Preventing and managing stress in the workplace

One of the most challenging health and safety hazard that people facing nowadays is work-related stress. Although stress is not considered as an illness and an injury, health and wellbeing of employees can be negatively affected by a long-lasting and excessive stress, it even can lead to some psychological injuries. Work-related stress can be caused by a number of events which can be conflict in workplace or threats to job security. However, identifying work-related stress is not too difficult if we know about the signs or symptoms which can be physical, psychological, and behavioral. The physical include fatigue, headaches, heart palpitations, sleeping difficulties or muscular tension while psychological matter includes anxiety, depression, feelings of being overwhelmed or discouragement. In addition, behavioral symptoms include sick day increase or absenteeism, aggression, work performance reduction or isolation.

So, after identifying those symptoms, how can employees help themselves to stop suffering from work-related stress? There is a number of ways to manage them, including:

• Thinking positive about what changes you can make at work in order to lower your level of stress. There are some changes you can figure out by yourself while there are some need the cooperation of others.

• Talk over to your manager, human resource manager, or consultant of the company towards your issue.

• Do not take out the stress to your loved ones.

• Drugs, alcohol, or tobacco do not reduce your stress but make your health worse.

• If the work-related stress is still a problem despite your efforts, you may think and consider another job or career path.

• Take care of yourself. Play sport, eat healthy, make friends, going out and again think positively!

Work-related stress is hard if we do not know how to cope with them. Speak up if you need help.

Refer to: Work-related stress - Better Health Channel