Work related stress is a serious problem encountered today in the work environment , causing adverse outcomes where productivity and performance are concerned causing a sense of lack of confidence in the employees. This in turn causes behavioral problems between colleagues creating a stressful environment for the workers .Circumstances which pose a threat to the working capabilities of a worker , or cause them to question their own working capacity can cause enough stress to make them quit their job , and furthermore cause psychological and behavioral disorders (Dewe, O’Driscoll & Cooper, 2010). Recent studies have shown that majority of the absent reports from work are due to stress, thereby showing us the need of easing out the working environment for workers ,enabling them to have a more comfortable and stress-free frame of mind (Hicks & Caroline, 2007; Williams, 2003).
It has been rather difficult to pinpoint the exact definition of work related stress and to point out the factors which are causing it . however it has been seen that it can generate from confusion and incompetence in project management and overwork , as well as a feeling of general ill being and unhappiness. Cause and magnitude of stress , however , vary from person to person . it is also said that a certain minimum degree of stress is necessary for effective performance of a worker, without which , he or she may lag behind .Here we have to differentiate stress from pressure , pressure being the minimum amount of work related stress that keeps a worker going and causes them to excel in their work , whereas , stress causes negativity in the behavior causing a downhill performance (Cooper & Cartwright, 1997; Gyllensten & Palmer, 2005).
Work related stress not only effects productivity negatively , but can also cause strained relations between colleagues , as well as effecting the worker psychologically and medically leading to increased incidence of accidents and diseases , such as hypertension and diabetes. It is not a psychological disorder in itself but if continued for too long a time , without any relief it can lead to permanent scarring of the mind as well as bodily manifestation of diseases , increasing the absent reports , quality of life , morbidity as well as mortality (Vigoda-Gadot & Drory, 2006).
- Cooper, C. L. & Cartwright, S. 1997, ‘An intervention strategy for workplace stress’, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 43 (1), pp. 7-16.
- Dewe, P. J., O’Driscoll, M. P. & Cooper, C. L. 2010, Coping with Work Stress: A Review and Critique, Wiley.
- Gyllensten, K. & Palmer, S. 2005, ‘Can coaching reduce workplace stress’, The Coaching Psychologist, 1 (1), pp. 15-7.
- Hicks, T. & Caroline, M. S. 2007, A Guide to Managing Workplace Stress, Universal Publishers
- Vigoda-Gadot, E. & Drory, A. 2006, Handbook of: Organizational Politics, Edward Elgar Pub.
- Williams, C. 2003, ‘Sources of workplace stress’, Perspectives on Labour and Income, 4 (6), pp. 5-12.