How Does Workplace Stress Affect Your Health?

Stress related to the workplace is one of the most common issues that most people suffer from regularly. The effects of workplace stress are far-reaching, most importantly, it adversely affects an individual’s physical and mental health.

Feeling flustered, anxious, and sleepless at night are reflections of stress that a working individual may face. The ill-effects of work stress are growing into a major health epidemic with pervasive consequences for both the employee and employer.

The effects of work stress reflect on physical and emotional health, which leads to some behavioural and intellectual disparities. It not only affects an individual but also affects an organisation altogether.

Physical effects include -

• Gastrointestinal upset
• Sleep disturbances
• Cardiovascular disease
• Headaches

Emotional consequences include -

• Anxiety and irritability
• Labile emotions
• Depression

Intellectual changes include -

• Lack of motivation
• Loss of memory
• Loss of concentration
• Poor decision-making

Behavioural changes include–

• Indecent behaviour towards others
• Decreased libido
• Isolation
• Unpunctuality

All these factors affect the organisation in various ways. These may lead to:

• Poor time management
• Decrease in performance and productivity
• Increase in the number of absentees
• Low morale
• Increased complaints from employees
• Lack of motivation
• Increased ill-health, accident and incident reports

The consequences of workplace stress arise due to certain underlying factors, such as –

• Workload pressure
• Tight deadlines
• Change of roles and responsibilities
• Long working hours
• Untimely organisational changes
• Job insecurity
• Lack of autonomy
• Insufficient job skills
• Improper working environment
• Lack of proper resources
• Toxic relationships with co-workers
• Lack of equipment
• Over-supervision
• Few promotional opportunities
• Harassment
• Boring work
• Discrimination

• People-related Issues – Issues related to the surrounding co-workers as one cannot concentrate on work.
• Workload – Meeting deadlines and fulfilling targets, job role and responsibility constitute the work pressure, which in turn increases stress.
• Work-life Balance – Individuals unable to balance both lives and work together are at risk of developing stress.
• Lack of Job Security – Insecurity with the job role or the job itself can also lead to stress.

An organisation can avoid work-related stress in the following effective ways –

• Encourage open communication between employees and bosses.
• Offer various health benefits to the employees.
• Implement a culture of meditation classes.
• Offer paid time off.
• Encourage workers to take adequate breaks.
• Take the team out on trips to blend in together.
• Bring some fun-filled diversions into the office.
• Consider flexible work schedules.

An individual can implement various preventive measures to reduce workplace stress. These include –

• Act rather than react when situations get out of your hands.
• Take a deep breath and relax when you feel overwhelmed or come out of a tense situation.
• Eliminate interruptions caused by phone calls and emails.
• Schedule your day for energy and focus
• Eat right and sleep well
• Make the surroundings of your workplace soothing and comfortable
• Focus on one task at a time and forget multitasking
• Have lunch and take a walk during the lunch break
• Listen to music of your choice when you travel to office and back home

It is now evident that workplace stress affects an employee and the organisation equally. This work-related stress can occur under various circumstances like target pressure, hostile working environment, toxic relationships with others, etc. However, adjusting to the situation can never be an option. Instead, one should take specific steps to eliminate them before they start affecting one’s health adversely.

So, it’s time to identify the shortcomings that create job stress and implement steps accordingly to amplify the positive working environment and maintain a healthy work-life balance.