Most people spend the best part of the day at work and this is where stress often becomes a major problem, for both employers and employees. According to the 2008/09 Labour Force Survey (LFS) an estimated 415,000 individuals in Britain, working in the last year, believed that they were experiencing work related stress at a level that was making them ill. Estimates from the LFS suggest that self-reported work related stress, depression, or anxiety accounted for around 11.4 million lost working days in Britain in 2008/09 (Source: Health and Safety Executive.) In fact, work related stress is one of the biggest causes of sick leave. The HSE define stress as,

The adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them.

A distinction is made between pressure that acts as a motivating factor and stress, which relates to excessive pressure. Stress in itself doesn’t constitute an illness, but prolonged, excessive stress may contribute to or cause illness. 

No one is completely immune from stress and whether the stress originates from our home life or work environment, it still has an impact on our working life. 

• Poor working conditions
• Long working hours
• Relationship with colleagues
• Victimisation or bullying
• Lack of job security and stability
• Difficult commute to and from work
• How the company is managed
• Inability to cope with a heavy work load
• Insufficient workloads
• Lack of control
• Lack of a clear job description
• No recognition or reward for good performance
• No opportunity to voice complaints
• Weak or ineffective management
• Inflexible working hours
• Too much or too little responsibility
• Working in an unhealthy environment

Symptoms of stress include:

• Anxiety and irritibility.
• Mood swings.
• Paranoia.
• Increased blood pressure.
• Sweating.
• Muscle tension.
• Dry mouth.
• ‘Butterflies in stomach’.
• Difficulty concentrating and making decisions.
• Headaches, palpitations or hot flushes.
• Shaky hands.
• Dry mouth.
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Waking up during the night.
• Excessive intake of alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes or unhealthy foods.
• Tics such as hair pulling or scratching.
• Tearfulness, depression or suicidal feelings.
• Chest pain.
• Loss of appetite.
• Diarrhoea or constipation.
• Loss of sex drive.
• Worsening of skin or breathing conditions.

Work Stress and Mental Health

Work related stress and mental health are interwoven and work related stress may exacerbate or even activate an existing mental health problem that the individual would otherwise have effectively handled, without it impacting adversely on their work. Mental health problems and stress can have different causes. Stress may be related to events at work, where as mental health problems may arise through external causes, such as divorce or bereavement. The symptoms of both are often similar and it is difficult to distinguish when stress transcends into a mental health problem. A GP will usually make the relevant diagnosis.

Signs of stress among employees:

• High absenteeism and sick levels.
• Low morale and commitment.
• Poor performance and productivity.
• High staff turnover.
• Customer complaints.
• A possible increase in accidents.

By taking steps to reduce stress among your employees you can mitigate the impact of these problems.