Stress and anxiety in the workplace

Stress at work – a very present problem in 2021, in a world where everything is evolving, changing, with a global pandemic enhancing the intensity. The change of work environment and workload is a factor we cannot ignore when looking at our employees' and our own well-being.

Scientist have been dealing with stress since the 1950s. Selye János (author of The Stress of Life, and Stress without Distress) has researched environmental effects that exceed human’s adaptive ability, focusing on endocrinology. Based on his lifelong research, he has pointed out that stress in itself is not harmful, it can actually increase our performance, and develop coping mechanisms. It is chronic stress that is damaging – in fact, 1/3 of work-related health issues are linked to stress in Europe.

Causes

There are several factors that contribute to stress becoming chronic – the employee’s private life can also present stressors as well as the work environment. Private problems can include a spouse’s death, divorce, moving, change of financial situation (e.g. debt), but also sexual problems, holidays and children moving to university (based on Holmes-Rahe’s stress scale). A universal contributor in 2021 is of course the global pandemic – we have faced problems that have never occurred before. If you find your organisation affected by the latter, read our blogpost about creating an efficient hybrid workplace. While we have no control over an employee’s private life, we can help them by practicing empathetic leadership.

There are deliberately stressful occupations, like a surgeon’s, a fireman’s, or a leader’s, because of their dangerous, overwhelming, or controversial circumstances. Work stress originates from the organisation and the individual, too. Some of the factors that cause stress:

• overload
• skills being unutilized
• unclear position (uncertainty, “Am I doing it right?” “What should I do?” “How can I be true to both positions?”
• physical work environment (noise, low lightning, room temperature, mess)
• lack of influence
• tension between colleagues (for example being isolated due to remote work)
• work/life conflict

There are some features of the employee’s personality that can have an impact on the intensity of stress:

1. Type A personality – This refers to an individual that works hard, likes competing, and takes on more and more workload, responsibilities, which they never have time to finish. Rosenman and Friedman have discovered a connection with heart problems, which can lead to heart attack, but mostly if it’s paired with other negative emotions (e.g. anger, anxiety, depression).
2. Stress sensitivity – Sensitivity can differ from person to person. What might upset one person, a colleague might not even notice. Based on Elaine N. Aron’s studies, 15-20% of people are highly sensitive, so chances are, a lot of people have a harder time dealing with work-related stress. High sensitivity means having a more sensitive nervous system, which processes stimuli deeper, resulting in more intense reactions to outer world. They might need more time to regenerate, they are more likely to deal with anxiety or depression, and be affected by criticism. While having some disadvantages, sensitivity has a lot of advantages, too. Despite not being appreciated in the western culture, sensitive people’s empathy, intuition, attention to details, intense focus, conscientiousness, and rich inner world is a real asset for an organisation, especially when working with people or doing creative work. There are a lot of ways to help deal with stress – relaxation techniques, a balanced diet and having a support system can ease the distress.
3. Lack of confidence – Being self-conscious usually results in inefficiency and poor performance, which can also lead to stress. Building confidence can decrease the intensity.

To measure stress intensity, we can look at physiological indicators (blood pressure, pulse, hormone levels, like cortisol and cholesterol), use the Holmes-Rahe list or questionnaires.

It can also be helpful to examine the person-environment fit, as it can have an impact on the employee’s dedication to the organisation. A mismatch can be a stressor. To measure this factor, we suggest using our Person Job Match tool, which can be generated from our Occupational Personality Questionnaire (QPQ 32). It is available online, so it is safe even in times of the pandemic.

We have looked at the factors that contribute to stress, and in our next post, we will go over the impacts, effects, and signs of chronic stress. The first step is recognising the problem and determining the causes, after, we can start to find a solution.

The post is based on Sandor Klein's book, Occupational Psychology.