Stress in the workplace is becoming a widespread epidemic. According to extensive research conducted by The American Institute of Stress, 40% of workers reported their job was “very” or “extremely” stressful, and 80% of workers feel stress on the job.
As a learning and development professional, here are a few things you’ll want to know and understand about workplace stress.
Psychological and Physical Effects of Being Stressed at Work
When experienced for prolonged periods of time, stress can lead to high blood pressure and heart problems, gastrointestinal issues, higher vulnerability to getting diabetes and cancer, and muscular and skeletal problems.1 Stress can also trigger substance abuse problems and extreme depression, as well as intense anxiety and other mental illnesses or physiological conditions.
Signs Someone Is Stressed at Work
You can tell one of your employees or coworkers is stressed out at work if they’re always doing one or more of the following:
- Yawning and showing signs of extreme fatigue
- Complaining of headaches, stomachaches, or chest pains
- Showing up hungover and are always out drinking or taking drugs
- Become restless or have frequent and sudden outbursts of anger or sadness
- Start to withdraw and interact with others less than they used to
- Show lack of motivation or focus and start to struggle to complete regular everyday tasks
Causes of Stress in the Workplace
As outlined by research conducted by The American Institute of Stress, of the workers who reported experiencing stress:
- 46% were overwhelmed by their workloads
- 28% had “people issues,” either with other coworkers or their bosses
- 20% were trying to juggle their personal lives with their professional lives
- 6% had a lack of job security and felt they could be fired at any moment
How Stress in the Workplace Impacts Your Business
While it’s obvious that stress is bad for your employees, it’s also terrible for your organization’s bottom line. According to research, workplace stress costs U.S. businesses over $300 billion per year.
Workplace stress also:
- Leads to more accidents, which results in higher medical and insurance costs, as well as costs related to lawsuits
- Increases rates of absenteeism, presenteeism, and employee turnover
- Decreases rates of overall employee productivity across an organization
Once you understand what causes workplace stress, signs it’s happening, and how it’s detrimental to your business and its employees, you’ll be better equipped to create learning and development programs that work toward lessening its permeation across your entire organization.
1CNBC. “Here’s how being stressed at work can hurt you physically—and what you can do to beat it.” Accessed 2/12/2018.