Workplace stress can have a physical and psychological impact on your employees. Learn how to identify stress and then eliminate it.
- Work is a very or somewhat significant stressor for 66% of employees.
- Stress can negatively affect employees both physically and psychologically, along with their productivity and morale.
- You can reduce stress by identifying the root cause, assessing your communication habits and doing more for yourself.
- This article is for business owners, supervisors and employees who want to learn how to identify and reduce workplace stress.
A 2021 study by the American Psychological Association (APA) shows that 66% of employees view their job as a very significant or somewhat significant stressor, up 2% from the year prior.
Stress is not always bad; it can be a motivator to complete tasks quickly and effectively. However, when stress becomes too great, it can adversely impact workplace performance. In fact, an estimated 1 million workers call in sick as a result of stress every day.
Left unchecked, workplace stress can even seep into employees’ personal lives, affecting friendships, family and recreation, which compounds the problem. A stressed-out worker is an unhappy worker, and an unhappy worker is an unproductive worker.
It’s important for employers (and employees) to be able to identify the signs of workplace stress and understand how to reduce or eliminate it.
What causes workplace stress?
Although some jobs are more stressful than others, most (if not all) employees experience workplace stress at some point. According to the APA, some common work-related stressors are low salaries, few opportunities for growth or advancement, uninteresting or unchallenging work, a lack of social support, a lack of power over your career, and conflicting or unclear expectations.
Other common causes of workplace stress include excessive workloads (46%); problems with co-workers, supervisors, or customers (28%); poor work-life balance (20%); and lack of job security (6%).
What are the signs of workplace stress?
Stress can present itself in many different ways. A Colonial Life study found that stress reduces employee engagement (33%) and productivity (41%), and increases employee turnover (15%) and absenteeism (14%). Since workplace stress can impact you physically and mentally, it is important to look out for the various signs.
Physical signs
You may experience physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, back pain, heart rate spikes, fatigue and sleep disturbances. Chronic stress can result in anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system, according to the APA. Such stress also contributes to health conditions, including depression, obesity and heart disease.
Compounding the problem, people who experience excessive stress often deal with it in unhealthy ways, such as by overeating, consuming unhealthy foods, smoking cigarettes, or abusing drugs and alcohol.
Psychological signs
Stress can impact you psychologically by causing depression, anxiety and irritability. You may feel overwhelmed, have a shorter temper, or have trouble concentrating or making decisions. Stress can also cause aggressive behaviors, mood swings, impatience and frustration.
