Is stress really a legitimate workplace hazard? Yes, stress isabsolutely a workplace hazard. While some workplace stress is normal, excessivestress can interfere with your productivity and performance, impact yourphysical and emotional health.
An excessive workload, lack of support and toomany demands at once, however, contribute to a sense of panic and frustration thatthere time is not enough to complete the given task or any work. According tothe authors of “Performance Under Pressure: Managing Stress in theWorkplace,” if these conditions routinely result in overtime or having totake work home, the stress of being unable to manage time efficiently can fuelemployees’ resentment toward the company as well as negatively influence theircommitment and loyalty. Anytime you have men or women who are working withheavy machines where there is the chance that they can get hurt, you want thesepeople to be as focused on their jobs as possible. A stressed out individualwho is day-dreaming or thinking of other worries is far more likely to hurthimself or hurt someone else than an employee who is stress-free.
Moving on, stressaffects your capability to remember things and physical tasks that requireconcentration. When you are mentally exhausted from all of the worries,anxieties, and tension brought on by a stressful environment or lifestyle, youare more easily distracted and prone to make costly, harmful or even fatalmistakes on the job. Reducing stress levels for your workers’ health is notonly important for their wellbeing, it also leads to improved organizationalperformance.
So, in addition to your legal compliance obligations, there aregood reasons to carefully review potential stressors in your business and takesteps to remove them. One key factor that can improve your organization overallwhen dealing with work-related stress would be having clear communication andconsultation regarding risk management of stress. Other than that, managershave to ensure that they are committed to dealing with work-related stress aswell as ensuring all workers participate in stress management activities.Example of stress management activities includes providing feedback,undertaking planning, and risk assessment, and implementing control options.
Inconclusion, teaching workers to manage stress in a helpful way will not onlyimprove their productivity but also create a safer environment, one whereeveryone is focused on work and not on other things.
