The effect of stress in the workplace to employees and the organization
Stress in the workplace has a number of impacts to both the employee and the organization. First, working in a stressing environment causes physical, psychological, and emotional impacts to the employee leading to low productivity. The employee experiences a lot of work burnout and depression that leads to the development of health problems such as psychological disorders and medical problems. A number of behavioral problems experienced by employees both in the workplace and at their homes have high associations with stresses in the workplace. Workplace stress impacts the employee's well-being by causing harmful lifestyle behaviors such as aggression, poor creativity, absenteeism, sabotage, and drug/substance abuse (International Labor Organization 6).On the other hand, psychologists argue that work-related stresses increase employees' performance in the organization. The employee works hard to deliver daily returns in an effort to avoid confrontation with seniors, which is the major cause of stress in the workplace, leading to high output and increased performance (Britt and Steve 125).
Stress in the workplace affects the organization in many different ways. One of the major impacts of the stress in the workplace is poor employee retention. Stress in the workplace leads to low job satisfaction that leads to the organization experiencing poor retention of employees especially if the management fails to address the issue in a quick and effective manner. Factors associated with workplace stress such as the geographical distribution, working conditions, and income levels affect employees’ retention in the organization (Masood 3). Eventually, the organization loses some of the most experienced employees and face difficulties recruiting new professionals because of the bad reputation gained from the society. Moreover, the persistent of workplace stresses affects team dynamics that cause social and cultural behaviors of employees leading to an aggressive workplace environment.
Overcoming stress in the workplace
Organizations should come up with strategies, initiatives, and actions aimed at overcoming stress in the workplace to prevent some of the impacts discussed above. Factors such as demands, organizational controls, roles, support from managers and colleagues, and change play a critical role in developing solutions to workplace stresses. One of the best approaches towards avoiding stress in the workplace is creating a positive workplace environment where the employer engages employees in decision-making aspects of the organization. The organization should use appropriate approaches to establishing needs and demands of employees before coming up with any change initiative. Establishing causes of stress in the workplace from employers by analyzing factors causing stress helps developing strategies that lead to a stress-free workplace environment. The International Labor Organization claims that using questionnaires as tools for evaluating major problems faced by employees and obtain suggestions for overcoming such problems (International Labor Organization 17).
Second, some employees end up suffering from psychological and behavioral problems when faced with continuous workplace-related stresses. The application of team-approach strategies such as frequent coaching and engaging employees in mentoring programs helps overcome psychological and behavioral lifestyles (Van 105). The organization can make use of other employees to mentor the stressed workforce or use external mentors that have adequate skills and proficiency in dealing with psychological problems while maintaining the reputation of the organization.
In conclusion, organizations should focus on creating a positive workplace environment that promotes stress-free working conditions. The presence of a stressing workplace environment affects both the employee and the organization leading to the development of psychological and developmental disorders and low productivity that affects the business’s competitiveness. On the other hand, coming up with actions and strategies aimed at overcoming stress in the workplace such as engaging employees in organizational decision-making processes and using a team approach to overcome behavioral lifestyles is necessary for the growth of the organization.
Works Cited
Britt, Thomas W, and Steve M. Jex. Thriving Under Stress: Harnessing Demands in the
Workplace. 2015. Print.
International Labor Organization. “Workplace Stress: A Collective Challenge.” World Day for
Safety and Health at Work. 2016, April 28. < http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---safework/documents/publication/wcms_466547.pdf>. Web: Jan 12, 2017.
Masood, Asim. “Effects of job stress on employee retention: A study on banking sector in
Pakistan.” International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 3.9 (2013): 1-8.
Van, Heugten K. Social Work Under Pressure: How to Overcome Stress, Fatigue, and Burnout
in the Workplace. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2011. Internet resource.
