who downplay stress issues or who are personally burned out (McLarty et al., 2021). Encouraging excessive work as heroic exacerbates the problem. In essence, organizational culture is shaped by the tone set at the top. It is simple for identification attempts to be neglected or underfunded in the absence of top-level support for addressing persistent work stress.
Importance of identifying stressors in the workplace
It is crucial to recognize workplace stresses for a number of reasons. First, instead of assuming anything, it enables firms to identify the precise problems that are causing stress in their workforce (Tran et al., 2020). This makes customized, targeted interventions possible. Second, the process fosters self-awareness; many leaders need to be made aware of the unintentional ways that their actions contribute to stress. Hence, identification provides clarification. Thirdly, it offers objective data and insights as opposed to speculative guesses about what is wrong. This evidence is compelling in obtaining resources and leadership commitment to stressors.
Employees are also given a voice in the problem-solving process when they are actively involved in identifying stresses, as it improves engagement, morale, and trust. Workers believe that their welfare is taken into account rather than merely productivity (Tran et al., 2020). The revelations also help with personnel strategy and planning. For instance, effective hiring strategies are informed by the identification of workforce shortfalls that result in excessive workloads. Identification of job stress also makes it easier to intervene early before problems worsen. The benefits of detecting and minimizing stressors for organizational health, performance, and sustainability are extensive, much like the benefits of preventative healthcare.
Interventions that can help reduce workplace stress
Task restructuring is the process of changing duties and responsibilities to minimize excessive workload and unclear roles (Zhang et al., 2021). Task delegation or automation, job duty clarification, task variety enhancement, and increased autonomy in how and when work is completed are a few examples. Reorganizing tasks gives workers greater autonomy and adaptability, which reduces stress, according to the study. Task restructuring also makes sure that an employee’s workload is in line with their skills, reestablishing the proper balance between demands and capabilities.
Employees are better equipped to handle expectations when they receive workplace training in areas like communication, dispute resolution, and time management (Zhang et al., 2021). Early intervention is made possible by teaching managers how to spot indicators of high stress in workers. Additionally, stress management training equips people with coping mechanisms and stress prevention techniques. Developing skills through training increases confidence and self-efficacy in handling difficulties. Training makes problem-focused coping and adjustment easier. Training provides the necessary information and skills to keep work expectations from becoming too much to handle.
Stress can be reduced by modifying company culture and leadership approaches to promote social support, justice, respect, and employee involvement (Zhang et al., 2021). A less stressful work atmosphere is produced by leaders who set an example of work-life balance, pay attention to worker problems, and take a consultative approach. Setting clear aims and objectives for the organization gives it direction and lessens stress caused by uncertainty. Employees have a voice thanks to improved lines of communication. Reported injustice is reduced when rules and procedures are more equitable and consistent. Employees’ sense of worth and belonging is increased by organizational adjustments that demonstrate respect and appreciation for them.
Ultimately, stress at work has a wide range of adverse effects on workers, businesses, and the general public. Unfortunately, a lot of firms struggle to recognize and handle workplace pressures because of a compliance culture, inadequate leadership, poor measurement, Lack of awareness, and cost concerns. Targeted interventions to remove or alter major stressors are necessary and, when done correctly, can be very successful. It takes a participative approach that involves stakeholders at all levels and a leadership commitment that is unwavering to overcome obstacles to change.
References
Maulik, P. K. (2017). Workplace stress: A neglected aspect of mental health wellbeing. The Indian journal of medical research, 146(4), 441. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5819024/
Zhang, D., Lee, E. K., Mak, E. C., Ho, C. Y., & Wong, S. Y. (2021). Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review. British Medical Bulletin, 138(1), 41–57. https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldab005
Tran, C. T., Tran, H. T., Nguyen, H. T., Mach, D. N., Phan, H. S., & Mujtaba, B. G. (2020). Stress management in the modern workplace and the role of human resource professionals. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/339164316.pdf
McLarty, B. D., Muldoon, J., Quade, M., & King, R. A. (2021). Your boss is the problem and solution: How supervisor-induced hindrance stressors and LMX influence employee job neglect and subsequent performance. Journal of Business Research, 130, 308-317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.03.032
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