It’s important to identify possible causes of job stress so that ways to defuse the stress can be implemented. If a strategy for relieving the stress cannot be found or is not practical, it is still important to understand how the stress can affect you. Here is a breakdown of common job related stress.

On the job

The kind of stress that results from the day to day work required to fulfill your job description. Common causes are:

Complex work – the work is not what you thought was expected of you or you have not been trained to do the work.

Over or under worked – too much work can cause chronic stress as things back up or are done to a poor standard. Conversely, underworking can lead to a lack of motivation, boredom and frustration.

Too much responsibility – can lead to overworking or doing things that you are not trained to do leading to stress.

Conflicting direction – if there are conflicting instructions on how to do your job from management and supervisors this can lead to inaction and frustration.

Working conditions

Working conditions deal with the environment in which the job is to occur. Common causes are:

Poor work environment – this could be poor lighting, cramped working space, sub standard equipment

Poor posture – office jobs and computer related jobs can lead to back strain, eye strain or even repetitive strain injury unless the proper seating is supplied and training on how to sit properly.

Physically demanding work – without proper training, equipment and support, physically demanding jobs can lead to injury or potential injury which can cause stress.

Employment conditions

Employment conditions deal with the agreement between the employer and employee about their rights and responsibilities in fulfilling the job description. Common causes are:

Threat of redundancy – job insecurity can lead to demoralisation.

Poor pay – if the perceived pay is below the industry standard or overtime is not paid this can lead to Job dissatisfaction.

Poor career prospects – this can lead to frustration and demoralisation.

Changeable employment conditions – the reduction of hours, pay, holidays and generally the changing of the employer/employee contract can lead to dis-satisfaction.

Interpersonal relations

This includes the relationships that evolve at work between peers, supervisors and management. Common causes are:

Sexual harassment.

Discrimination on racial or religious grounds.

Poor supervision – failure to communicate what needs to be done.

Poor management – failure to provide leadership and communicate the bigger picture with employees.

By knowing the types of stress that you may be experiencing at work you are in a better position to take the appropriate action to deal with it.

The workplace is never without stress because even in the emergence of modern technologies the prevalence of stress did not diminish it but rather heightened its existence. This fact alone is threatening the health of the employee and the employer as well. In short, even in the workplace we are all exposed to different types of stressors. In a report of World Health Organization in 1996, it considered stress as a “worldwide epidemic.” It is estimated that more than US$300 billion each year is spent to compensate stress-related incidences like unsatisfactory employee performance, tardiness or absenteeism, and health-related costs. Hence, job stress management is now one of the top concerns in the workplace.

One might ask what really triggers job stress and how should employer and employees come up with job a stress management plan?

According to Helpguide, an online resource on job stress management, job stress happens when we think that our job’s demands are becoming too excessive, the workplace gives so much pressure more than the employees can handle, and most of all job stress is more apparent when the thought of satisfaction is slowly becoming frustration or exhaustion. When all these become heavier for the employees to bear, the early signs of stress start to manifest like simple case of flu, cold, cough, headache, and stomach upset.

Other signs include over fatigue, cramps muscles, anxiety and anger. Job stress management must be able to address these concerns before they become debilitating and disturbing.

HelpGuide enumerated different source of job stress and these are: specific work conditions, physical environment, organizational culture, changes in the workplace, and working relations. For the specific work conditions it include too much workload, insignificant assignments or tasks, long working hours with low pay, irregular rest breaks, unfair demands on performance. Overcrowding and noise, poor ventilation, problems on ergonomics, and occupational health hazards are what comprised the physical environment job stressors.

Likewise other issues like fear losing a job due to downsizing and unavailability of opportunities for career advancement should also be addressed if it’s the only way to alleviate stress.

Job stress management should be given due importance in order to maximize the potential of the employees. After all, human resource is still the best resource any business can have.

The first category is stressful work practices. Workers get frustrated if they are not given control over the responsibilities that are entrusted to them. This means they cannot exercise what they want to do on a given project. Discouraging work practices such as the lack of a clear job description, no recognition or reward of a good performance and the absence of opportunities to use personal talents add a lot to stress. Dissatisfaction and anxiety also occurs when workers are not given an opportunity to air out their problems and concerns. The frustration of keeping these problems and concerns concealed will strain their stress coping mechanism.

The next category of factors that causes job stress is too much pressure. Too often, employers give too much responsibility to their workers and give them unrealistic time frames. In an effort to appease their employers, workers try their hardest to accomplish their boss’s demands. The need to impress or to accomplish these demands puts tremendous pressure on them. This causes a lot of job stress. The stress is further amplified if there is confusion due to a conflict of demands from different superiors.

Job stress can also be caused by harassment or bullying. Some fellow employees may tease, insult or even threaten others due to their sex, religion or race. Some insensitive employees may even spread malicious gossip in order to destroy another’s good name. Abusive bosses may harass employees to show them his superiority. Acts like these produce immense stress for employees who are simultaneously trying to protect themselves and do their jobs. Aside from stress, harassment and bullying can cause the victim to lose his self confidence, his esteem and his respect towards himself.

Finally, the environment which employees work in can be a cause of job stress. Cramped, messy, noisy and dirty workplaces can often trigger stress. Otherwise, clean, wide and quiet areas can actually make someone relaxed at work.

If the area is unhealthy such as one with lots of dust and fumes from chemicals, stress can increase exponentially. These areas are health hazards and should be avoided. If not, safety equipment must be donned on.