May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Stress can affect a person’s body, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. When stress isn’t dealt with, it can lead to health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain, and diabetes.
Stressful working conditions matter to employees’ health, even if employees do not admit to feeling stressed. Working too hard, too fast, or too long can harm physical and mental health. It can also make it harder for people to care for themselves by eating well and staying active.
Why Work Stress Matters
- Stressful working conditions can lead to high blood pressure and other risk factors for illness
- Returning to a high-stress job following a heart attack is twice as dangerous as returning to an easier job
What Makes a Job Stressful
Work stress happens when job demands are too much for workers to handle with the time and resources they have. This can make people sick or even lead to injuries.
As stress increases in the workplace, productivity suffers. Staff have trouble dealing with emotional situations, which can cause problems with coworkers and create even more stress.
About one in three workers says their job is very stressful. One in four people says work is what stresses them out the most. 44% of women and 36% of men say they want to quit because of stress.
Common Causes of Job Stress
- Unfair treatment
- Too much work
- Boring tasks
- Long hours and low pay
- Bad working conditions
- Not enough breaks
- Unrealistic goals
- Sitting all day
- Fear of losing your job
- Unclear job duties
- Poor communication
- Problems with bosses or coworkers
- Not enough time with family
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), early warning signs of job stress include:
- Headache
- Sleep disturbances
- Difficulty concentrating
- Short temper
- Job dissatisfaction
- Low morale
If stress continues over a longer period, it can cause serious problems like:
- Heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions
- Muscle and joint pain or other musculoskeletal disorders
- Mental health problems
- Workplace injury
How Stress Affects the Body
Research shows that chronic job stress contributes to serious health issues such as heart disease. Stress can physically affect the body by:
- Raising cholesterol and blood pressure
- Increasing blood sugar
- Weakening the immune system
- Changing how one eats and digests food
Stress can also make employees exercise less, smoke more, and eat unhealthy foods, and it can lead to anxiety and depression.
How to Prevent Job Stress
Companies can make changes to reduce stress, and workers can also take steps to feel better. The best approach is when the company and employees work together to reduce stress.
A kind and inclusive workplace that fosters civility can mitigate adverse outcomes for staff and improve overall organizational effectiveness. Tools such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) can help employees deal with stress and enhance the well-being of all employees.
Through employee wellness strategies and coaching, Telligen can help staff manage stress and reduce the risk of related health issues. Click here to learn about holistic health solutions.