Stress at work

What is stress and its typologies

stress is a a set of physiological reactions that occur when a person experiences a state of nervous tension, a product of various situations in the workplace or personal life. In small doses, stress can be positive, as it prompts a response in the person suffering from it that helps them avoid danger or complete a certain task within a limited time. The problem arises when stress becomes chronic, as it can damage the health of the person who suffers from it.

There are several types of stress:

• Normal stress. These are the physiological reactions that occur in our bodies in response to certain situations, which are normal and help us to cope with and overcome difficult situations.
• Pathological stress. When stress is prolonged, it can cause significant physical and psychological problems.
• Post-traumatic stress. It presents after a person has experienced some type of highly traumatic event, such as a traffic accident or a close death. As a consequence of these traumas, the person suffers frightening thoughts frequently, which are related to the situation they experienced.
• Work stress. It is a set of harmful reactions, both emotional and physical, that occur when work demands exceed the employee's resources, capabilities, and/or needs.

Certain individuals suffer from stress more easily than others, and certain situations are more likely to trigger it. Carrying out a Correct stress management is completely necessary, as otherwise, this could negatively affect the achievement of objectives, both individual and organisational.

Causes of work-related stress

It is necessary to clearly identify the most common causes of stress at work in order to take measures to reduce its impact. Stress in the workplace can be caused by a wide range of factors, some of the most frequent are:

• High workloads. Excessive amounts of work and unrealistic deadlines can leave people feeling rushed, pressured and overwhelmed.
• Insufficient workloads. In this case, the workers feel their skills are being underutilised, which makes them feel more insecure.
• Lack of control. Not having control over work activities triggers stress.
• Lack of support. Lack of interpersonal support or poor working relationships make the worker feel lonely and stressed.
• Lack of skills. Stress arises when people are asked to do a job for which they have no experience or training.
• Adaptation to change. Difficulty in settling into a new promotion, both in terms of meeting the demands of the new role and adapting to potential changes in relationships with colleagues.
• Occupational safety concerns. Concerns regarding job security, a lack of career opportunities, or pay levels cause stress.
• Bullying or harassment.
• Culture of guilt. It often occurs in companies where employees are afraid to make mistakes or to admit to having made mistakes.
• Weak or ineffective management. Which leaves employees disoriented, without a sense of direction.
• Micromanagement. A management style in which a manager closely watches and controls the work of their employees, paying excessive attention to minor details. This can cause employees to feel undervalued and affect their self-esteem.
• Presence of unclear chains of command. It is exacerbated when each manager asks for his or her work to be prioritised.
• Lack of communication. Failure to keep employees informed about important changes in the business makes them feel insecure about their future.
• Poor working conditions. For example, excessive heat, cold, humidity or noise, poor lighting, uncomfortable seating, etc., are behind many cases of stress.
• Labour unrest. Perhaps the most important stress generator.

For all these causes of work-related stress, Quality leadership, respect, communication and a culture of recognition, for example, through flexible remuneration policies, these are necessary actions on the part of any company's management.

Work-related stress symptoms in the employee and the company

In the worker

Although the clearest symptoms are not usually perceived until high stress levels have been reached, there are some signs that can alert that an employee is starting to suffer from stress. Some of the most important signs that we are suffering from stress at work are:

• Behavioural changes.
• Declining productivity.
• Irritability.
• Absenteeism.
• Loss of trust.
• Memory failures.
• Concentration problems.
• Difficulty falling asleep.
• Alterations in appetite.
• Digestive problems.
• Muscle disorders.

Acute responses to stress can therefore occur in different areas, such as:

• Emotions: Anxiety, depression or fatigue.
• Behaviour: introspection, aggression, sadness or lack of motivation.
• Thought: Difficulties with concentration and problem-solving.
• Physical state: palpitations, nausea, or headaches.

If stress persists, changes can occur in neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, autonomic, and immunological functioning, which could lead to mental and physical health disorders.

In the company

The most common symptoms we can observe in a company where its workers suffer from stress are:

• Increased conflict workplace relationships between colleagues.
• Declining productivity due to a drop in motivation among some workers.
• Increase in the number of errors, through lack of commitment and/or concentration, which can also harm the business's image and employer brand.
• Increase in absenteeism and the Rotation.

It is true that without a certain degree of stress, our ability to adapt to change is reduced. However, prolonged exposure to it can lead to both physical and mental pathologies that will affect our productivity.

In the case of an organisation, having stressed employees leads it towards a deterioration of the workplace climate, talent drain and a decline in customer satisfaction.

Consequences of workplace stress for the company

When analysing work-related stress and its consequences, the focus is usually on the impact on the person who is stressed. However, this condition also causes adverse effects on their work and the company for which it provides its services.

When it's not just one, but several employees suffering from work-related stress, the consequences increase, as does the impact on the organisation. Employees who are stressed may be absent from work, they may come to work but not perform their duties, and they may suffer other health problems that develop as a consequence of stress. These factors will significantly impact the company in such different ways as the following:

• Motivation problems. This translates into a drop in their productivity.
• Staff turnover and increased recruitment and training costs. As a result of the above, staff turnover may increase and experienced employees may leave the organisation. The company will have to recruit new employees, which involves a considerable investment in time and resources.
• Declining productivity and efficiency. Stressed employees are less productive and efficient, and this, combined with absenteeism, low morale, and staff turnover, will have a negative impact on the organisation's productivity and efficiency.
• Loss of customer service quality. It is very difficult to maintain customer service levels with staff absences, high turnover, morale and motivation issues, low productivity and inefficiencies. This leads to an increase in complaints and the potential loss of customers.
• Deterioration of communication and relationships. When employees are stressed, they become more irritable and withdrawn, which, combined with low morale, negatively affects team dynamics, internal and external communication, and internal and external relationships.

Consequences of work-related stress for the employee

As is logical, The consequences of work-related stress directly affect the worker themselves.. In this case, it is most common for the worker to present anxiety in their daily life and reluctance or idleness at work. This can significantly affect other areas of your life, producing Insomnia, chronic fatigue, bad temper, digestive disorders, depression or lack of concentration among many other consequences.

When suffering from work-related stress the worker is less efficient and competent in the tasks inherent to their job role. Furthermore, it has been observed that workers suffering from work-related stress have a higher absence rate than other workers, mainly due to sick leave resulting from various stress-related illnesses. Consequently, Work-related stress reduces the competitiveness of workers.

Other of the The most significant problems that work-related stress generates for an employee include: are:

• Work stress is one of the main causes of sick leave that are signed daily in Spain and the rest of Europe.
• Sustained work stress over time is one of the reasons that explain the famous Burnout syndrome (being burnt out).
• Work stress affects employee behaviour, something extremely risky when we talk about professionals dedicated to customer service, contract negotiation, Human Resources, etc.

Cómo prevenir el estrés laboral

To help prevent stress within a company it is very important that aspects are evaluated within this as:

• Frequency of worker absences.
• Volume of long-term sick leave.
• Staff turnover rate.
• Health and safety incidents.
• Internal complaints rate.

This The information must be analysed. also taking into account the employee comments, management experience or customer feedback, among others; something that can be carried out through surveys, group and team meetings, and one-to-one meetings.

Once the degree of organisational stress has been determined, the most affected areas and the departments requiring priority action can be identified, and possible solutions can then be considered.

The incentive programmes or the implementation of a new pay model, as the Flexible remuneration, can boost employee morale and help maintain high levels of motivation. These are effective methods for combating stress and its consequences, just like the individual recognition or the design of personalised rewards, according to the needs, interests and expectations of each employee.

Practices employees can undertake to help combat work-related stress

A A worker must know how to keep stress at bay at work. and the first step is to recognise it. Once its signs are identified, there are various ways to get rid of him:

• To locate the source of work-related stress. The workload, relationships with colleagues, superiors or subordinates, or the pressure to achieve set objectives are often the most common sources of stress. Once the origin of the problem has been identified, it is necessary to act and optimise whatever needs to be improved. Dealing with stress will only be possible if the reasons why that feeling arises are understood.
• Organise your day-to-day activities by prioritising what's important. Order helps to keep things under control. Once everything is organised, it's time to prioritise activities, carrying out the most important ones first.
• Do physical exercise. Physical activity reduces all types of stress, with just 20 minutes a day being enough to achieve this. Practising it regularly helps us release endorphins (an anti-stress hormone) and improves our sleep at night.
• Learning to relax. Breathing, meditating and seeking inner peace is a resource available to everyone.
• Take breaks. The brain needs to take breaks, even one minute for every hour of work.
• Get the necessary hours of sleep. Between 7 and 8 hours a day are essential for the body and brain to rest.

Practices that a company can implement to help combat work-related stress

Some of the more effective measures to prevent and combat this problem are as follows:

Improving the working environment

It is necessary to create a positive, safe, kind and respectful work environment in which employees can develop their full potential without any hindrances. To achieve this, the company can:

• Implement a range of work-life balance policies.
• Provide the possibility of remote working for posts that allow it.
• Rationalise working hours.
• Offer various non-monetary benefits, such as childcare vouchers, meal vouchers, etc.

Improve internal communication.

If an employee doesn't feel confident enough to discuss their professional problems with colleagues or their direct manager, these problems will continue to grow internally. Improving internal communication is both a solution and a preventive measure against work-related stress. To achieve this, measures can be implemented such as:

• Enable an Intranet that facilitates communication between the different professionals and departments of the company.
• Using internal communication applications such as WhatsApp groups, Telegram, etc.
• Install a physical mailbox where employees can submit notes to management.
• To organise workshops and group dynamics sessions, led by professionals, to help improve internal company communication.

Conduct employee surveys

Let them express their opinion on how different sectors within the company are functioning. Based on this information, the company will be able to take appropriate measures to improve the working conditions of its own employees.

To have action plans in place in case of need

It is essential that the company has protocols for action in the event of detecting a situation requiring the attention of Human Resources, such as workplace harassment.

Employee career monitoring

This allows for a long-term projection of the employee, which in turn helps to guide their career path within the company.

Respect established schedules and holidays

One of the main causes of work-related stress is the employee's inability to switch off from work in their personal and family life. Therefore, if working hours and non-working hours are perfectly respected and differentiated, an environment will be fostered that helps to reduce employee stress.

When faced with work stress, we have various very efficient weapons to combat it, both from the worker's and the company's side. It is essential that we are surrounded by happy, physically and emotionally balanced, motivated human resources who are completely committed to the company's economic objectives.

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