2006 (c) creditplushealth.com
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Stress In The Workplace |
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According to the Australian Council
of Trade Unions’ (A.C.T.U.) 1997 survey, fifty per
cent of workers had suffered some form of stress at
work in a 12-month period. The statistics in care
professions were even higher, with the Department of
Education and Training in Western Australia
reporting in its 2002 Attitudes To Teaching Survey
that seventy per cent of teachers identified
workplace stress as a cause for concern in their
teaching positions.
Stress in the workplace is becoming a major concern for employers, managers and government agencies, owing to the Occupational Health and Safety legislations requiring employers to practice ‘duty of care’ by providing employees with safe working environments which also cover the psychological wellbeing of their staff. One of the costs, for employers, of work place stress is absenteeism, with the A.C.T.U. reporting that owing to stress, nearly fifty per cent of employees surveyed had taken time off work. Other negative effects were reductions in productivity, reduced profits, accidents, high rates of sickness, increased workers’ compensation claims and high staff turnover, requiring recruiting and training of replacement staff. While a certain amount of stress is needed to motivate individuals into action, prolonged stress can have a huge impact on overall health. More than two-thirds of visits to doctors’ surgeries are for stress-related illnesses. Stress has been linked to headaches, backaches, insomnia, anger, cramps, elevated blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and lowered resistance to infection. For women, stress is a key factor in hormonal imbalances resulting in menstrual irregularities, PMS, fibroids, endometriosis and fertility problems. Stress can also be a factor in the development of almost all disease states including cancer and heart disease. Each profession has its own unique factors that may cause stress; below are some causes of stress that cross many professions:
· Increased workload
· Organizational changes
· Lack of recognition
· High demands
· Lack of support
· Personal and family issues
· Poor work organization
· Lack of training
· Long or difficult hours
· Inadequate staff numbers and
resources
· Poor management communication
· Lack of control or input
So what can be done to effectively
manage workplace stress?
Organizations can:
· Educate their employees to
recognise the signs of stress.
· Where possible, give their
employees the chance to be involved in decisions and
actions that affect their jobs.
· Improve employer-employee
communications.
· Provide employees with
opportunities to socialise together.
· Be understanding of employees’
personal and family responsibilities.
· Ensure employee workloads suit
their capabilities and resources (provide more
training and resources if not).
· Provide support (internally or
externally) for employees who have complex stress
issues.
Employees can reduce their overall
stress by:
· Regularly exercising, as this
releases ‘happy hormones’.
· Eating a healthy diet, as stress
depletes vital nutrients.
· Getting adequate rest.
· Using tea and lunch breaks to
read, listen to a relaxation CD or have a
five-minute power-nap.
· If appropriate, playing relaxing
music at work and burning aromatherapy oils.
· Being more organized. Get up
earlier to have more time.
· Delegating responsibility where
possible. Say no!
· Taking time out to laugh by
telling someone a joke. Start a laughter group: by
standing in a circle and all forcing a big laugh, it
will soon become real!
· Avoiding caffeine and sugar.
Although this may provide an instant lift it later
depletes the body of energy and nutrients.
· Taking time to do things that
bring enjoyment and pleasure.
· Making the work environment
pleasurable. Have relaxing sounds in the form of
music or a water fountain. Have enjoyable smells by
burning candles or aromatherapy oils. Hang beautiful
pictures or posters on the walls; have photos or
flowers on the desk.
· Taking care of their overall
health and wellbeing by practising good self-care.
· Keep a journal that monitors dates
and times of stress to detect re-occurring patterns
and to help you discover changes you may need to
make.
Sometimes trying to implement change
(even for the better) can itself cause stress and
prevent a person remaining motivated. In this case
it’s important to get support for your stress from
a counsellor, doctor, naturopath, friend, peer or
life coach who specializes in stress issues.
The benefits of a systematic and joint approach to reducing work stress are:
· Increased productivity
· Decrease in absenteeism
· Improved morale
· Decrease in workers’
compensation claims
· Reduction in workplace accidents
The most important benefit in reducing workplace stress is that it will promote a pleasant work environment for all. By Lisa Branigan "Lisa Branigan is a certified Life
Coach helping successful women create a less
pressured, more enjoyable lifestyle"
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Credit Plus Health By Sean Toh All rights reserved.
