What Is Job Stress?Job Stress complicates life Workplace has become a source of extreme stress as a result of technological changes, mass retrenchments, mergers and acquisitions, information overload, demand for more productivity, fierce competition, and uncertain future. When your parents joined their jobs, they did so with great certainty: that they will one day retire doing the same kind of work, and probably from the same place. Today’s generation is not that lucky. Even if you have been trained for long number of years to be experts in an area, you cannot be certain that you will be doing the same kind of work a few years down the road. Workplace stress has become one of the major causes of concern. Stress in the workplace is not good for the organization as it leads to decrease in quality and productivity. It is also not good for the individual either as it is leads to job dissatisfaction and low morale. Symptoms of Job StressEarly Warning Signs that coping with workplace stress is becoming difficult for an employee are -
Some corporate bosses are of the opinion that some amount of pressure and job stress on employees is good for increasing productivity. But, organizations with recent studies have shown that organizations actively taking care of employees’ health concerns in the form of internal policies are able to increase their bottom lines. Organizations are waking up to the truth that high levels of job stress in the organization do not make for good business practice. Increased job stress leads to increased absenteeism, tardiness and intentions to leave the job, all of which lead to decreased productivity. Workplace stress can be dealt with at two levels – Coping with job stress through Stress ManagementSome organizations provide training to employees on stress management and Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Nearly half of the companies in USA are providing training to employees on ways to handle stress. These programs teach employees the causes and consequences of stress, the way to handle them and some relaxation exercises. These programs are able to alleviate some symptoms of stress, like sleep disturbances and anxiety. Some companies also provide counseling sessions to some employees who also have some personal problems. However, these benefits are short lived in nature as they do not strike the problem at the root, if the genesis of the problem lies somewhere in the work practices being followed by the organization. We recommend Mind Tools' Stress Management Masterclass course for learning to deal with job stress. With it's unique approach, it enables you to tackle the deep structural problems that cause stress in your working life. It introduces you to relaxation techniques, shows you how to win control of your job and career, build positive relationships with powerful people and co-workers and thrive under intense pressure. Click here to know more about Stress management Masterclass... Dealing with workplace stress through Organizational ChangesAnother way to handle the problem is to employ a consultant, who studies the organizational work environment and gets first hand feedback from the employees. The consultant is then able to suggest the steps to be taken to reduce the levels of stress at workplace. This approach strikes at the root cause of the problem. The consultant, through his first hand experience of the situation, is able to pin point the exact causes of stress at the workplace – like too much workload, contradictory expectations, mismatch in responsibilities and authorities, etc. Further Reading 5 Tips to Reduce Workplace Stress Struggling with Job Stress? See Our Top 10 Stress Relief Tips And Techniques How Does Workplace Stress Affect Health 6 Simple Steps to Relaxation Response How Good Are You At Stress And Time Management? Stress In Workplace Caused By Co-Workers' Nasty Comments Aromatherapy for stress relief: How Natural Scents Change Your Moods More references How Workplace Stress Affects Health - The Cost Factor
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