As mentioned when we talked about signs of un-wellbeing – stress (pressure) can be positive and motivating. It can also be essential as we all need a certain amount of pressure and challenge to boost our job satisfaction. However, too much stress (pressure) can have a negative effect on our well-being and our job performance. It can make us unproductive and inefficient.
Stress affects different people in different ways and we all have different tolerances for stress – however, the key factor is that stress occurs when we are overwhelmed and do not have the necessary resources to meet the demands.
Most common signs of stress
- worry
- tiredness
- anger
- poor sleep
- feeling on edge
- poor concentration
- feeling worthless
- feeling hopeless
- unable to switch off
- waiting for the worst
- feeling irritable
- panic attacks
- tearful
- drinking too much.
Types of Stress in the Workplace
The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) researched different types of stress in the workplace and identified 6 factors that can lead to work-related stress:
- Demands (feeling you are unable to cope with the demands of your job);
- Control (feeling that you don’t have a say in your work, how you do your work etc and that it is out of your control);
- Support (feeling that you don’t have adequate information, resources or support to do your job);
- Relationships (being subjected to unacceptable behaviour in the workplace such as bullying or general inter-personal relationships such as feeling excluded etc);
- Role (feeling that you (or others) do not have a good understanding of your role and responsibilities);
- Change (both large and small changes in the organisation can influence stress).
Read more about stress in the workplace and how to tackle it on the HSE website.