Stress in the Workplace

Today, workloads, deadlines, and overtime hours are extremely high and it is placing a tremendous burden on the working people of our country. In 1983, Time magazine declared stress to be the epidemic of the Eighties. Many years later, in the 21^st century, it is evident that stress in the workplace is getting a lot worse. To some researchers, stress may now be the single largest issue that employers and employees face. Stress is forcing more people to be counterproductive in the workplace resulting in sub par work. The American Institute of Stress found that workplace stress causes approximately 1 million U.S. employees to miss work each day.

Unfortunately, being under too much stress decreases productivity and cohesiveness between coworkers. When people are knee deep in work assignments and deadlines, stress begins to take a serious physical and mental toll on them. Sadly, because of our current economy, workers must meet their quotas because layoffs and budget cuts have become very frequent for many entities since the market crash of 2008. As far as stress relating to cohesiveness between coworkers, it is contagious. Stress has an exceptionally strong impact on the people that surround you. For instance, when a particular assignment or workload stresses out my coworkers, I lend a hand to help them cope with their situation and suddenly I too begin to stress. I would consider it as a chain reaction.

For some situations stress is inevitable but must be addressed timely and accurately. According to Donald K. Farris, an experienced adult educator and mental health specialist trainer, “stress in neither good nor bad: it’s how we react to it that’s important.” Also, it is vital to understand that it is impossible to live a life completely stress free. Farris also replied, "You'll never be without stimulation and all stimulation produces some sort of stress," There are many coping and support strategies that people take to help them relieve their stress. Some of these strategies include, behavioral coping, cognitive coping, problem-focused coping, emotional-focused coping, social support, instrumental support, and emotional support. Each one of those methods helps reduce stress based on the type of person and situation they may be in. Aside from using any theory or strategy, some believe it is all in ones head. Donald K. Farris states, "A more realistic goal should be to no longer be overwhelmed by your stress and problems. It's important to keep things in perspective. If you predicate your happiness on being problem-free. you'll never be happy because you'll never be able to rid your life of all problems." Studies have shown that people who consistently do a relaxation process are less anxious, tense, and better able to resist stressful situations. These people also are happier, more energetic, and self-confident both at home and at their workplace.

Stress in the workplace directly relates to the theories, research and concepts we have covered in class. Whether employees are undergoing physiological strains, psychological strains, or behavior strains they must coped with in order to prevent decreased productivity. The main correlation I came across was the amount of stress that takes place at work. Both the book and the articles make it evident that stress is a serious problem that must be addressed. Many of the scholarly articles talked about many different topics of how to deal with stress related situations that greatly paralleled our lecture discussions.

Students can use this information to help them in their current classes as well as in their future careers. The piece that people must be aware of going forward in life is that stress is everywhere. Whether it is academically, athletically, socially, or in the workplace, stress will always follow. The objective is not to try and completely eliminate stress, but to cope with it effectively and make the best out of negative situations. There are many individual stress management strategies that employees use to leave some of their stress such as, peer support, exercise, and laughter. Just remember, everyone is different, the same coping mechanism will not work for every employee. Also, it is important to remember stress is contagious, both negatively and positively. The more positive energy a person gives off the better the working environment for everyone.

-Kyle Lachowicz

Sources

Siân Harrington. (2007, May 31). Stress in the workplace. Printweek, , 30-31. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230393694?accountid=12924

Arellano, J. (2007). Stress in the workplace. Rural Telecommunications, 26(3), 8-8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/202688522?accountid=12924

Halsted, K. A. (1993). Stress in the workplace. CPA Management Consultant, 7(3), 11-11. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/194693454?accountid=12924

Carr, J., Kelley, B., Keaton, R., & Albrecht, C. (2011). Getting to grips with stress in the workplace. Human Resource Management International Digest, 19(4), 32-38. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09670731111140748