Stress Effects 101

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The lowdown on workplace stress

There’s no doubt that workplace stress is a significant issue. But as with global warming, many people feel powerless to do anything about it.  The causes and consequences of stress often become invisible because we adjust our ideas about what is normal.  This article gives you essential information about workplace stress - common causes, physiological effects, and what you can do about it.

What is workplace stress?

Workplace stress is the harmful physical, emotional and psychological responses triggered when there is a poor match between a worker’s job demands and their capabilities, available resources, or needs.

What causes it?

Different factors can contribute, including:

• continuous excessively high workloads, with unrealistic deadlines, making people feel rushed, under pressure and overwhelmed.
• insufficient workloads, making people feel their skills are being under-used.
• lack of control over work activities, especially if workers nevertheless feel responsibility for outcomes.
• bullying or harassment, a generally oppressive workplace culture.
• lack of support or poor working relationships leading to a sense of isolation
• being asked to do a job for which a worker has insufficient experience or training
• poor physical working environment, eg excessive heat, cold or noise; inadequate lighting; uncomfortable seating; malfunctioning or unreliable equipment, IT systems etc. 

Signs of stress

Individuals suffering from stress display a range of signs that may be noticed by colleagues and managers.  Signs may include:

• tiredness and irritability
• complaints such as frequent headaches, nausea, jaw pain, back and neck pain, insomnia, and heartburn
• reduced quality of work
• seeming jumpy, ill at ease, hypersensitive to loud noises
• indecisiveness and uncharacteristically poor judgment
• loss of a sense of humour
• changes in work patterns, eg taking longer to complete tasks, staying late, taking work home
• low motivation.

(Some stress effects overlap with symptoms of depression, and chronic stress may trigger common mood disorders in those susceptible).

Physiological reactions to stress

Stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenalin, are released in the brain. In a flight or fight response to danger, they increase alertness, sharpen hearing and vision, and improve physical performance.  Blood is shunted to the brain and large muscle groups and away from extremities, skin, and body systems not immediately useful in responding to danger. Energy-providing compounds of glucose and fatty acids are released into the blood stream. 

However, in situations of prolonged stress the persistent presence of these hormones has negative effects.  For example people suffering from long term stress are less able to distinguish important from less important factors when problem solving or decision-making.  Put simply, they find it harder sort the wood out from the trees.

With chronic stress people’s immune and digestive systems are compromised and blood pressure is elevated.

Tackling stress

If you are suffering from work-related stress, there are some things you can do to alleviate it:

• Physical effects: Notice and focus on the physical symptoms - the increased heart rate, rapid shallow breathing, difficulty concentrating.  Control and slow your breathing; think of a calming or reassuring image or memory; if possible listen to calming music; try to empty your thoughts of clutter.  Under stress, our instinct is to try to concentrate harder, but taking a thought break is often helpful.  Take a short walk.
• Plan and organise your working day.  Under stress, we often drop good habits, lurching from one task to another.  Work out a priority list, discussing it with your manager if you are unsure.  He or she may not be aware of your current workload.
• Avoid interruptions when you are working on an urgent task. Breaking off a task to look at emails or answer the phone lowers your cognitive performance significantly.  Turn off your email alert.  Shut your door. If it suits you and your employer, arrange to work from home for the day and let people know you are not available.
• Working longer hours doesn’t necessarily lead to improved productivity - in fact you are likely to work slower with less accuracy.  Try to go home on time and avoid taking work home with you.
• Look after your physical health by exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet. Avoid sugary foods.
• Limit how much you talk about stress at work with your partner.  While it’s important to share your experience, learn to switch off. Talk about something else, do something fun together, be curious about your partner’s day, plan a holiday. These simple things will help you gain perspective.  
• Remember to celebrate small successes and take a breather when a task is completed before moving onto the next. Help those around you to be positive - it often helps you too!

Above all, it is important to identify the underlying causes of long term stress.  Workload, workplace conflict, negative work atmosphere, unrealistic demands, low job satisfaction, uncertain job security, relationship problems, and health issues can all be contributors.  The strategy that meets your needs will need to take account of the stressors affecting you. Seek help to work out the best solutions for your circumstances.

Our AccessResolve team assists organisations in helping prevent, respond to and manage workplace stress.

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