Understanding Occupational Stress

Occupational stress is a form of stress that affects workers’ job performance, productivity, and physical/psychological health. The term encompasses employee well-being factors, including workplace culture, job security, work-life balance, and mental health.
Occupational stress is caused by factors that affect work performance and the quality of working life. These factors contribute to a sense of being overwhelmed. When an employee has too much occupational stress, it can lead to burnout and low job performance, which is not suitable for their health or productivity.

Primary Reasons of Occupational Stress

One of the familiar sources of stress is the workplace. Occupational stress is every day among working professionals. There are many reasons for this, including having too much work, lack of job security, lack of career growth, and fear of losing jobs. All these factors harm the mind and body, causing ill health.

Long Working Hours

If you’re working very long hours or overtime regularly, you might find yourself exhausted at the end of the day. Some workers struggle with finding time for their personal lives and interests while putting in long hours at work.

Heavy Workload

Work overload occurs when workers’ responsibilities are too many, too complex, too taxing, or all three. Studies show that work overload is one of the top reasons for job stress.

Rigid Deadlines

Rigid deadlines can be incredibly stressful because there is always pressure to complete tasks on time and meet goals and objectives. A deadline is not inherently harmful, but it can become problematic, and one of the primary reasons for occupational stress when unreasonable or unrealistic.

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Lack of Autonomy

When you’re in a job that offers little autonomy, it cannot be easy to feel fulfilled. When employees don’t control their roles, they often feel stressed and dissatisfied with their work.

Poor Relationship with Coworkers

Poor relationships with coworkers are a primary source of stress in the workplace. Disagreements or outright conflict between you and your coworkers can create a tense working environment, making it difficult to get work done and impacting job satisfaction.

Discrimination

Discrimination is one of the primary reasons for occupational stress. A person may feel discriminated against due to their race, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability, and so forth. Discrimination can lead to negative stress because it causes employees to feel that they are not valued members of the organization. Intolerance can also cause employees to feel unsafe at work or that they have been singled out for unfair treatment.

Harassment

Harassment can also cause considerable stress in the workplace. This includes sexual harassment and other forms of harassment based on one’s race or ethnicity. Harassment is often an issue in workplaces where some cliques or groups exclude others. The individual who is the victim of such harassment may feel isolated and unhappy at work.

Job Insecurity

Job insecurity is one of the primary reasons for occupational stress. Job insecurity occurs when a person believes that they are in danger of losing their job. People who feel job insecure may be at greater risk of having symptoms of depression and anxiety and physical health problems, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence.

How Organizations can Help Reduce Occupational Stress

It’s essential to understand the problem of occupational stress to be aware of it and have strategies to deal with it.

Enhanced Workplace Wellness

As employers try to reduce stress in the workplace both for their employees’ sake and their bottom line, wellness programs are becoming more popular. By improving employee health, these programs help employees cope with stress better and prevent the development of health conditions.

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Flexible Working Hours

Flexible working hours have become an essential focus for businesses as they seek innovative ways to help reduce occupational stress among their staff and retain key talent for longer.

On-site Counseling

On-site counseling is a solution to help reduce occupational stress & prevent burnout among your staff members. On-site counseling offers employees one more resource available to them at their workplace, which is convenient and can save them time, money, and energy.

Employee Recognition

Employee recognition can help reduce occupational stress. This is because when an employee is recognized for the excellent work, it boosts his confidence and self-esteem. This increases his motivation and productivity levels.

Open Communication

Open communication in the workplace is essential for any business to succeed. Employees should feel comfortable communicating with their managers, who need to communicate with their bosses. Communication between coworkers helps create a positive work environment, reduces stress, and improves productivity.

How Occupational Stress Affect an Efficient Workforce

The fact is that a business’s success largely rests on the well-being of the company’s staff and the ability to create an efficient working environment. Stressed employees are less likely to perform at their peak and prone to making mistakes that could have been easily avoided by keeping a clear mind. Creating a stress-free work environment for employees can reduce dangers and boost efficiency, thereby ensuring that the business grows with power and momentum at all times.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)

How can organizations reduce stress in the workplace?

Organizations can encourage employees to participate in stress-management webinars, wellness tips or programs, and yoga or meditation classes.

What are the possible sources of stress in organizations?

The possible sources of stress in organizations include: 
Organization culture.
Bad management practices.
Job content and demands.
Physical work environment.
Relationships at work.
Change management.
Lack of support.
Role conflict.

Why should organizations be concerned with occupational stress?

Organizations should be concerned with occupational stress because healthier employees operating under manageable levels of focus will be happier and more positive, helping to maintain a robust and healthy workplace culture conducive to creativity and productivity.

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