The Effects Of Stress In The Workplace

The latest in job related illnesses finds, not surprisingly

, that stress can be the cause of many health conditions. A recently concluded 12-year British study found the most stressed workers were white-collar workers between the ages of 35-55. They also found this category of workers have jobs with high pressure and little control, as well as bad bosses and unsupportive colleagues.

Obviously stress is a part of real life and it certainly can exist in the workplace. Stress is not entirely bad however. It has been known to motivate our performance as well as provide bursts of energy and has even been known to provide an enhanced memory.

Excessive stress is the bad stress. Excessive, long-term stress will not only impede our job performance, it also has a detrimental affect on our personal morale and can make people very sick. The study showed that chronically stressed employees were 68% more likely to develop a heart-related disease, suffering from a non-fatal heart attack, developing angina or dying from heart disease. This study was important because people have always been sceptical as to whether work-place stress really affected a person biologically. They discovered that both biological and behavioural changes such as overeating, eating unhealthy, smoking and not exercising all related to heart issues.

These same workers also had a higher than normal level of cortisol in their blood, which has been related to such health problems as: increased abdominal fat, lower immunity, high blood pressure, impaired cognitive performance, blood sugar imbalances, suppressed thyroids and even decreased bone density and muscle tissue.

The American Psychological Association has recently found that one-third of American workers are living with extreme stress. Seventy-four percent of these people say the source of their extreme stress is work related. That is up from 59% from the year before. This high percentage may help clarify some of the bad behaviour that occurs in various work environments when we hear of disgruntled bosses or employees. Employees claim that negative interpersonal relationships with their co-workers, albeit with passive-aggressive colleagues or bad bosses, have an enormous impact on their stress and anxiety levels at work.

A Canadian study found that work place bullying is a large problem with 37% of the working population saying this has happened to them in their place of employment. They also found that work place bullying is more harmful to employees than sexual harassment. Perhaps a career change may provide a solution if you are one of these overly stressed workers. If you are in this category you may want to consider additional health care.

by: Molly Wider

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