Coping with Stress at Work place

Imagine a world in which work is pressure-free, office politics are a thing of the past, colleagues are always nice to each other and job security is guaranteed. Nice work, if you can get it, but now this seems to be just an imagination…a good dream we can say.
Pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep us motivated. But excessive pressure can lead to stress, which undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill.

Stress at work is not a new phenomenon of modern lifestyles. The nature of work has gone through drastic changes over the last century and it is still changing at whirlwind speed. They have touched almost all professions, starting from an artist to a surgeon, or a commercial pilot to a sales executive. With change comes stress, inevitably. Professional stress or job stress poses a threat to physical health. Work related stress in the life of organized workers, consequently, affects the health of organizations.

Job stress can be defined as……….

"The emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physiological reaction to aversive and noxious aspects of work, work environments and work organizations. It is a state that occurs when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker and characterized by high levels of arousal and distress and often by feelings of not coping."

Symptoms/Warning Signs of Job Stress

The signs of job stress vary from person to person, depending on the particular situation, how long the individual has been subjected to the stressors, and the intensity of the stress itself. Typical symptoms of job stress can be:

• Insomnia

• Loss of mental concentration

• Anxiety, stress

• Absenteeis

• Depressiondefine

• Substance abuse

• Extreme anger and frustration

• Family conflict

• Physical illnesses such as heart disease, migraine, headaches, stomach problems, and back problems.

What causes job stress……………

Job stress may be caused by a complex set of reasons. The importance of worker characteristics versus working conditions as the primary cause of job stress and some of the other most visible causes of workplace stress are:

Job Insecurity

Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers, downsizing and other changes have become major stressors for employees. These reformations have put demand on everyone, from a CEO to a mere executive.

High Demand for Performance

Unrealistic expectations, increased workload, extremely long work hours and intense pressure to perform at peak levels can actually leave employees physically and emotionally drained. Excessive travel and too much time away from family also contribute to an employee's stressors.

Technology

The expansion of technology—computers, pagers, cell phones, fax machines and the Internet—has resulted in heightened expectations for productivity, speed and efficiency, increasing pressure on the individual worker to constantly operate at peak performance levels.

Workplace Culture

Making oneself adapt to the various aspects of workplace culture such as communication patterns, hierarchy, dress code if any, workspace and most importantly working and behavioral patterns of the boss as well as the co-workers, can be a lesson of life. In many cases office politics or gossips can be major stress inducers.

Personal or Family Problems

Employees going through personal or family problems tend to carry their worries and anxieties to the workplace.

Job Stress and Women

Women may suffer from tremendous stress such as 'hostile work environment harassment', which is defined in legal terms as 'offensive or intimidating behavior in the workplace'. This can consist of unwelcome verbal or physical conduct.

Burnout

When under severe stress, an individual fails to take clear-cut decisions, reevaluate and reassess the priorities and lifestyles, and ultimately, tend to fall into unproductive distractions. This can be described as a classic case of 'burnout'. The 'burnouts' often engage in reckless or risk-taking behaviors. Starting from glamour and sport celebrities to common men, 'burnouts' are found everywhere.

Following are some of the long-term tips to survive stress

• Be prepared for any change physically, emotionally and financially, to avoid stress and survive in the competitive world.

• Protect time to refresh, re-energize and re-motivate yourself. Spend quality time with your family for emotional and moral support.

• Avoid giving in to alcohol, smoking and other substance abuses while under constant stress.

• Develop positive attitudes, Give up negative mental traits such as fear, anger and revengeful attitudes, which actually germinate stress.

• Reduce workplace stress by celebrating yours or your colleagues' accomplishments.

• In case of chronic stress consult a health professional.

But, when you are under stress at work, some simple practices can help:

• Sit straight and comfortably on your seat, and try breathing exercises. It will relax your nerves and muscles.

• Relax and count backwards (20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15….)

• Try creative visualization

Steps Toward Prevention

Lack of obvious or widespread signs is not a good reason to dismiss concerns about job stress or minimize the importance of a prevention program.

Step 1 - Identify the Problem - A good first step is to identify the scope, sources and causes of stress at your workplace. Some problems may be easier to solve than others.

Step 2 - Design and Implement Interventions - The stage is set for design and implementation of an intervention strategy by prioritizing intervention strategies and then working on these planned interventions.

Step 3 - Evaluate the Interventions Conduct both short and long-term evaluations -Short-term evaluations might be done quarterly and Long-term evaluations are often conducted annually and are necessary to determine whether interventions produce lasting effects.

So, Adopt the right attitude and convert a negative stress into a positive one because…………………