Work stress is often tied to value: the busier and more stressed you are, the more important and valuable you seem. But in reality, stress is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. Around the UK, millions of people suffer with high levels of stress, but it is often overlooked in comparison to physical health concerns. Stress is a significant contributing factor for mental health problems such as depression and anxiety and is damaging to physical health, causing problems such as insomnia, heart disease and digestive problems. So, it is concerning that rates are increasing, not decreasing.
While stress at work is common, finding a low-stress job may be difficult – if not impossible. So, a more effective approach is to adopt coping strategies to manage and reduce stress within your role. We all have a responsibility to understand the causes of stress and learn how we can reduce it for ourselves and those around us.
Some common causes of work stress include:
- Heavy workload
- Interpersonal conflict
- Physical discomfort
- Long working hours
- Job insecurity
- Lack of autonomy
- Boredom
- Tight deadlines
The main causes of stress at work are related to workplace conditions that managers could do something about. But to do this, managers need to feel empowered and capable of spotting the signs, as well as knowing how to act quickly.