WORK RELATED STRESS:

Gastrointestinal upset

Well-designed, organized and managed

Raised
blood
pressure/cardiovascular disease

work is good for us but when insufficient

attention to job design, work organization
and management has taken place, it can
result in Work related stress. Work
related stress develops because a person is
unable to cope with the demands being
placed on them. Stress, including work
related stress, can be a significant cause of
illness and is known to be linked with high
levels of sickness absence, staff turnover

Emotional
Anxiety and irritability
Depression
Labile emotions
Intellectual
Loss of concentration

and other issues such as more errors.

Lack of motivation

Stress can hit anyone at any level of the

Difficulty with thought process

business and recent research shows that

Loss of memory

work related stress is widespread and is

not confined to particular sectors, jobs or
industries. That is why a population-wide

Poor decision-making
Behavioural

approach is necessary to tackle it.

EFFECTS

OF

WORK-RELATED

STRESS:
Where stress is not controlled the
individual and organisation suffers, the
following may be observed:
Effects on people may include:
Physical
Sleep disturbances
Headaches

Substance (including alcohol)

misuse
Decreased libido
Inappropriate
display
of
behaviour
Isolation
Unpunctuality
Belongings on the organisation
may include:
High absenteeism
High labour turnover
Poor time keeping

 Poor performance and productivity

Low morale
Poor motivation

Increased employee complaints

Increased ill-health, accidents and
incidents reports

WAYS TO REDUCE WORKPLACE

STRESS:
Stop Worrying. Stop being
anxious of your next work day.
Learn to live your life one day at a
time. Enjoy the rest of the day in
your hands and if ever there are
still tasks or work piles that need to
be finished by tomorrow, face it
tomorrow.
Think Positive. Try to think
positively about your work, avoid
negative-thinking co-workers, and
pat yourself on the back about
small accomplishments, even if no
one else does.
Junk the I want everything
perfect attitude. Stop being your
own self-critic. Dont be too hard
on yourself by feeling so stupid
when you didnt meet your
expectation of yourself.
Practice your sense of humor. Its
okay to be serious in your job, but
never overdo it. Its never a mortal
sin to laugh every once in a while
even if youre in the middle of a
pressing work assignment.
Get a Life. Never ever make your
profession your life. At least try to
have other outlets outside of your

office. Spend quality time with

your family and friendsand we
mean spend time with them
physically,
mentally,
and
emotionally.
Listen to your favorite music.
Listening to music does wonders to
alleviate stress. We should listen to
the music that makes us feel
comfortable.
Get enough sleep. Get as much as
8-10 hours of sleep everydayno
matter how busy or hectic your
schedules are. Practice good
sleeping hygiene. That means
going to bed and waking up at the
same time, not drinking a lot of
caffeine or alcohol. Also, don't use
the bed for much more than sleep.
Avoid eating, watching TV, or
readings on bed as these things
could only make you hold yourself
back from sleeping.
Exercise. Moderate amounts of
exercise can actually help your
mood. You will have more energy
and require less sleep.
Eat healthy foods. It could
certainly lower your stress level.
Furthermore, eating your meals
properly at the right time can do so
much wonder to your weary mind
and body. Never ever skip meals.
Even if you are on the rush going
to work, never ever skip breakfast.
Eating breakfast contribute a lot in
making you totally rev up and brisk
for the entire working day.

CAUSE OF WORK-RELATED
STRESS:
Long hours

 Heavy workload
Changes within the organisation
Tight deadlines
Changes to duties
Job insecurity
Lack of autonomy
Boring work
Insufficient skills for the job
Over-supervision
Inadequate working environment
Lack of proper resources
Lack of equipment
Few promotional opportunities
Harassment
Discrimination
Poor relationships with colleagues or
bosses
Crisis incidents, such as an armed
hold-up or workplace death.

HOW CAN MANAGERS DEAL WITH

WORKPLACE STRESS?

Managing stress at work makes business

sense. However, for many employers, the
subject of stress is a minefield and it is
difficult to know where to start. Or for
others, they have not got the time or
resources to manage the process. For this
reason, Euthenia Touch has designed a full
and comprehensive programme to manage
the process from start to finish. It includes
the designing and implementation of a
stress risk assessment right through to staff
training in the necessary areas and regular
review.
The SENSE Model - An Overview
SUPPORT - Support is a vital tool in
helping staff cope with pressure and
demand. If staff feel part of a supportive
network, they are more likely to discuss
issues when they arise and before they
become problematic. Similarly, this relates
to the support that Euthenia Touch
provides every client in guiding them
through every stage of the process, starting
with the risk assessment.
ENGAGE - A fundamental part of the risk
assessment is engaging staff. It is vital to
ascertain employees thoughts and
perspective to obtain an accurate picture of
the situation and identify potential
stressors. It is also important to engage
management in the issues and ensure they
are committed to working with all parties
to help improve and grow. Moving
forwards it is vital that employers continue
to engage staff regarding their role and
allow them to contribute to maximise their
feeling of worth.
NURTURE - As with anything with
potential to grow, staff must be nurtured to
enhance development. New opportunities
should be embraced where possible and

relationships between peers and superiors

alike should be promoted. Training
workshops are used to nurture staff and
empower them to help themselves and
their colleagues alike.

mistake. Stress in life today is widespread

and has no boundaries. We all deal with
stress daily, at work and at home. Stress
comes in all forms and can affect emotions
and physical abilities.

SUCCEED - Individual successes must be

acknowledged and identified and it is vital
that employees understand the part their
own success plays in the organisation as a
whole. Similarly, business success should
be shared with everyone across every level
within the business. Follow up reviews and
on-going measurement of performance
and/or KPIs can indicate levels of success.

In the workplace, stress can cause all kinds

of business issues and concerns. These
issues and concerns left unaddressed will
ultimately hurt morale and profits. One
simple solution to managing stress is to
understand what is stress management and
how to handle workplace stress. But before
we get into solutions explore more reasons
why stress management in the workplace
is important.

EVOLVE - The aim of the programme is

to proactively teach skills in managing
daily demands to help employees and
businesses alike evolve and transform.
Adapting ways of working and adopting
new positive strategies helps individuals
strive to reach their potential and become
aware of their wellbeing. It is essential that
the cycle is a continual process to ensure
that the business continues to evolve and
Euthenia Touch help implement action
plans and policies to ensure it is an ongoing process.
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN THE
WORKPLACE:
WHY
ITS
IMPORTANT TO MANAGERS
Stress management in the workplace is a
useful skill that many dont take advantage
of. Many of us and leaders alike, get
caught up in day to day tasks. To many job
responsibilites might keep you busy. The
result is that stress management is often
overlooked or ignored as a solution to
business problems.
Whatever reason you have for not using
stress management techniques is a big

10 REASONS WHY TO USE STRESS

MANAGEMENT
IN
THE
WORKPLACE
Reason # 1: Improves your ability to
motivate employees
The effects of stress on morale and
workplace culture can be devastating.
Employees can become unfocused, distant,
distraught and even short fused. Teamwork
may also breakdown. Stressed employees
are unmotivated and will make it difficult
to set employee motivation strategies in
motion. Keep in mind that motivation in
the workplace is a powerful technique to
build teamwork and sustain employee
morale.
Reason # 2: Lessen opportunity for
decreases in productivity
Managing stress at work will keep
productivity levels at acceptable levels.
With stress levels under control, there will
be less of chance of an decrease in
productivity. Keep in mind that there are
other factors beyond stress that can

damage productivity. Some examples of

these factors are ethics, lack of
communication, performance and poor
time management skills. Managing stress
will improve your chances of achieving
sustainable productivity levels.
Reason # 3: Improves your ability to
lead
As a leader, stress management in the
workplace could be your best friend. When
times are stressed, many employees will
look to you for guidance and direction.
Some may seek help from you by talking
one on one. It will all though depend on
the source of the stressor.
If you happen to be the stress, then there is
bad weather in the forecast. Remember
good leaders have the trust and respect of
their employees. By properly handling
stress and indentifing stressful issues
correctly you will be able to lead in the
tough times.
Being a good leader is more than having
the respect of your employees. Its about
being willing to go where others don't
want to.
Reason # 4: Allows the meeting of
deadlines
Many times employees become distracted
and call out more often when stress arises.
Depending on the source of the stressor.
Some employees might start not caring and
just go through the motions. The result
here is the lack of productivity and the
missing of deadlines.
Keeping a lookout for stressors before they
become an issue, should help your
business run smoothly. But remember

stress alone is not the only factor that

affects productivity.
Reason # 5: Decreases chances of
unethical issues
Unethical issues often rear its ugly head in
times of high stress. There have been times
when unethical practices are used for
shortcut purposes. Usually the outcome
here is more stress than before. The blame
game starts with he said she said or figure
pointing. The next thing that will happen
will involve human resources and it is
investigation. Whenever HR gets involved
it ends up being another distraction that
you dont need.
Stress management in the workplace can
be solution to ethical issues. Many ethics
courses have discussed that stress plays a
vital role in ethical issues. You may never
be able to stop the employee whom
chooses to be unethical for reasons that are
not stress related. But you can provide
ethics and stress seminars to limit the
chances of unethical practices
Reason # 6: Reduces possibilities of
workplace conflicts
Workplace conflicts are not uncommon
and happen more than you think. Many
conflicts occur due to differences in
opinions, personalities and sometimes
stress. Conflicts that deal with stress
usually build up over time and then
explode. Learning how to manage conflicts
in the workplace will also help. But by
managing stress and being aware of a
possible issues will make everyone life
easier. Workplace conflicts end up creating
chaos and a big distraction you don't need.

Reason # 7: Strengthens communication

process
When stress levels are high, there is a
corresponding strong negative effect on
communication. The negative actions are
less communicating about the job between
individuals. Instead employees will talk to
others about company issues or problems
with particular managers. Attitudes also
tend to shift towards angry, bitter and
judgemental.
The process of communication in the
workplace is a key element to business
success. When the process fails, it can
create a chain reaction. Managers that are
strong in handling work-related stress
usually can identify a problem and resolve
it. This in short strengthens the
communication process.
Reason # 8: Smooth running projects
Stress and management go hand and hand.
It always will be lurking around the corner.
And there is no bigger example of this like
managing a project. With managing a
project you never know when a vendor
may be delayed or the lack of supplies may
exist. These issues will make it hard to
reach a required deadline.
What happens sometimes is employees of
the project are told to deal with it and meet
the deadline. This often creates even more
stress to an already stressful situation. You
have no control over vendor issues. But
you do have a say in controlling the stress
that you may or may not of created
yourself.
Reason # 9: Improves your ability to
develop teamwork and team building

Stress management in the workplace will

allow you to build team unity. Many times
stress hurts your chance to build
teamwork. The leaders who search out
stress management resources find positive
results. They use handling stress as a tool.
Since many employees hate the idea of
teambuilding workshops. For the simple
reason of stressors in work. So remove the
stressor and build team unity.
Reason # 10: Helps in the writing
performance appraisals
Stress management in the workplace when
used effectively will help you in the
review writing process. Stress is a factor
that can be directly be related to job
performance. It is a factor that is
measurable. It can also be used to judge
how well employees work with others.
Another question it answers is does it
affect an employees ability to adapt and
adjust to problems. Read this article on
how to write employee appraisals and you
will complete the review process properly.
BENEFITS OF MANAGING STRESS:
Employer Benefits:
Improved customer care and better
relationships with clients and
suppliers
Reduced costs - particularly sick
pay, sickness cover, overtime and
recruitment
Lower staff turnover, therefore
lower recruitment costs
Fewer days lost to sickness and
absenteeism
Reduced chance of accidents
occurring
Increased staff morale
Improved organisational reputation

 Improved productivity, efficiency,

output and profits
Employee Benefits:
Increased morale.
Less fatigue and strain.
Higher motivation to produce
good, high quality work.
Ability to earn more by working
harder and performing better.
Happy in their work and less likely
to look for work elsewhere.
Managers can concentrate on their
employees and not themselves.
IMPACTS OF STRESS
High levels of sickness absence.
High staff turnover.
Increased human error.
Low morale.
Lower productivity and output.
Lower efficiency.
STRESS AFFECTS ATTITUDES &
BEHAVIORS
IN
THE
WORK
ENVIRONMENT
Workplace stress has a negative impact on
employee attitudes and behaviors, which in
turn can be costly for your company. Stress
interferes with decision making, which in
turn increases the risk of workplace
injuries
and
wasted
materials.
Understanding how stress affects attitudes
and behaviors in the workplace allows you
to develop proactive solutions.
Attitude Changes Costly
Workers stressed due to overtime
demands, company financial issues or poor
management develop changing attitudes
and behaviors. Stress destroys company

morale, which causes employees to lose

interest in providing the best service or
product possible. A reduce level of loyalty
impacts your customers because they no
longer receive the same level of customer
service they used to receive. This can cost
you customers.
Production Reduction
Unhappy employees who feel increased
stress on the job, often slow down the
pace. Their decision making skills are
distracted, so it takes them longer to
complete each necessary work task,
regardless of the positions they hold. A
slowed production pace is costly as you
put out fewer products or services. In
addition, if the production reduction is
significant, you have to pay for overtime
hours to get the jobs completed.
Shrinking Work Force
When employees are stressed at work, they
start applying at other companies. The cost
of hiring and retraining new employees is
significant, estimated at the annual salary
of each replaced worker in some instances.
Flexible workweeks and scheduling are
viable options to reduce stress, thereby,
reducing resignation behaviors.
Lack of Team Work
Teamwork can take a hit when stress
comes into play at the workplace. Stressed
out employees can become short-tempered
and less cooperative. This reduces the
ability for team members to work together.
Finding and eliminating causes of stress is
vital to returning the teams working well
together.

Safety Issues
Behaviors and attitude changes due to
stress in the work environment can lead to
increased workplace injuries. In addition to
hurt employees being out of work on
workers compensation, you may get sued
by the employee if he claims that
workplace stress caused his inability to
focus, thereby caused the accident.