Stress

The purpose of this paper is to provide some basic information on stress, on preventive actions that can be taken, and to briefly discuss some of the issues emerging in relation to this issue.

 WHAT IS STRESS?

Stress is the body’s natural response to pressures or stressful situations we find ourselves in and which we are not certain we can cope with effectively.  Situations that are unfamiliar, or challenge or threaten us increase our level of stress.

 “Stress” has become a widely used and yet poorly understood term.  As a result, a number of misconceptions exist about stress.  Three of the most prominent misconceptions are that:

·      all stress is bad

·      stress is a part of life (which is true) and there is nothing that you can do about it (which is not true), and

·      stress is caused solely and completely by environmental factors.

We should not assume that stress is always a bad thing.  Stress comes with work and life responsibilities and is unavoidable.  It keeps us motivated and can provide a great sense of achievement once the stressful situation has passed.  Stress also increases the level of energy and muscle tension in our body, improving our ability to concentrate and meet demands. 

Factors or situations that can make demands  - the sources of stress - are called “stressors”.  It is often very difficult to determine causes of stress-related complaints and illness.  Generally, there are numerous contributory factors, some of which are related to personal experience and personality and others may be related to a person’s social environment (home, family, money and so on).

Other factors are related to work and may include:

 ·   lack of control over workloads, over-demanding workloads or schedules - too much work,
     too little work, inability to perform the required work tasks

·    lack of clear direction from management

·    lack of information on work role and objectives, career opportunities or job security

·    conflict between individuals or areas, section rivalries or personal discrimination or harassment

·    poor physical working conditions (eg heat, cold, chemicals, noise, etc)

·    threat of violence – physical and/or verbal.

CAN STRESS BE WORK-RELATED?

All employees will be exposed to some sources of stress in the workplace.  However, most people suffer no ill-effects from exposure to work related stressors and the vast majority of employees are generally satisfied with their jobs.  This is an indication that the ill effects of stress are not solely related to work situations.

Clearly however, stress can arise from work.  It can arise in “white collar” as well as “blue collar” situations.  Surveys have found little difference between white and blue collar employees in terms of complaints, health, life satisfaction, depressions or other indicators of stress.

However, the sources of stress are thought to differ between white and blue collar employees.  White collar workers identify work roles, work overload, time management, travel and work-home conflicts as major sources of stress.  Blue collar workers report work overload or underload, work patterns requiring long hours (possibly during times when the worker would normally be asleep) and notably, lack of autonomy or control.

HOW DOES IT AFFECT ME?

Stress is very much a personal condition.  There are many different levels of stress that can be produced in response to any given situation.  The level of stress a person experiences depends on that person’s personality, their state of health and many other factors.  Obviously, individuals respond to stressful situations in different ways.  Stressful situations can trigger different types of responses.  These will vary between individuals.  Some may be physical, some may be psychological and others may be behavioural.

A person’s personal characteristics also can affect the way he or she responds to stress.  If a person tends to have an anxious personality, then they will be less likely to control their responses to stress than someone who has a high level of self-esteem or positive self-regard. 

Stress becomes a problem where the person concerned cannot cope adequately with these stressors.  Your response to stress depends on how vulnerable you are at the time.  For example, you are more likely to suffer from stress if you have a cardiovascular disease or hypertension.

Various lifestyle factors including diet, weight, levels of fitness and breadth of interests  and activities also influence a person’s propensity to be affected.

YOUR RESPONSES TO STRESS

When you are faced with a stressful situation, your initial response depends on whether you believe you have the skills, abilities and resources to deal with the situation.  You are also more likely to respond well to these situations if you have good social support from work colleagues, family and friends.

When you first find yourself in a stressful situation, your body responds to stress by increasing your state of arousal, preparing you for greater levels of action.  This increase in energy comes from an increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, muscle tension and general physical and mental alertness.

If the stress continues, your body tries to cope another way, and your hormone and heart rate go back to normal.  If your body’s attempt to cope with the stressful situation has been unsuccessful, you begin to feel exhausted.  This is when - physically and psychologically - you become prone to illness and disease.  You may be at greater risk of having an accident.

Should the stress continue, behavioural changes can begin.  This can include increased smoking, alcohol and drug abuse and poor work performance.  Psychological changes may include increased anxiety, depression, irritability, aggression and sleep disturbances.

Both work groups and individuals can demonstrate they are experiencing unmanageable levels of stress through a range of symptoms.  Work group indicators of stress problems can include absenteeism, high or increased accident rates, poor or reduced work output and poor interpersonal relations in the workplace.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

It is unrealistic to assume any workplace can be made totally free from stress.  What we need to do is reduce the level of stress in the workplace so it is manageable.

For any plan to manage stress in the workplace to be useful, problems or stress areas must be properly identified and the work environment and employees’ needs must be assessed; ie the OHS management process of identification, assessment and control.

1. identify the “stressors” – the factors that contribute to stress
2. assess the risks (of stressors to individuals)
3. eliminate or control the stressors (preferably at their sources)

Acceptance that potential areas of work stress are real will help create the climate where those who feel stressed will report it early.  Those who report should then have access to an efficient system to enable them to get assistance.

[An Employee Assistance Program allows employees with any personal or work problems to seek professional and confidential counselling and assistance.]

The rehabilitation of the employee suffering from stress involves the same principles as are used in the occupational rehabilitation of injured employees.  Early reporting, early access to professional resources and help, early return to work, and on-going treatment and assessment should contain the difficulties faced by the individual and the organisation. 

INDIVIDUAL MEASURES include:

• information to improve stress recognition by employees

• skills training (including job-related skills, general skills training such as time management, issue resolution, mediation, dealing with difficult customers, assertiveness, etc)

• personal and group counselling

• exercise programs

• nutrition information and/or healthy lifestyle programs

• relaxation techniques.

Stress intervention is best thought of as a process, just as stress was described above as a process.  The three steps in the intervention process are:

(i)         identify components of the stress process (sources of stress, mediators of stress that make the situation better or worse, and outcomes of stress)

(ii)        evaluate ways of strengthening each component (plan to build on strengths, examine ways of making necessary changes, provide adequate supports, etc)

(iii)        institute changes systematically.

EVALUATING STRESS PROGRAMS

Key criteria for constructing, implementing and evaluating a stress intervention program include:

1.    the program should operate on both the organisational and individual level

2.    the content of the program should be work-related, but aim at reducing unwanted stress    factors that may result from social, environmental or personal factors

3.    the program should aim to affect both the attitudes and the behaviours of participants

4.    the program for individual stress management should be flexible with goals that are reasonable (rather than just easily achieved), promoting high success rates, and participation should be voluntary

5.    the program should include follow-up evaluations, consultations and “refresher” sessions for techniques learned

6.    the program should include regular and on-going evaluation of its effectiveness in meeting program objectives.

Stress intervention - formal and informal - is a shared responsibility and calls for a co-operative effort.