Dealing with Stress in the Workplace

Stress in the workplace can have many origins. It can impact both employees and employers alike. When stress occurs in amounts that you cannot handle, both mental and physical changes may occur.  

Some stress is expected and can be a positive force in our lives. It often provides us the energy to meet our daily challenges at home and at work. This stress response helps you “rise” to stress responses such as deadlines, sales, or production targets, or finding new clients. Some people would not consider this challenge a type of stress because, having met the challenge, we are satisfied and happy. 

Feelings of negative stress usually increase when people believe the demands of a situation are more significant than their ability to deal with it. Stress may prevent them from being productive. Sometimes, people avoid dealing with a problem entirely, which may worsen the situation and increase stress for both them and those around them. 

Stress can also have a long-term impact on physical health. Headaches and fatigue are common symptoms of being under stress. People are also more likely to get sick or experience a decline in their health. 

Job stressors 

There is no one single cause of stress in the workplace. Every worker is an individual with their professional and personal lives bringing different factors that may influence their reactions to conditions in their environment. However, some factors within workplaces have been shown to control feelings of stress. Some examples include:  

• workload
• autonomy
• conflicting job demands
• job satisfaction
• leadership support
• poor communication 
• responsibility conflicts
• conditions
• hazard exposure

“Just over 4.1 million people indicated that they experienced high or very high levels 

 of work-related stress, representing 21.2% of all employed people.”-Statistics Canada 

Good job design and stress management 

Many strategies can help control stress and reduce its impact on a person. Where stress in the workplace is caused, for example, by a physical agent, it is best to control it at its source. If it is too loud, control measures to deal with the noise should be implemented wherever possible. If you are experiencing pain from repetitive strain, workstations can be re-designed to reduce repetitive and strenuous movements.  

Good job design accommodates an employee's mental and physical abilities. In general, the following job design guidelines will help minimize or control stress: 

• The job should be reasonably demanding and provide the employee with at least a minimum variety of in-job tasks,
• The employee should be able to learn on the job and be allowed to continue to learn as their career progresses,
• The job should comprise some area of decision-making that the individual can call their own,
• There should be some degree of social support and recognition in the workplace,
• The employee should feel that the job leads to some desirable future.

Employers should assess the workplace for the risk of stress. Look for pressures at work that could cause high or long-lasting stress levels and who may be harmed by these pressures. Determine what can be done to prevent the pressures from becoming negative stressors. Employers can address stress in many ways: 

• Treat all employees fairly and respectfully.
• Take stress seriously and be understanding to staff under too much pressure.
• Be aware of the signs and symptoms of a person having trouble coping with stress.
• Involve employees in decision-making and allow for their input directly or through committees.
• Encourage managers to have an understanding attitude.
• Be proactive by looking for signs of stress among their staff.
• Incorporate stress prevention or positive mental health promotion in policies or your corporate mission statement.
• Make sure staff has the training, skills, and resources they need to be successful in their positions.
• Design jobs to allow for a balanced workload. Allow employees to have control over the tasks they do as much as possible.
• Value and recognize individuals' results and skills.
• Provide support.
• Be clear about job expectations.
• Make sure job demands are reasonable by providing manageable deadlines, hours of work, and interesting and varied work.
• Provide access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) for those who wish to attend.

There are many ways to be proactive when dealing with stress. Mental fitness, self-help, taking healthy steps, stress management training, and counselling services can be helpful to individuals, but remember to look for the root cause(s) of the stress and take steps to address them. In some cases, the origin of stress must be changed over time. Therefore, finding ways to help maintain good mental health is also essential. 

Where to Find Help 

Family or company doctors can often recommend a professional for you. Other available resources include: 

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP): short-term counselling services set up by the company for employees with problems that affect their work performance
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA): programs are meant to ensure that people whose mental health is endangered will find the help needed to cope with crisis, regain confidence, and return to everyday life.
• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA): Information on substance abuse issues disseminates information on the nature of and assists organizations involved in substance abuse treatment, prevention, and educational programming.