Some of the many causes of work-related stress include long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity and conflicts with co-workers or bosses. Symptoms include a drop in work performance, depression, anxiety and sleeping difficulties.
Work-related stress is a growing problem around the world that affects not only the health and wellbeing of employees, but also the productivity of organizations. Work-related stress arises where work demands of various types and combinations exceed the person’s capacity and capability to cope. Work-related stress is the second most common compensated illness/injury in Australia, after musculoskeletal disorders.
Excessive workload also cause stress
According to CIPD, workload is the most common cause of work-related stress. Our own findings correlate with those above and our data reveals that 73% of employees cite workload as a cause of stress at work.
If the work volume or the deadlines are outside of your capability, that is likely to become a major source of pressure.
Lack of support
Work-related stress is made worse if you (or your employees) are not receiving enough support from colleagues, supervisors or managers.
According to the data from The Workplace Health Report, 29% of UK employees cite lack of support as a cause of stress at work.
Management style
Do you feel a lack of support from your managers? When the leaders in your workplace don’t provide support or have your well-being in mind, it contributes to your stress. Maybe your manager pours on a heavy workload for you, and you feel like you can’t take any time off, causing your stress to build.
Work relationships
Not everyone at work is your friend. When other team members or managers don’t get along, it makes for stressful situations. It leads to more tension and poor decision-making. If your team members make you feel unsafe or uncomfortable at work, it piles on even more stress.
Future career concerns
Everything from economic uncertainty to how much your industry is growing, job security, and promotions for career development can easily cause stress. Your future is important to you, but so is your mental and physical health. You can’t control the future, so focus on taking care of yourself in the present.
