Stress in the workplace
It is estimated that 500,000 people in the UK are suffering
illness that has been caused by stress in the workplace, with a
further 5 million people reporting themselves as being very or
extremely stressed whilst at work. Stress at work also affects
people's life outside work too, with 55% of full time workers
saying that they took their stress home with them at the end of
the day.
Mind, a mental health organisation, found that stress costs 10%
of the UK's Gross National Product, but over 90% of companies do
not have any strategies in place to deal with it. 12.8 million
days a year are recorded as being lost to stress, but it is
thought that up to 50 million days are lost in which stress
plays a part. What is stress? Stress is a reaction that comes
from a survival mechanism from our history, when it fuelled our
"fight or flight" response. Nowadays, a certain level of stress
can be healthy and can build motivation at work, but when this
becomes seen as an impossible burden rather than an achievable
challenge, this turns into negative stress.
Negative stress is defined by the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) as being "the adverse reaction people have to excessive
pressure or other types of demand placed on them."
What are the symptoms of stress? There are many symptoms of
stress, and people who are stressed may display one, several or
many of them. What starts off as a mental symptom of stress may
build into a physical condition, and some physical illnesses may
be worsened by stress.
- Physical symptoms include problems with sleep, tension
headaches and migraines, heart disease, fatigue and high blood
pressure.
- Mental symptoms include anxiety, depression, irritability,
memory problems, and a feeling of being out of control.
- Relational symptoms include increased arguments with
colleagues and family, road rage, lack of interest in social
activities, and overreactions.
What can an employer do to reduce stress?
Recognising the causes and effects of stress on employees is an
important place to start for a company trying to reduce levels
of stress. There is a range of ways in which an employer can go
about reducing stress, and some may be more appropriate to
certain jobs than others. Here are some of the ways in which
companies have helped reduce the effects of stress:
- Introducing flexible working, either by allowing employees to
work from home or starting a flexi-time scheme
- Promoting lunchtime exercise or relaxation classes
- Encouraging stressed workers to see counsellors
- Provide interpersonal skills training
- Setting clear roles for employees and ensuring they understand
them
- Making sure that employees are in the most appropriate roles
- Encouraging employees to take their full lunch break and not
to work late
What to do if you are stressed at work If you are stressed at
work, the best things to do are voice your concerns to your
manager, and try to work out what is causing you to be stressed
and find some strategies to reduce your level of stress.
If your employer will not help, the option of making an accident
at work claim may well be open to you, and this will allow you
to claim financial compensation for the pain and suffering which
you have experienced, as well as any other losses that your
stress has caused you. Making an accident at work claim could
help improve working conditions for your colleagues, as well as
providing you with recompense for the effects that stress had
had on you.
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