Stress at Work

Stress at Work

Introduction

Rapid pace of technological advancements and lust for exponential growth has made workplaces more like a battlefield. New and more demanding roles at the workplace are making individuals face stress at work. This book report aims to outline the term stress with its symptoms and warning signs along with major affects and causes of stress at work. It discusses different ways to cope with stress at work by adding stress management practices to the priority list of company management. The book is a practical guide; full of examples, case studies and exercises on how to deal with stress at work effectively and be focused on the job. It provides guidance to control work induced stress and respond to stress in ways which are helpful in reducing stress at work (www.amazon.com).

Discussion

Stress

Over the past two decades, drastic changes have taken place in the business environment. There are companies paying more attention not only to sky high ambitions but also providing lucrative environment to work at. There are companies, who have forgotten their employees' health and satisfaction in the race of reaching the top of industry. These companies are not only struggling for their survival but also facing high absenteeism low productivity, employee turnover; like an ice-burg of issues and the cause lying at the bottom of this ice-burg is the term named stress. Stress is a situation faced by many people at work and at home, which might affect their physical and mental health resulting negative impact on the health of the company (Leka et.al, 2012). Stress is a person's physical response to any threat that might upset his balance in some way and stress response is a way in which body tries to protect a person and helps him to rise and meet challenges (Marks, 2011).

Stress at work

Work place is a source of stress for many people (Hartley, 2003). People feel stress when they are overloaded with excessive work to do or when they are posed with any challenge which they might not be able to handle (anonymous, 2009). Stress at work arises when there is a mismatch between job demands and job pressure on a person, which might challenge his ability to cope with it. Even stress may arise in a situation where a person feels overqualified for a task or when a person does not get a chance to utilize its abilities and knowledge efficiently (Stavroula et.al, 2003). According to a research study, conducted by CDC's National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health 29%-40% Americans are stressed at work (Scott, 2012).

Symptoms and Signs of Stress

Evolution of the human brain makes them the most adaptive creature of this planet, and as the time passes and man learns to cope with different situations and challenges, this adaptability keeps on developing. Some stressors are good for the human body; however, there are others that undermine one's mental or physical health and might pose serious dangers to a person. Stressed people are less productive, feel insecure at the work place ...