But it’s important to understand the impact that stress can have on your well-being, as well as your work. In a survey by ComPsych, 61% of employees said stress made them feel tired and out of control. One-fifth of respondents said they’d missed six days or more per year because of stress. Read on to learn more about the causes of stress and how it can affect your work.
Physical Impact of Stress
In response to stress, your body may increase blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, metabolism, and blood flow to your muscles. This stress response is intended to help your body react quickly and effectively to any high-pressure situation. Stress can also be positive. Short periods of stress can make you more alert and improve your performance. The key to stress management is to determine the right amount of stress that will give you energy, ambition, and enthusiasm versus the wrong amount of stress which can harm your health, outlook, relationships, and well-being.
Stress Causes
While each person is different and has different events and issues that cause stress, there are some issues that almost universally affect people. These are the stressors you most want to understand and take measures to prevent.
Feeling out of controlFeeling directionlessGuilt over procrastination or failing to keep commitmentsMaking more commitments than you have time to keepMaking change, especially changes you didn’t initiate or instituteUncertaintyHigh expectations of self
The ComPsych survey found:
41% of respondents said their workload was a cause of work stress32% cited people issues18% cited juggling work and personal life 9% cited lack of job security.
What Affects Your Ability to Cope With Stress?
During times of stress and uncertainty, you can anticipate some predictable issues, problems, and opportunities. For instance, during any organizational change at work, your colleagues may have:
Different ways of regarding the change. Some people have difficulty accepting and adjusting to change and uncertainty; others will relish the changes and view them as great opportunities. Some people initiate change; others prefer the status quo.Different amounts of experience and practice in stress management and change management. (What is devastating to one individual may excite another or only mildly irritate a third person.) Theoretically, people become better at managing stress and change with experience.Varying ways of communicating about stress. Some people need to “talk it out.” Others suffer silently. Some find relief in complaining. Some talk and talk and talk, but are really supportive of the change.Different amounts and types of support from others. This may include support from a spouse, significant other, friends, manager, and coworkers.
Effect of Stress on Your Well-Being
Stress can cause physical, emotional, and behavioral problems, which can affect your health, energy, well-being, mental alertness, and personal and professional relationships. It can also cause defensiveness, lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, accidents, reduced productivity, and interpersonal conflict between normally harmonious colleagues. Too much stress can cause minor problems such as sleep loss, irritability, backaches, or headaches, and can also contribute to potentially life-threatening diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease. During stressful times or situations, people often blame themselves for being weak or for their inability “to handle it.” Often managers in organizations do not understand the normal progression of change or stress-producing situations and they expect employees to immediately return to total productivity after a stressful event. It doesn’t happen. People have deep attachments to their workgroups, organizational structures, personal responsibilities, and ways of accomplishing work. When any of these are disturbed, whether by personal choice or through an organizational process from which you may feel quite removed and not involved, a transition period occurs. During this transition, you can expect to experience a period of letting go of the old ways as you begin moving toward and integrating the new. When you consider stress in the workplace, understanding these components about stress, situations that induce stress, and your responses to stress can help you help you effectively manage stress and change.
Effect of Workplace Stress on Your Work
All of these and other issues impact your ability to manage workplace stress and change, to continue to function productively. The ComPsych survey found that 37% of people say they lose an hour or more a day in productivity due to stress. More than half say stress causes them to miss at least one day a year from work. During stressful times or situations, people often blame themselves for being weak or for their inability “to handle it.” Often managers in organizations do not understand the normal progression of change or stress-producing situations and they expect employees to immediately return to total productivity after a stressful event. It doesn’t happen. Managers need to understand that adjustment to change is an individual experience and provide support to a wide range of people who are experiencing diverse feelings.
High absenteeismHigh turnoverPoor performance and productivityLow moraleIncreased illness, accidents, and incident reports.
