What Is Workplace Stress?

Most jobs are tedious, requiring a long time and effort to achieve results. According to a CDC report, 40% of workers say their work is extremely stressful. Apart from the difficulty of your job, other things can cause workplace stress.

Workplace stress does not only reduce the efficiency of workers. It affects their mental health and all other parts of their life. We discussed the cause of workplace stress, the signs of it, and what can be done to deal with it.

Causes of Workplace Stress

People often confuse workplace stress and the challenges they face at work to be the same. They are not. While challenges energize us physically and psychologically and push us to learn new skills and master our jobs, workplace stress occurs when the requirements and conditions of the job are too much to handle.

You might wonder why you are experiencing workplace stress, and your co-workers seem fine. This is because we all react to stress differently. However, the following are common causes of workplace stress:

• Bad management style
• Poor interpersonal relations
• Poor workspace condition
• Job insecurity and lack of opportunity for growth

Signs of Workplace Stress

Here are some early warning signs to know that you are experiencing workplace stress.

• Distortions in sleep patterns
• Inability to concentrate
• Low morale
• Job dissatisfaction
• Headache
• Heaviness in the chest, increased heart rate, or chest pain

According to the Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety, workplace stress, if left to develop, can lead to more devastating illnesses like cardiovascular diseases, workplace injury, and severe psychological disorders associated with depression and suicide.

Once you recognize the symptoms of workplace stress, you should prioritize your mental health. You can get more information about dealing with workplace stress and your mental health from our resource page.