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Work-related
stress can make it seem as though tasks are forming
into an insurmountable pile.
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Photo
by PTE John Wellfare
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Manage workplace stress
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Identify stressors that are potential workplace
hazards.
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Create a healthy work program by identifying
causes of stress in the workplace and develop
control measures for them.
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Take regular breaks away from the computer.
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Make sure you receive an ergonomic assessment
of your area of work. The wrong height of
your desk, chair or computer can add stress
to your body.
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WE HAVE all felt the unproductive effects of stress
or fatigue on our work.
For
most of us it seems common sense that our work quality
and productivity will be compromised if we are feeling
stressed that day, but what are we doing to combat this?
Do we even recognise that there is a problem in our
workplaces?
Most active people will experience fatigue at some stage
in their lives. Often it is only temporary, caused by
an increase in the amount, or intensity, of training
or work.
Tiredness usually disappears as the body adapts to the
new workload. But tiredness can be a chronic condition
that may need further investigation. Causes may be stress-related
or simply a lack of sleep.
Underlying medical conditions also need to be considered.
What
is stress?
Stress is an interaction between people and their environment,
and is the awareness of not being able to cope with
the demands of this environment, when this realisation
is of concern to the person, in that both are associated
with a negative emotional response.
Stressors
Stressors are events or circumstances that may lead
to the perception that physical or psychological demands
are about to be exceeded. There can be several types
and they can arise in and out of work.
For
example, work-related stressors may be:
Inevitable:
For example, being posted to a new job, learning a new
skill, the difficulty of being deployed at short notice,
unpredictable emergencies in the workplace and intrinsic
difficulties in the work such as working in a competitive
industry.
Avoidable:
For example, undertaking hazardous work for too many
hours each week, for long periods, in a physically demanding
environment, producing multiple reports that no-one
reads, inhospitable or dangerous physical environments,
no performance feedback or only negative feedback and
no interest shown by superiors in helping problems.
Non
work-related stressors may include:
Personal:
Relationship, child or other family problems, financial
difficulties.
Intrinsic:
Feelings of not coping may just arise from within, with
no apparent stressors being discernible.
Creating a healthy work environment reduces stress.
Healthy work promotes a good outcome, both in the workplace
and in the individual. By maintaining a balance between
work and non-work activities, we are better able to
manage our level of stress.
Next edition – managing fatigue.
