Workplace Stress Management: Causes, Effects & Solutions

Introduction

This report was written in conjunction with a summary presentation on research regarding stress management. The main objective of this project was to define and find solutions for some root causes of stress in the workplace. In other words, this report aims to help those suffering from the pressures of work and life by providing viable solutions so that work does not become the cause of persistent "bad days." The report focuses on the definition of stress and provides general statistics on the physical and emotional effects it causes in the workplace. It also presents stress management applications that may prove helpful in providing relief from these pressures.

"Fifty-nine percent of the workers that called ComPsych regarding workplace stress were men" (PR Newswire, 2001). However, stress affects both men and women on the job. Statistics may appear skewed because men represent a majority in many workplaces. This report focused specifically on US Airways flight attendants, who were mostly women, and their stress levels are equally significant.

In our highly mobile and complex society, many definitions exist for the word stress. These include medical definitions that view stress as a measurable change within the body. What most people tend to overlook is that none of these definitions is completely accurate, because stress is a term used to describe hundreds of specific or non-specific problems in daily life.

Defining Stress

Stress in and of itself is not always the core problem. It is, in many ways, a buzzword that can be applied to a wide range of issues — particularly things that bother or trouble us. By combining all of our problems into one category and labeling it "stress," we risk overlooking the fact that most people actually need relief from very specific scenarios or feelings such as anger, frustration, or personal conflict. With that in mind, this report defines stress as one's physical and emotional response to change.

Stress has both scope and magnitude. Scope refers to how many people a change actually affects, while magnitude refers to the degree of severity of that change. Stress is not always self-generated. Although most people view stress as inherently negative, it can in fact be either positive or negative in nature.

Certain human characteristics can determine whether an individual reacts positively or negatively to potentially stressful situations. The ability to cope with change can be influenced by: the capacity to adapt, the relaxation response, age, personality, and the overall environment. There are also two primary levels of stress that affect people differently:

Acute stress can be understood as an immediate reaction to a specific change perceived as threatening. In an attempt to protect itself, the human body initiates several defensive responses — for example, increasing adrenaline production to speed up organ function. The body also stimulates the liver to release excess cholesterol, fats, glucose, and protein through the production of cortisol.

This protective mechanism also shuts down the immune system temporarily and elevates blood pressure through the production of oxytocin and vasopressin. The body further attempts to increase metabolism by stimulating the thyroid gland. Some refer to this response as the "fight or flight" reaction — an evolutionary mechanism designed to prepare the body for rapid action.

Physical and Emotional Effects of Stress

When stress is perceived as chronic — that is, long-term or ongoing — the body employs different mechanisms to protect itself. "Stress is a contributor to everything from back pain to heart disease" (Manning, 1996). Conditions linked to long-term or chronic stress include cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes, upper respiratory infections, slowed wound healing, herpes outbreaks, irritable bowel syndrome, decreased sex drive, asthma attacks, symptom flare-ups of multiple sclerosis, elevated blood pressure, increased chronic pain, arthritis flare-ups, and poor control of diabetes, among others.

Through reputable sources such as Northwestern National Life Insurance Co., Princeton Survey Research Associates, Yale University, and The Families and Work Institute, a clearer picture of stress-related problems in the workplace emerges. For example, 40% of workers report considering their job very or extremely stressful; 25% view their jobs as the primary stressor in their lives; and 75% believe that workers today experience more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. Some 26% of workers claimed they were "burned out" by their work, and job stress has been tied to health complaints more than other stressors such as financial or family problems. "Still, company policies can contribute to problems" (Manning, 1996).

The 2000 annual Attitudes in the American Workplace Gallup Poll supported these findings. That survey found that 80% of workers felt stress on the job, and almost half believed they needed help learning how to manage it. An additional 42% thought their coworkers were also in need of stress management assistance. The same poll revealed that 14% of respondents had considered physically striking a coworker within the past year, though thankfully none acted on it. As one researcher noted, "Rudeness is at the low end of the continuum of workplace abuse… Links between the work environment and indicators of employee loyalty, commitment, and productivity show this is not a 'fluff' issue. In addition, a recent study on workplace incivility reveals that rude employees and managers can cost a company millions of dollars a year" (Indvik, 2001).

Adding further concern, 25% of workers reported feeling like screaming or shouting because of job-related stress, while 10% were worried that a peer might become violent. Nine percent were aware of at least one assault or violent act at work, and 18% had experienced a direct threat or verbal intimidation during the previous year. These findings underscore that workplace stress is a very real threat to both productivity and job satisfaction.

Conclusion

Manning, Anita (June 4, 1996). How to cope if work is killing you. USA Today.

PR Newswire (2001, July). ComPsych's Stress Pulse shows continued concern about stress in the workplace. PR Newswire.